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Last Updated: Feb 9, 2008 - 11:48:15 AM |
Latest Research
UTMB wins $3.4 million federal grant to study addiction-recovery drugs
GALVESTON, Texas -- The National Institute on Drug Abuse has awarded University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston researchers a four-year, $3.4 million grant to develop what may become the first effective drugs to help people conquer cocaine addiction.
Feb 7, 2008 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Video games activate reward regions of brain in men more than women, Stanford study finds
STANFORD, Calif. - Allan Reiss, MD, and his colleagues have a pretty good idea why your husband or boyfriend can't put down the Halo 3. In a first-of-its-kind imaging study, the Stanford University School of Medicine researchers have shown that the part of the brain that generates rewarding feelings is more activated in men than women during video-game play.
Feb 4, 2008 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Daily alcohol use causes changes in sexual behavior, new study reveals
A team of researchers at Penn Sate has used an animal model to reveal, for the first time, a physiological basis for the effect of alcohol on male sexual behavior, including increased sexual arousal and decreased sexual inhibition. The research, which will be published on 2 January 2008 in the scientific journal PLoS ONE, resulted in four novel findings with broad importance for further addiction research. It is the first study to characterize the effects of chronic alcohol exposure in fruit flies. Physiological evidence supporting various theories about the effect of alcoholic drinks has been lacking, so our now having a suitable animal model makes it possible to conduct much-needed laboratory research on this issue, explains research-team-leader Kyung-An Han, associate professor of biology and a neuroscientist at Penn State. Information from this research can serve as a baseline for similar studies in other animals, including humans.
Jan 2, 2008 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Cognitive, genetic clues identified in imaging study of alcohol addiction
People with clinical addictions know first-hand the ravages the disease can take on almost every aspect of their lives. So why do they continue addictive behaviors, even after a period of peaceable abstinence
Dec 25, 2007 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Research reveals secrets of alcohol's effect on brain cells
NEW YORK (Dec. 7, 2007) -- Alcohol triggers the activation of a variety of genes that can influence the health and activity of brain cells, and new research from Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City sheds light on how that process occurs.
Dec 7, 2007 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
New research review shows that your family doctor may be the key to quitting smoking
Scientists at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) are defining the most effective ways to treat tobacco dependence, and in an article released in the November issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) they highlight the surprisingly significant role that the health practitioner can play in helping people quit smoking. Many people's attempts to quit are unsuccessful, so effective interventions are critical for the 4.5 million smokers in Canada alone.
Nov 26, 2007 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
NSF grant funds research on risky decision-making in pre-teens
Researchers at the University of Iowa have secured a $396,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to study risky decision-making among pre-teens.
Nov 26, 2007 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Cocaine abuse blunts sensitivity to monetary reward
SAN DIEGO, CA - New measurements of brain activity in individuals addicted to cocaine confirm that addicted individuals have compromised sensitivity to monetary rewards.
Nov 7, 2007 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
D-cycloserine reduces cocaine-seeking behavior in 'addicted' mice
SAN DIEGO, CA - Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory provide further evidence that a drug known as D-cycloserine could play a role in helping to extinguish the craving behaviors associated with drug addiction. Their study found that mice treated with D-cycloserine were less likely to spend time in an environment where they had previously been trained to expect cocaine than mice treated with a placebo.
Nov 6, 2007 - 5:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Hold your horses
For those who suffer with the debilitating symptoms of Parkinson's disease, Deep Brain Stimulation offers relief from the tremors and rigidity that can't be controlled by medicine. A particularly troublesome downside, though, is that these patients often exhibit compulsive behaviors that healthy people, and even those taking medication for Parkinson's, can easily manage.
Oct 25, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Decision-makers seek internal balance, not balanced alternatives
A researcher at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine suggests that psychiatrists may need to approach the treatment of psychiatric patients from a new direction – by understanding that such individuals’ behavior and decision-making are based on an attempt to reach an inner equilibrium.
Oct 25, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Gauging parent knowledge about teens' substance use
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- New research results from the University at Buffalo’s Research Institute on Addictions (RIA) suggest that most parents are aware of and accurately evaluate the extent of their teenager’s cigarette smoking, marijuana use, drinking and overall substance use.
