Substance Use Disorder News and Research

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USDA grant awarded to MU researchers to reduce opioid overdoses and suicides in Rural Missouri

Childhood trauma is a key risk factor for future substance use disorder, overdose, and suicide. This is particularly problematic in rural areas where children experience higher rates of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).

27 Oct 2023

Study identifies predictors of opioid overdose after prescription for chronic pain

A large study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.230459 identified 10 predictors of opioid overdose after prescription for chronic pain, which can help clinicians engage in shared decision-making with patients around opioid prescribing.

24 Oct 2023

Using opioid settlement cash for police gear like squad cars and scanners sparks debate

Policing expenses mount quickly: $25,000 for a law enforcement conference about fentanyl in Colorado; $18,000 for technology to unlock cellphones in Southington, Connecticut; $2,900 for surveillance cameras and to train officers and canines in New Lexington, Ohio. And in other communities around the country, hundreds of thousands for vehicles, body scanners, and other equipment.

23 Oct 2023

Tattoo removal may help reduce violence and trauma in East Los Angeles

Tattoo removal may help to reduce violence and trauma in East Los Angeles, according to study results being presented at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2023.

20 Oct 2023

Pediatric mental health crisis skyrocketed and persisted during the pandemic

Mental health crises among children and adolescents requiring emergency department care skyrocketed during the pandemic and have stayed elevated despite a return to normalcy, according to a study by Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian investigators.

20 Oct 2023

How do different organ microbiomes influence neuropsychiatric disorders?

Scientists review existing literature to understand how the microbiome influences neuropsychiatric disorders.

19 Oct 2023

Telehealth may improve access and retention for opioid use disorder treatment

Starting buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder through telehealth was associated with an increased likelihood of staying in treatment longer compared to starting treatment in a non-telehealth setting, according to a new study analyzing Medicaid data from 2019-2020 in Kentucky and Ohio.

18 Oct 2023

Did the COVID-19 pandemic increase drunkness among people with a history of alcohol use disorder?

How COVID-19-related stressors altered drunkenness frequency.

10 Oct 2023

New research calls for shift in thinking about ultra-processed food addiction

Researchers from the United States, Brazil, and Spain, including scientists with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, published an analysis in a special edition of the British Medical Journal with a timely and controversial recommendation: It's time for an international shift in the way we think about ultra-processed food.

9 Oct 2023

New brain biomarker predicts recovery from treatment-resistant depression

Using a novel deep brain stimulation (DBS) device capable of recording brain signals, researchers have identified a pattern of brain activity or "biomarker" related to clinical signs of recovery from treatment-resistant depression.

20 Sep 2023

New study suggests higher buprenorphine doses could help save lives

Individuals with opioid use disorder who were prescribed a lower buprenorphine dose were 20% more likely to discontinue treatment than those on a higher dose, according to a study of patients prescribed buprenorphine in Rhode Island from 2016 to 2020, as fentanyl became widely available.

19 Sep 2023

Experts provide guidance on opioid management in individuals with cancer-related pain

Clinicians treating cancer-related pain must consider whether and how to prescribe opioids to patients who use nonmedical stimulants such as cocaine and methamphetamines; however, no guidelines exist related to these common and challenging situations.

15 Sep 2023

Higher adverse childhood experiences linked to greater odds of head or neck injury and concussions

Altaf Saadi, MD, MSc, principal investigator of the Neurodisparities & Health Justice Lab in the Department of Neurology at Mass General and an assistant professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, is lead author of a new study in the Journal of Head Trauma and Rehabilitation, Examining the Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Lifetime History of Head or Neck Injury or Concussion in Children From the United States.

8 Sep 2023

FAU researchers discover novel method to identify therapeutic agents to treat addiction

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, approximately 40 million people in the United States had a substance use disorder in 2020.

8 Sep 2023

Parental substance use disorder linked to greater risk of intellectual disability in children

Children of a parent with alcohol or drug use disorder have a greater risk of intellectual disability, even if the problem only lies with the father, researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden report.

7 Sep 2023

Study aims to explore neural, physiological mechanisms linked to substance use in adolescence experiencing anxiety

Anxiety remains one of the most diagnosed clinical symptoms in adolescence and is a potent precursor to and exacerbator of substance use disorder.

25 Aug 2023

New report on the impacts of Michigan’s Medicaid expansion shows positive effects and opportunities for improvement

At a pivotal time for Medicaid health coverage for Americans with low incomes, a report on the impacts of Michigan's Medicaid expansion shows very positive effects, as well as opportunities for continued improvements.

25 Aug 2023

Anesthesiologists can play a greater role in managing patients with substance use disorders

As use and misuse of alcohol, opioids, and psychostimulants continues to increase, anesthesiologists can become a more integral part of the care team managing patients with a Substance Use Disorder (SUD), according to a series of three articles published in the September issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, the official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society.

24 Aug 2023

NIH awards $24 million to establish Maternal Health Research Centers of Excellence

The National Institutes of Health has awarded $24 million in first-year funding to establish Maternal Health Research Centers of Excellence. Part of NIH's Implementing a Maternal health and PRegnancy Outcomes Vision for Everyone (IMPROVE) initiative, the centers will develop and evaluate innovative approaches to reduce pregnancy-related complications and deaths and promote maternal health equity.

17 Aug 2023

Marijuana and hallucinogen use, binge drinking reach highest level among adults 35 to 50

Past-year use of marijuana and hallucinogens by adults 35 to 50 years old continued a long-term upward trajectory to reach all-time highs in 2022, according to the Monitoring the Future (MTF) panel study, an annual survey of substance use behaviors and attitudes of adults 19 to 60 years old.