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Study shows certain brain cells play critical role in anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder

Sixty years ago scientists could electrically stimulate a region of a mouse's brain causing the mouse to eat, whether hungry or not. Now researchers from UNC School of Medicine have pinpointed the precise cellular connections responsible for triggering that behavior.

27 Sep 2013

Study finds support among federally licensed firearms retailers for denying handgun purchases

A scientific survey of gun dealers and pawnbrokers in 43 U.S. states has found nearly unanimous support for denying gun purchases based on prior convictions and for serious mental illness with a history of violence or alcohol or drug abuse - conditions that might have prevented Washington Navy Yard shooter Aaron Alexis from legally purchasing a firearm.

24 Sep 2013

Escapism, social interaction and rewards fuel problematic gaming behaviors among adults

New research from the University of Missouri indicates escapism, social interaction and rewards fuel problematic video-game use among "very casual" to "hardcore" adult gamers. Understanding individual motives that contribute to unhealthy game play could help counselors identify and treat individuals addicted to video games.

24 Sep 2013

UNC receives grants from FDA and NIH to establish Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill received two separate grants from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health today as part of an on-going interagency partnership. UNC will house two of 14 Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science, which are receiving a total of up to $53 million for tobacco-related research in fiscal year 2013.

21 Sep 2013

New research may help in regulation of tobacco products to protect public health

UC San Francisco will receive a five-year, $20 million grant as part of a first-of-its-kind tobacco science regulatory program by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health.

21 Sep 2013

FDA, NIH awarded $53 million to create 14 Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health today, as part of an on-going interagency partnership, have awarded a total of up to $53 million to fund tobacco-related research in fiscal year 2013 to create 14 Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science.

20 Sep 2013

Uthealth receives funds to establish Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science

The University of Texas School of Public Health has received $20 million in funding from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) today as part of an ongoing interagency partnership.

20 Sep 2013

State highlights: Analysis finds no imminent patient danger before Texas abortion law; N.M. fraud investigation disrupts mental health care

In their successful push this summer for strict new regulations on abortion facilities and the doctors performing them, proponents said the legislation was needed because conditions at existing facilities made it unsafe for women seeking to terminate pregnancies. But a Texas Tribune review of state inspection records for 36 abortion clinics from the year preceding the lawmakers' vote turned up little evidence to suggest that the facilities were putting patients in imminent danger.

17 Sep 2013

Extreme binge drinking common among high school seniors

Consuming five or more alcoholic drinks in a row is common among high school seniors, with some students engaging in extreme binge drinking of as many as 15 or more drinks, according to a study published by JAMA Pediatrics, a JAMA Network publication.

17 Sep 2013

Smoking-cessation in HIV-positive individuals: an interview with Dr Ellen R. Gritz, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

In the general population, current smoking prevalence is 18%. Persons living with HIV/AIDS smoke at a rate 2 to 3 times higher, up to almost 70% in some studies.

16 Sep 2013

First Edition: September 16, 2013

Today's headlines include reports about new polling indicating that the health law still faces an uphill climb.

16 Sep 2013

TRACC program aims to increase scientists from minority groups conducting addiction research

Aiming to increase the number of scientists from underrepresented minority groups conducting addiction research, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has awarded $1.5 million to support a new training program at The City College of New York.

12 Sep 2013

Discovery points to clear, workable method to disrupt unwanted memories

The human brain is exquisitely adept at linking seemingly random details into a cohesive memory that can trigger myriad associations-some good, some not so good. For recovering addicts and individuals suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, unwanted memories can be devastating. Former meth addicts, for instance, report intense drug cravings triggered by associations with cigarettes, money, even gum (used to relieve dry mouth), pushing them back into the addiction they so desperately want to leave.

11 Sep 2013

Not-So-Total Recall: Selectively Erasing Unwanted Memories

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10 Sep 2013

Adolescents who experience harsh verbal discipline suffer from aggressive behavior

Most parents who yell at their adolescent children wouldn't dream of physically punishing their teens. Yet their use of harsh verbal discipline-defined as shouting, cursing, or using insults-may be just as detrimental to the long-term well-being of adolescents.

5 Sep 2013

Report sheds light on adolescents using illegal substances on an average day

On an average day, 881,684 teenagers aged 12 to 17 smoked cigarettes, according to a report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The report also says that on an average day 646,707 adolescents smoked marijuana and 457,672 drank alcohol.

30 Aug 2013

Potential drug target to treat depression and other mood disorders may lie in GABA neurons

A new drug target to treat depression and other mood disorders may lie in a group of GABA neurons (gamma-aminobutyric acid -the neurotransmitters which inhibit other cells) shown to contribute to symptoms like social withdrawal and increased anxiety, Penn Medicine researchers report in a new study in the Journal of Neuroscience.

30 Aug 2013

Reformulated OxyContin®: an interview with Dr. Paul Coplan, Executive Director, Risk Management and Epidemiology, Purdue Pharma

OxyContin contains oxycodone, which is an opioid agonist. It is used for the management of moderate to severe pain when a constant opioid analgesic is needed for a prolonged period of time.

29 Aug 2013

Study: Popular music may promote alcohol use among youth

Four alcohol brands-Patron tequila, Hennessy cognac, Grey Goose vodka, and Jack Daniel's whiskey-accounted for more than half of alcohol brand mentions in the songs that mentioned alcohol use in Billboard's most popular song lists in 2009, 2010 and 2011, according to a new study from researchers at the Boston University School of Public Health and the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.