Oct 24, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Age affects motivation for quitting smoking
(Chicago, IL, October 22, 2007) – A new study shows that obstacles to smoking cessation and motives for quitting smoking vary with age. The study presented at CHEST 2007, the 73rd annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), found that smokers over age 65 reported quitting smoking due to physician pressure and stress due to a major health problem, while smokers under age 65 reported cigarette cost and tobacco odor as reasons for quitting.
Oct 22, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Carbon monoxide test helps doctors determine patients' smoking status
(Chicago, IL, October 22, 2007) – Pulse cooximeters have long been used to identify and measure the levels of carbon monoxide (CO) in the blood of patients or firefighters. But new research, presented at CHEST 2007, the 73rd annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), indicates that the device has another use— it can quickly, inexpensively, and noninvasively identify a person who smokes. The study argues that if smokers know their blood CO levels, they may be more prone to quit or more likely to never start in the first place.
Oct 22, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Insulin's brain impact links drugs and diabetes
Insulin, long known as an important regulator of blood glucose levels, now has a newly appreciated role in the brain.
Oct 16, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Why it is impossible for some to 'just say no'
Drug abuse, crime and obesity are but a few of the problems our nation faces, but they all have one thing in common—people’s failure to control their behavior in the face of temptation. While the ability to control and restrain our impulses is one of the defining features of the human animal, its failure is one of the central problems of human society. So, why do we so often lack this crucial ability
Oct 10, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
The 'arms' race: Adult steroid users seek muscles, not medals
The majority of non-medical anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) users are not cheating athletes or risk-taking teenagers. According to a recent survey, containing the largest sample to date and published in the online open access publication, Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, the typical male user is about 30 years old, well-educated, and earning an above-average income in a white-collar occupation. The majority did not use steroids during adolescence and were not motivated by athletic competition or sports performance.
Oct 10, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Vanderbilt nets brain gene research center
Neuroscientists at Vanderbilt University are stepping into the national limelight with the establishment of a Silvio O. Conte Center for Neuroscience Research.
Oct 2, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
On-screen smoking in movies linked to young adult smoking behavior
New study findings show that exposure to on-screen smoking in movies has a strong correlation with beginning to smoke or becoming established smokers among young adults 18-25, a critical age group for lifelong smoking behavior.
Oct 2, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Scripps research study reveals mechanism behind nicotine dependency
The research is being published the week of October 1, 2007, in an advance, online issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Oct 1, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Mixing large doses of both acetaminophen painkiller and caffeine may increase risk of liver damage
WASHINGTON, Sept. 26 2007 -- Consuming large amounts of caffeine while taking acetaminophen, one of the most widely used painkillers in the United States, could potentially cause liver damage, according to a preliminary laboratory study reported in the Oct. 15 print issue of ACS’ Chemical Research in Toxicology, a monthly journal. The toxic interaction could occur not only from drinking caffeinated beverages while taking the painkiller but also from using large amounts of medications that intentionally combine caffeine and acetaminophen for the treatment of migraine headaches, menstrual discomfort and other conditions, the researchers say.
Sep 26, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Study reveals possible genetic risk for fetal alcohol disorders
MADISON - New research in primates suggests that infants and children who carry a certain gene variant may be more vulnerable to the ill effects of fetal alcohol exposure.
Sep 21, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Family history of alcoholism affects response to drug used to treat heavy drinking
Philadelphia, PA, September 19, 2007 – Naltrexone is one of four oral medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of alcoholism. A recent large multicenter research study of alcohol dependence supported by the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA), the COMBINE Study, suggested that naltrexone produced a modest but significant benefit but another FDA-approved medication, acamprosate, was ineffective. Perhaps consistent with its modest effects in COMBINE, naltrexone is not widely prescribed in the treatment of alcoholism. Yet, clinicians report that naltrexone may have significant benefits for individual patients. To make naltrexone a more useful medication, it would be important to begin to identify groups of patients who might be more or less likely to show a significant clinical benefit from naltrexone prescription and to understand the causes of differential naltrexone efficacy. A new study that will appear in the September 15th issue of Biological Psychiatry suggests that alcohol dependent individuals with a family history of alcohol dependence may be more likely than alcohol dependent individuals without a family history of alcohol dependence to reduce their drinking in the laboratory when prescribed naltrexone.
