addiction research
Addiction research, studies, and current treatment trends as reported in the media and by the CDC, NIH, and other organizations devoted to addiction research.
Posted under Cigarette Addiction
Study Finds Smoking May Thin Brain’s Cerebral Cortex
Many studies have shown that smoking cigarettes is associated with brain abnormalities, and a new study has found that smoking might actually thin the cerebral cortex, which is an area of the brain that is responsible for many functions including language, memory, and information processing. Reducing cortical thickness has been linked to aging, impaired cognition, and reduced intelligence. This is the first study to look at the impact of smoking on cortical thickness.
Posted under Cocaine
Study Finds Female Rats Prefer Cocaine Over Food
A new study reveals surprising results: When given a choice between sweets and cocaine, male rats prefer sweets, and female rats prefer cocaine. Researchers presented the results at the November 2010 meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego, California.
Posted under Science & Research
Study Provides First Direct Evidence of the Link between Genetics and Vulnerability to Addiction
Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory provide the first experimental evidence to directly support the idea that genetic differences make some people more susceptible to the addictive effects of alcohol and drugs.
Posted under Alcohol
Scientists Identify Gene Linked to Alcoholism
A new gene has been found to be associated with an individual’s sensitivity to alcohol, according to new research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine (UNC). The gene may actually have the ability to protect individuals from risk of alcoholism.
Posted under Science & Research
New Method Could Predict Sensation-Seeking Behavior Such as Drug Addiction
The urge to do exciting things, called sensation seeking, is associated with dopamine, a neurotransmitter in the brain. A new study discovered a group of mutations in genes in the dopamine system that help predict whether someone is more likely to be a sensation seeker. Sensation seeking is often associated with disorders such as drug and alcohol addiction and other compulsive behaviors.
Jaime Derringer, a PhD student at the University of Minnesota and the first author of the study, said that not everyone with the predisposition toward sensation seeking ends up being a drug addict, adding that it’s all in how you channel your sensation-seeking behavior. Derringer wanted to study the genetics of sensation seeking using a new technique.
Derringer used a mutation in DNA called a single-nucleotide polymorphism, or SNP, which is a change in one “letter” of DNA. She chose eight genes related to dopamine and examined 635 people who were involved in a study on addiction. She had genetic information on 273 SNPs known to appear in those eight genes for each person, as well as a score for their inclination towards sensation seeking. Continue Reading
Posted under Science & Research
Study Finds that Suppressing Thoughts about a Behavior Won’t Help You Quit
A new study has found that smokers who are trying to quit should not try to stop thinking about cigarettes, as blocking thoughts of smoking may help reduce cigarette use at first, but eventually leads to smoking more than usual when the thoughts are no longer suppressed.
Posted under Cocaine
Glutamate Receptors Could Play Role in Cocaine Addiction Treatment
Glutamate is a neurotransmitter that is involved with learning and memory, and could help with treating cocaine addiction. Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) represent a network of G-protein-coupled receptors that help transmit glutamates, and these receptors could play an important role in treating a variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders such as drug addiction.
Posted under Methamphetamines
NIH Gives Grant to Study Methamphetamine’s Threat to Oral Health
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has contributed a $1.86 million grant to the University of California, Los Angeles’ School of Dentistry to lead a study on the hazards that methamphetamine use causes to oral and dental health.
Posted under Addiction Treatment
NIDA Announces Vaccines for Substance Abuse
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) held its eighth annual Blending Conference in Albuquerque, NM on April 22–23, where it displayed the latest pharmaceutical discoveries for prevention treatment. The conference provided an open forum where addiction medicine specialists and clinicians could discuss the rise of new vaccines becoming available to help treat substance abuse and addiction disorders that range from nicotine, cocaine, and heroin abuse. Researchers hope that the new vaccines will help lower risk statistics among such target groups as adolescents, Native American and Native Alaskans, and veterans.
Posted under Types of Addiction
US College Students Addicted to Technology
A new study has found that American college students show symptoms similar to drug and alcohol addiction in relation to cell phones, social media, and the Internet.
The Addiction Primer
Everything you need to know to help a loved one struggling with addiction, from the writers and editors of Everything Addiction.
