Addiction News and Research

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Hangover gene may be to blame for alcohol addiction

By studying the effects of alcohol on fruit flies, scientists have discovered a gene that could lead to alcohol addiction.

11 Aug 2005

Four out of five prisoners test positive for drugs

In a shocking revelation it appears that a third of prisoners in Scottish jails are using drugs at the time of their release.

10 Aug 2005

Endorphin system may hold the key to understanding and treating bulimia nervosa

The role of the brain's opioid receptor system - or endorphin system - may hold the key to understanding and treating bulimia nervosa, according to research reported in the Society of Nuclear Medicine's August issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

9 Aug 2005

Drug use among Indiana youth sees biggest drop in years

A new report on alcohol, tobacco and other drug use by the Indiana Prevention Resource Center at Indiana University Bloomington demonstrates a significant downward trend in youth drug use and includes the agency's first compilation of data concerning methamphetamine use and gambling by sixth- through 12th-grade students.

2 Aug 2005

Researchers reveal secret of key protein in brain and heart function

Brown University biologists have solved the structure of a critical piece of synapse-associated protein 97 (SAP97) found in abundance in the heart and head, where it is believed to play a role in everything from cardiac contractions to memory creation. Results are published in The Journal of Biological Chemistry.

31 Jul 2005

Law to restrict cold medicines well on it's way

A bill that would limit access to common cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine, an ingredient that can be used to make the highly addictive drug methamphetamine, has been unanimously approved by the Senate judiciary committee.

29 Jul 2005

Action of dopamine may be particularly important for understanding psychiatric conditions

Duke University Medical Center researchers have discovered a new mechanism by which chronically high levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine exert their effects on the brain.

28 Jul 2005

Cocaine induces abnormal enhancement of neuronal connections

Researchers working with rats have zeroed in on the brain circuitry mechanism whose disruption contributes to the impulsive behavior seen in users of cocaine as well as other psychostimulant drugs. The same circuitry has been implicated in such disorders as schizophrenia, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, wrote the researchers.

21 Jul 2005

Researchers have identified a protein that is crucially involved in how our memories are stored and processed

University of Queensland researchers have identified a protein that is crucially involved in how our memories are stored and processed, paving the way for new strategies to treat conditions certain mental disorders.

18 Jul 2005

Video games can be useful in health care and research

One innovative application of video games in health care is their use in pain management as the degree of attention needed to play such a game can distract the player from the sensation of pain, writes Mark Griffiths, Professor of gambling studies at Nottingham Trent University.

14 Jul 2005

Researchers have pinpointed specific gene and protein over-production in metastatic melanoma

Gene amplification is a process that often happens in cancer cells when the normal DNA replication process is altered, causing many copies of the gene to be produced instead of a single copy of a region of a chromosome.

12 Jul 2005

Gambling and sex addiction caused by Parkinson's drug

According to a doctor at a clinic in the U.S., a certain category of drug, which is often prescribed for Parkinson's disease, can cause some patients to become compulsive gamblers or addicted to sex.

11 Jul 2005

Prescription drug abuse in the USA exceeds 15 million

A recently released report by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University suggests between 1992 and 2003, more Americans were abusing controlled prescription drugs than cocaine, hallucinogens, inhalants and heroin put together.

11 Jul 2005

Study confirms you're either gay, straight or lying!

According to Freud and Kinsey, some people are sexually attracted to both men and women.

7 Jul 2005

Drug abusers are increasingly turning to a slow-release form of drug fentanyl

Drug abusers are increasingly turning to a slow-release form of a powerful painkiller for a quick and dangerous high, University of Florida researchers warn. The trend is raising alarm as the number of people dying from an overdose of the drug fentanyl, an opioid 100 times more potent than morphine, rises.

6 Jul 2005

Findings suggest important differences among smokers in brain responses that underlie the smoking habit

Not all smokers are alike when it comes to cravings, and a new study conducted by researchers at Duke University Medical Center suggests the difference may lie in their brains' sensitivity to drug cues.

29 Jun 2005

Office-based buprenorphine treatment for drug abuse shows promise

Patients who receive buprenorphine treatment for opioid addiction in an office-based setting are more likely than those receiving methadone treatment to be young men, new to drug use, and with no history of methadone treatment, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in a study published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

28 Jun 2005

Bishop of Manchester addresses doctors at BMA Annual Conference

In a robust address at the annual British Medical Association Conference Service, on Sunday 26th June, the Bishop of Manchester, the Right Revd. Nigel McCulloch accused the government of undermining trust between the medical profession and the public. He said:

26 Jun 2005

What are the links between psychological trauma and addiction?

Childhood sexual abuse, as well as combat stress among ex-soldiers, are forms of trauma that are linked to drug and/or alcohol abuse, according to a new study.

21 Jun 2005

Open debate about illegal drug use is needed

Open debate about illegal drug use is needed to gain accurate, impartial information about the true extent of usage and the acute and long-term health effects, states an editorial in this week’s issue of The Lancet.

16 Jun 2005