Sep 19, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
AAAS to develop science-based teaching tools on underage alcohol use
Efforts to halt underage drinking often focus on peer pressure and the prevention of risky behaviors, but the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is undertaking a new federally funded project to give middle-school children a science-based understanding of what can happen to them if they use alcohol.
Sep 6, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Involving parents in therapy doubles success rates for bulimia treatment
In the first randomized controlled trial for adolescent bulimia nervosa to be completed in the US, researchers show that mobilizing parents to help an adolescent overcome the disorder can double the percentage of teens who were able to abstain from binge eating and purging after six months.
Sep 3, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Passive smoking increases sleep disturbance among pregnant women
WESTCHESTER, Ill. – Pregnant women exposed to passive smoking are more likely to have sleep disturbances such as subjective insufficient sleep, difficulty in initiating sleep, short sleep duration, and snoring loudly or breathing uncomfortably, according to a study published in the September 1 issue of the journal SLEEP.
Sep 1, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Secondhand smoke is a health threat to pets
It has been in the news for years about how secondhand smoke is a health threat to nonsmokers. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that secondhand smoke is attributed with killing thousands of adult nonsmokers annually.
Aug 31, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Girls who begin dieting twice as likely to start smoking
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Starting to diet seems to double the odds a teenage girl will begin smoking, a University of Florida study has found.
Aug 31, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Methamphetamine study suggests increased risk for HIV transmission
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – New findings that one in 20 North Carolina men who have sex with men (MSM) reported using crystal methamphetamine during the previous month suggests increased risk for spreading HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STD), according to researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues.
Aug 27, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
New report on smoking shows who's quitting, who's not
Quitting smoking is not easy, but thousands of New Yorkers succeed at it every year. Who’s trying to kick the habit, and who’s succeeding In a new report titled Who’s Still Smoking, the Health Department sheds light on both questions. The report, based on a large survey of New York City adults, shows that two thirds of the city’s smokers – almost 800,000 adults – tried to quit in the past year, but only 17% of those succeeded. Data from the survey identify emotional distress and binge drinking as possible obstacles to quitting, and finds that less than a fifth of New York City smokers are using nicotine replacement therapy – even though it doubles the chances of success. The report is available online at http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/survey/survey-2007smoking.pdf.
Aug 21, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Mailman School of Public Health study examines link between racial discrimination and substance use
In one of the first studies to focus on the relationship between racial discrimination and health risk behaviors, researchers at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health with colleagues from the Universities of Minnesota, Alabama (Birmingham), and California (San Francisco), and Harvard University found African Americans experiencing racial discrimination were more likely to report current tobacco use or recent alcohol consumption and lifetime use of marijuana and cocaine.
Aug 20, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Pitt study finds inequality in tobacco advertising
PITTSBURGH, Aug. 20 – Compared with Caucasians, African-Americans are exposed to more pro-tobacco advertising, according to a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study published in this month’s Public Health Reports.
Aug 20, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Tel Aviv University redefines 'Internet addiction' and sets new standards for treatment
Is your first craving in the morning for your computer mouse? Do you obsessively check email in the middle of the night?
Aug 17, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
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Psychiatry
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Substance Abuse
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Smoking
Exposure to smoking-cessation product ads helps smokers quit
July 23, 2007 -- The more magazine ads smokers see for the nicotine patch and other quit-smoking aids, the more likely they are to try to quit smoking and be successful -- even without buying the products, finds a new Cornell study.
Jul 23, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Improvement following ADHD treatment sustained in most children
Most children treated in a variety of ways for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) showed sustained improvement after three years in a major follow-up study funded by the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Yet increased risk for behavioral problems, including delinquency and substance use, remained higher than normal.
Jul 20, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Medical News
Want to quit smoking? Therapy and willpower can help
Kiel -, July 18 - Smoking bans in public places have recently come into effect in several European countries, and Germany is set to join their ranks next month.
