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Scientists develop new method to get clearer picture of how drug abuse affects the brain

One thing leads to another, especially in research. When Stony Brook University School of Medicine scientists developed a new method to measure how cocaine disrupts blood flow in the brains of mice, doctors and researchers got a way to form a clearer picture of how drug abuse affects the brain.

16 Sep 2014

Early intervention prevents aggressive children from becoming violent, criminal adults

Aggressive children are less likely to become violent criminals or psychiatrically troubled adults if they receive early intervention, says a new study based on more than two decades of research.

16 Sep 2014

DEA announces that unused prescription pills can be returned to pharmacies

Seeking to combat growing drug abuse problems, federal authorities will allow patients and their relatives to take excess pills, such as opioid painkillers, to hospitals, clinics and pharmacies or to mail them to authorized sites.

10 Sep 2014

E-cigarettes may function as "gateway drug" to marijuana and cocaine

Like conventional cigarettes, electronic cigarettes (or e-cigarettes) may function as a "gateway drug"—a drug that lowers the threshold for addiction to other substances, such as marijuana and cocaine—according to the 120th Shattuck lecture, presented to the Massachusetts Medical Society by Columbia researchers Denise and Eric Kandel and published today in the online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.

4 Sep 2014

Teens and young adults face high risk from opioid-involved overdose

The prevalence of opioid-involved overdoses has become an increasing concern to health officials both in NYC and nationally.

3 Sep 2014

Nomination signals new approach to drug abuse policy

The nomination of Michael Botticelli to head the Office of National Drug Control Policy symbolizes the shift toward dealing with drug use as a public health rather than as a criminal justice issue, writes The Washington Post. Reuters looks at how opioid abuse fears keep cancer patients from getting pain relief.

2 Sep 2014

Study compares harms of marijuana use with alcohol use

The study found that for high school seniors, alcohol consumption led to unsafe driving and compromised relationships with peers, while marijuana consumption was found to compromise relationships with authority figures.

1 Sep 2014

UH GCSW receives NIH grant to study health consequences of heroin use

The University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work is the recipient of a 5-year, $1.25 million grant from the National Institute of Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health to study the long-term use and health consequences of heroin use.

29 Aug 2014

New method could help doctors better understand how drug abuse affects the brain

A new method for measuring and imaging how quickly blood flows in the brain could help doctors and researchers better understand how drug abuse affects the brain, which may aid in improving brain-cancer surgery and tissue engineering, and lead to better treatment options for recovering drug addicts.

29 Aug 2014

Scientists solve mystery of why specific signaling pathway can be linked with alcohol dependence

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have solved the mystery of why a specific signaling pathway can be associated with alcohol dependence.

28 Aug 2014

Study to clarify findings about domestic violence among pot-smoking couples

New research findings from a study of 634 couples found that the more often they smoked marijuana, the less likely they were to engage in domestic violence.

27 Aug 2014

Research to understand how medical marijuana laws may influence overdose deaths

In states where it is legal to use medical marijuana to manage chronic pain and other conditions, the annual number of deaths from prescription drug overdose is 25 percent lower than in states where medical marijuana remains illegal, new research suggests.

26 Aug 2014

Scientists discover area of brain that could control person's motivation to exercise

Scientists at Seattle Children's Research Institute have discovered an area of the brain that could control a person's motivation to exercise and participate in other rewarding activities - potentially leading to improved treatments for depression.

21 Aug 2014

Genetics may underpin psychiatric comorbidity in bipolar patients

Relatives of people with bipolar disorder are at an increased risk of developing not only bipolarity but also other psychiatric disorders, according to Swedish researchers.

20 Aug 2014

Efforts to prevent prescription drug misuse among adults need to consider peers, not peer pressure

Current efforts to prevent prescription drug misuse among young adults need to consider peers - but not peer pressure - according to a Purdue University study.

18 Aug 2014

Study shows that 8.3% of Norwegians are addicted to work

In spite of the many positive aspects of work, some people are unable to detach from it - working excessively and compulsively. These are called workaholics.

16 Aug 2014

Medical advisory panel recommends new pneumonia vaccine for seniors

The experts expressed concern, however, that Medicare rules may hamper some people from getting the new vaccine if they have already had an older version. Also in drug issues, some patient advocates report that insurers are balking at paying for a costly drug to treat hepatitis C if the patients are in drug treatment programs.

15 Aug 2014

First Edition: August 14, 2014

Today's headlines include a report about an uptick in VA referrals to private physicians. Kaiser Health News staff writer Julie Appleby reports: "Some hospitals in New York, Florida and Wisconsin are exploring ways to help individuals and families pay their share of the costs of government-subsidized policies purchased though the health law's marketplaces – at least partly to guarantee the hospitals get paid when the consumers seek care.

14 Aug 2014

Adults put school violence and gun-related injuries in top 10 health concern for children

Childhood obesity remains the top health concern for children in 2014, but when asked about national concerns, adults put school violence and gun-related injuries in the top 10, according to a new University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health.

12 Aug 2014

New lifesaving product aims at reducing death toll from heroin abuse

A new, lifesaving product aimed at reducing the death toll from heroin abuse — developed by a professor at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy — is in its final round of clinical trials and has received Fast Track designation by the Food and Drug Administration.

7 Aug 2014