Drug Abuse News and Research

RSS

Researchers identify potential drug target that may improve cognition in people with mental illnesses

More than a dozen drugs are known to treat symptoms such as hallucinations, erratic behaviors, disordered thinking and emotional extremes associated with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other severe mental illnesses.

3 Dec 2020

Circadian gene mutation increases drug-taking behaviors in mice

A mutation in the gene regulating circadian rhythms increases self-administration of cocaine in mice, University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences researchers found in a paper published today in the Journal of Neuroscience.

2 Dec 2020

Polysubstance-involved opioid overdose deaths are more common among youth, study shows

Results of a new study show that opioid overdose deaths involving more than one substance (polysubstances) are more common than opioid-only overdose deaths among youth.

23 Nov 2020

UNC scientists find brain cells that help drive arousal responses to strong emotions

Strong emotions such as fear and anxiety tend to be accompanied and reinforced by measurable bodily changes including increased blood pressure, heart rate and respiration, and dilation of the eyes' pupils. These so-called "physiological arousal responses" are often abnormally high or low in psychiatric illnesses such as anxiety disorders and depression.

23 Nov 2020

Neuroscientists identify astrocytes as master 'conductors' of the brain

In the orchestra of the brain, the firing of each neuron is controlled by two notes--excitatory and inhibitory-- that come from two distinct forms of a cellular structure called synapses.

12 Nov 2020

Researchers receive federal grant to develop tool that protects privacy in brain imaging analyses

Georgia State University faculty have received a five-year, $3 million federal grant to further develop a tool that will allow researchers around the world to participate in extensive brain imaging analysis without sharing protected patient data.

10 Nov 2020

Psilocybin may be effective in patients suffering from major depression

In a small study of adults with major depression, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report that two doses of the psychedelic substance psilocybin, given with supportive psychotherapy, produced rapid and large reductions in depressive symptoms, with most participants showing improvement and half of study participants achieving remission through the four-week follow-up.

4 Nov 2020

Antiseizure drug use during pregnancy linked with double the risk of having children with autism

Women with epilepsy who take the antiseizure drug valproic acid while pregnant are at more than double the risk of having children with autism spectrum disorder and nearly double the risk of having children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a study in the October 28, 2020, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

28 Oct 2020

Research finds one-third of students misusing prescription opioids tend to use heroin later

Nearly one-third of students who reported misusing prescription opioids as high school seniors between 1997 and 2000, but did not have a history of medical use, later used heroin by age 35, according to a University of Michigan study.

21 Oct 2020

Researchers apply a novel technique to improve understanding of liver disease, immune activation

Human cells are encased by a membrane coated with diverse sugar molecules known as glycans. These glycans play many roles in health and disease, making them important to understand.

20 Oct 2020

Children diagnosed with ADHD, autism frequently visit hospitals and doctors during infancy

Children who are later diagnosed with autism and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder visit doctors and hospitals more often in their first year of life than non-affected children, suggesting a potential new way to identify the conditions early.

19 Oct 2020

Maltreatment at early age affects girls more than boys

New research by a University of Georgia scientist reveals that girls who are maltreated show higher levels of inflammation at an early age than boys who are maltreated or children who have not experienced abuse. This finding may forecast chronic mental and physical health problems in midlife.

14 Oct 2020

Microstructural brain differences linked to waist circumference and BMI in children

Differences in the microstructure of the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), a region in the brain that plays an important role in processing food and other reward stimuli, predict increases in indicators of obesity in children, according to a study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and nine other institutes, all part of the National Institutes of Health.

13 Oct 2020

Two well-known neurochemicals found to be involved in sub-second perception, cognition

In first-of-their-kind observations in the human brain, an international team of researchers has revealed two well-known neurochemicals - dopamine and serotonin - are at work at sub-second speeds to shape how people perceive the world and take action based on their perception.

12 Oct 2020

Dopamine and serotonin play role in perception and decision-making

Scientists at Wake Forest School of Medicine have recorded real time changes in dopamine and serotonin levels in the human brain that are involved with perception and decision-making.

12 Oct 2020

Study: Cannabis seldom serves as substitute for non-medical opioids

A study published in the scientific journal Addiction suggests that, contrary to what some are claiming, people in the US may not be substituting cannabis for opioids.

8 Oct 2020

Methamphetamine use linked to risky sexual behavior

Recreational use of the illicit drug methamphetamine has long been associated with increases in overall impatient and risky behavior.

30 Sep 2020

Study provides the most detailed picture on stimulant use by LGB individuals

Lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) individuals report higher rates of medical, non-medical, and illegal stimulant use compared to heterosexuals, mirroring patterns seen in other substance use.

24 Sep 2020

FDA announces requirement of class-wide labeling changes for benzodiazepines

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today in a Drug Safety Communication that it is requiring an update to the Boxed Warning, the agency's most prominent safety warning, and requiring class-wide labeling changes for benzodiazepines to include the risks of abuse, misuse, addiction, physical dependence and withdrawal reactions to help improve their safe use.

23 Sep 2020

New book sheds light on addiction to psychoactive drugs

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press (CSHLP) announced the publication of Addiction, 2e, now available on its website in ebook and hardcover formats.