Substance abuse | Addiction Treatment Strategies

New research sheds light on how cocaine regulates gene
expression in a crucial reward region of the brain to
elicit long-lasting changes in behavior. The study,
published by Cell Press in the May 14th issue of the
journal Neuron, provides exciting insight into the
molecular pathways regulated…

A memory-boosting medication paired with behavioral
therapy might help addicts stay clean, according to new
animal research in the Aug. 4 issue of The Journal of
Neuroscience. The study suggests D-cycloserine, previously
used in the lab to treat fear and anxiety disorders, could
help an…

One of the top worries for parents of kids with
attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the
long-term consequences of this condition. “Families want
to know, ‘So what does this mean?’” says Alice
Charach, head of the neuropsychiatry team at The Hospital
for Sick…

Methadone has been used to treat heroin addicts for nearly
50 years. Yet we have surprisingly incomplete knowledge
about possible harmful effects from prolonged use.

A new system that ranks drugs on the basis of harm caused
to both the user and others places. The scale, developed
by drug experts led by Professor David Nutt of Imperial
College London, is published online in The Lancet. Drugs
including alcohol and tobacco products are a major cause
of harms…

How We Get Addicted By MICHAEL D. LEMONICK I was driving
up the Massachusetts Turnpike one evening last February
when I knocked over a bottle of water. I grabbed for it,
swerved inadvertently–and a few seconds later found
myself blinking into the flashlight beam of a state
trooper….

Often, for people suffering with drug addiction meditation
has never been a matter for contemplation.  As soon as
they experience any feelings of restlessness, anxiety or
depression, they usually turn to their drug of choice to
alter their state. Although the truth is that for many
people…

Hospital emergency department visits involving underage
drinking double for males during the Fourth of July
holiday weekend according to a new study by the Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
The study revealed that during the holiday weekend of July
3-5,…

For risk-takers and impulsive people, New Year’s
resolutions often include being more careful, spending
more frugally and cutting back on dangerous behavior, such
as drug use. But new research from Vanderbilt finds that
these individuals–labeled as novelty seekers by…

No child aspires to a lifetime of addiction. But their
brains might. In new research to appear online in the
journal Neuropsychopharmacology this week, Rockefeller
University researchers reveal that adolescent brains
exposed to the painkiller Oxycontin can sustain lifelong
and permanent…