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Study reveals increasing prevalence of marijuana use among US adults

An increasing number of US adults are using marijuana, as fewer people perceive the drug as harmful, according to a survey of over 500000 US adults conducted between 2002 and 2014 published in The Lancet Psychiatry.

2 Sep 2016

Hospitalizations for injection drug use-related infective endocarditis increasing among young Americans

Hospitalizations for infective endocarditis, a heart valve infection often attributed to injection drug use, have increased significantly among young adult Americans--particularly in whites and females--according to a new study by researchers from Tufts Medical Center and Tufts University School of Medicine.

1 Sep 2016

WSU pharmacologists find hyperbaric oxygen therapy can alleviate opiate withdrawal symptoms

Washington State University researchers have found that treatments of pure oxygen in a high-pressure chamber can relieve the symptoms of opiate withdrawal.

31 Aug 2016

Scientists discover neural factors that can help identify adolescents at risk for alcohol consumption

Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine have identified 34 neural factors that predict adolescent alcohol consumption.

31 Aug 2016

Novel compound provides safe, effective pain relief with zero abuse potential in animal model

Since the isolation of morphine from opium in the 19th century, scientists have hoped to find a potent opioid analgesic that isn't addictive and doesn't cause respiratory arrest with increased doses.

30 Aug 2016

Adults with moderate to severe TBI may be at greater risk of death from unintentional injuries

Research examining adults with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) who participated in rehabilitation showed that they were twice as likely to die from an unintentional injury that occurred following their TBI.

29 Aug 2016

Serious heart problem can run in families and occur at similar ages, study suggests

People with a family member who had an aortic dissection—a spontaneous tear in one of the body's main arteries—should take note of the age that family member was when the aortic dissection occurred.

25 Aug 2016

New study aims to find how genes that influence brain function cause risk for drug addiction

A new study aims to better understand what makes some individuals particularly vulnerable to developing drug addiction. A team of researchers from across the country will look at how genes that influence brain function cause risk for addictions.

23 Aug 2016

Men experience greater pain relief than women after smoking marijuana, study finds

Researchers from Columbia University Medical Center found that men had greater pain relief than women after smoking marijuana.

19 Aug 2016

TSRI scientists find evidence supporting new therapeutic strategy against cocaine addiction

An international team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute has found strong evidence supporting a new strategy against drug addiction.

18 Aug 2016

Study shows work productivity key in evaluating recovery of depressed patients

While medications can quickly reduce depressive symptoms, monitoring work productivity can provide unique insight into whether a patient will require additional treatments to achieve long-term remission, a new study through the Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute finds.

17 Aug 2016

New research examines link between alcohol use and unprotected sex among young women

It may come as little surprise that alcohol use is widespread among young adults. In the U.S., 70 percent of adults aged 18 to 24 drink alcohol, with 40 percent of women imbibing over the recommended daily limit of 3 drinks per day.

11 Aug 2016

New study suggests increased levels of hypocretin in the brain may play role in cocaine addiction

A new study from scientists at The Scripps Research Institute, funded by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute on Drug Abuse and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, suggests that increased levels of a molecule in the brain, called hypocretin, may contribute to cocaine addiction.

10 Aug 2016

Study finds racial-ethnic disparities in emergency department opioid prescription for pain-related conditions

Dr. Astha Singhal, Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Health Services Research at Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, published a study that found a racial disparity in opioid prescriptions for emergency department visits for non-definitive pain-related conditions.

9 Aug 2016

European Union may be catching up to the United States in nonmedical prescription drug abuse

There is a high rate of prescription pain reliever abuse in Europe, largely accounted by opioids, according to the first comparative study of prescription drug abuse in the European Union, which was conducted by researchers at RTI International and published in BMC Psychiatry.

5 Aug 2016

New study compares sexual experiences linked to alcohol and marijuana use

A new study, published in Archives of Sexual Behavior by researchers affiliated with New York University's Center for Drug Use and HIV Research, compared self-reported sexual experiences related to use of alcohol and marijuana.

5 Aug 2016

Study finds high rate of misuse of seizure and pain drug

With increasing public attention to overdose deaths and misuse of prescription medications in the United States, researchers today presented the results of a new study looking at abuse and misuse of gabapentin, a medication used to treat seizures and relieve nerve pain often associated with shingles.

3 Aug 2016

Study reveals alterations in silent synapses could trigger drug-related memories in addiction

In addiction, cues in the environment can form strong associations with the drug of abuse. A new study in Biological Psychiatry suggests that alterations in silent synapses, inactive connections between neurons, could be the neural mechanism underlying the formation of these drug-related memories.

3 Aug 2016

Study shows link between psychiatric symptoms and substance use among high school students

Researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health with collaborators at the Federal University of Sao Paulo studied the relationship between psychiatric symptoms and patterns of substance use among high school students in Brazil and found that respondents with clinically significant scores on a behavioral screening questionnaire were more likely to use alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana in the past month compared to those without symptoms.

2 Aug 2016

Combat exposure may affect post-deployment behavioral health of Army women

In a recent study, combat exposure among Army enlisted women was associated with an increased likelihood of developing behavioral health problems post-deployment, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and at-risk drinking.