Jul 18, 2007 - 9:15:12 AM
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Latest Research
The end of barroom brawls
The link between alcohol and aggression is well known. WhatÂ’s not so clear is just why drunks get belligerent. What is it about the brain-on-alcohol that makes fighting seem like a good idea And do all intoxicated people get more aggressive Or does it depend on the circumstances
Jul 18, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
The end of barroom brawls -- Study shows alcohol can reduce aggression
The link between alcohol and aggression is well known. WhatÂ’s not so clear is just why drunks get belligerent. What is it about the brain-on-alcohol that makes fighting seem like a good idea And do all intoxicated people get more aggressive Or does it depend on the circumstances
Jul 18, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Interventions during hospital stays can help motivate smokers to quit
Hospitalized patients make a great captive audience for smoking cessation efforts, according to a new systematic review.
Jul 17, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Tobacco industry efforts to derail effective anti-smoking campaigns
Anti-smoking ads that reveal the tobacco industryÂ’s deceptive practices have been aggressively quashed through various methods found Temple University Assistant Professor Jennifer K. Ibrahim, co-author of an analysis in the August issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
Jul 11, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
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Psychiatry
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Substance Abuse
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Smoking
Smokers lose more muscle in old age: study
London, July 10 - Latest research by scientists in Britain indicates that besides causing cancer, heart attacks and strokes, smoking also affects muscles.
Jul 10, 2007 - 10:39:28 AM
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Latest Research
More muscle for the argument to give up smoking
Researchers at The University of Nottingham have got more bad news for smokers. Not only does it cause cancer, heart attacks and strokes but smokers will also lose more muscle mass in old age than a non-smoker. The effect of this predisposes smokers to an accelerated decline in physical function and loss of independence.
Jul 9, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Smoking associated with lower Parkinson's disease risk
A pooled analysis of data from previous studies suggests that cigarette smoking appears to be associated with a reduced risk for developing ParkinsonÂ’s disease, with long-term and current smokers at the lowest risk, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Jul 9, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
New heart disease risk score will help minimize health inequalities
A new score for predicting the risk of heart disease gives a more accurate measure of how many UK adults are at risk of developing the disease — and which adults are most likely to benefit from treatment.
Jul 6, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
SNAP -- patches and stop
1050 pregnant women are being recruited for the most extensive trial of its kind to establish the effect of using nicotine patches during pregnancy. The £1.3m clinical trial — Smoking, Nicotine and Pregnancy (SNAP) trial — will investigate whether nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is safe, effective and cost-effective for mums-to-be who want to give up smoking. It will also study the effect on the behaviour and development of the child.
Jul 4, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Gene variations directly link inflammation to an increased risk for lung cancer
Variations in two genes related to inflammation may be a major risk factor for developing lung cancer, according to a team of scientists from the National Cancer Institute and the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. The effect of these genes is especially strong among heavy smokers, suggesting that the inflammatory response is important in modulating the damage caused by tobacco smoke.
Jul 3, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Inhaling from just 1 cigarette can lead to nicotine addiction
WORCESTER, Mass. -- A new study published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine shows that 10 percent of youth who become hooked on cigarettes are addicted within two days of first inhaling from a cigarette, and 25 percent are addicted within a month. The study found that adolescents who smoke even just a few cigarettes per month suffer withdrawal symptoms when deprived of nicotine, a startling finding that is contrary to long-held beliefs that only people with established smoking habits of at least five cigarettes per day experience such symptoms.
Jul 3, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Almost one-third of adults report having some form of alcohol use problem during their lifetime
About 30 percent of Americans report having some form of alcohol use disorder at some point in their lifetimes, including 17.8 percent with alcohol abuse and 12.5 percent with alcohol dependence, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Jul 2, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Alcohol survey reveals 'lost decade' between ages of disorder onset and treatment
At some time during their lives, more than 30 percent of U.S. adults surveyed in 2001-2002 had met current diagnostic criteria[i] for an alcohol use disorder (AUD), according to an article in the current issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry. Many of those persons never received treatment, and many others did not receive treatment until well after AUD onset.
Jul 2, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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Latest Research
Workers in no-smoking restaurants show lower carcinogen levels
Recent research on the dangers of secondhand smoke could help clear the air about the value of no-smoking laws governing bars and eateries.
Jun 29, 2007 - 4:00:00 AM
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