Addiction News - SciTechDaily

Scientists Uncover How Cocaine Tricks the Brain Into Feeling Good – Breakthrough Could Lead to New Substance Abuse Treatments

University of Copenhagen - The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 01:20:45 +0000

A new study reveals how cocaine interferes with the brain’s dopamine regulation by binding to the dopamine transporter, offering insights crucial for developing treatments for cocaine and other addictions. You’ve likely heard of dopamine, often referred to as the “feel-good hormone.” Drugs like cocaine trigger a spike in dopamine levels in the brain. Under normal [...]

New Research Reveals That Your Friends’ Genes Could Impact Your Future

Rutgers University — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 00:30:58 +0000

A Rutgers study reveals that peer social genetic effects—the impact of a social partner’s genotype on another’s observable traits—can affect the risk of developing addiction and psychiatric disorders later in life. Mom always said, “Choose your friends wisely.” Now a study led by a Rutgers Health professor shows she was onto something: Their traits can [...]

Breakthrough Research Supercharges Naloxone’s Power Against Deadly Opioids

Washington University School of Medicine — Sun, 04 Aug 2024 22:04:31 +0000

Newly identified compound enhances naloxone’s potency and duration, according to a mouse study. The ongoing opioid crisis in the U.S. claims tens of thousands of lives annually. Naloxone, known by its brand name Narcan, has been instrumental in saving numerous lives by reversing opioid overdoses. However, the emergence of new, more potent opioids is making [...]

Weight Loss & Diabetes Drug Semaglutide May Also Help You Quit Smoking

American College of Physicians — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 21:00:39 +0000

Semaglutide may reduce the need for medical care related to smoking in people with type 2 diabetes, indicating its potential as a smoking cessation aid, as detailed in a study from the Annals of Internal Medicine. New use of semaglutide was associated with a lower risk for medical care related to tobacco use disorder (TUD) [...]

Replacing Opioids: Natural Compound Promises Pain Relief Without Addiction

Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 08:38:54 +0000

Researchers at Mainz University have discovered a natural compound that could potentially serve as a long-term alternative to opioids and may help alleviate the opioid crisis. Opioids, recognized for their significant pharmacological effects, have long been used as effective painkillers. Morphine, a notable example first isolated and synthesized in the early 19th century, provides crucial [...]

Revolutionary Opioid Research Could Transform Addiction Treatment

Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 11:15:32 +0000

Scientists have developed new biosensors that enable real-time tracking of opioid signaling in the brain, offering profound insights into the effects of opioids and enhancing the development of targeted therapeutics. New findings from a researcher at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience could revolutionize our understanding of how opioids impact the brain. Despite the [...]

Powerful Veterinary Drug With Horrific Side Effects Has Infiltrated the UK’s Illicit Market

King's College London — Sat, 13 Jul 2024 18:24:13 +0000

Xylazine, a potent animal tranquilizer, has entered the UK drug scene, causing significant health risks and a recorded death. Experts call for preventive measures and harm-reduction strategies to address this emerging threat. Xylazine, a powerful animal tranquiliser linked to horrific side effects, is now widespread in the UK illicit drug market. Xylazine is often combined [...]

Could a Sleep Pill Be the Answer to Opioid Addiction?

University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences — Tue, 09 Jul 2024 09:00:09 +0000

A UCLA Health study shows that insomnia drug prevents opioid addiction in mice at opioid doses that provide potent pain relief. Research shows suvorexant, used for insomnia, may also prevent opioid addiction in mice by blocking hypocretin receptors. It maintains effective pain relief and reduces addiction-related brain changes, suggesting potential for safer pain treatments. A [...]

Researchers Have Discovered “Hidden” Sex Differences in the Brain’s Reward Circuits

University of Maryland Baltimore County — Sun, 07 Jul 2024 18:55:44 +0000

Recent research highlights sex differences in brain pathways linked to reward behaviors, showing distinct molecular mechanisms in males and females that could influence the treatment of disorders like depression. This underscores the need for more gender-specific research, given the historical focus on male subjects in neuroscience. A recent study published in the Journal of Neuroscience [...]

Breakthrough Study Links Gut Bacteria to Food Addiction and Obesity

Federation of European Neuroscience Societies — Sun, 30 Jun 2024 20:54:41 +0000

New research reveals the communication mechanisms between your brain and gut. An international team of researchers has pinpointed certain gut bacteria linked to the development of food addiction in both mice and humans, which can contribute to obesity. Additionally, they have identified bacteria that have a protective effect against food addiction. The research was recently [...]

Neuroscience Breakthrough: A Non-Invasive New Therapy for Addiction, Depression, and OCD

Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 19:22:01 +0000

Researchers at EPFL have effectively tested a new method that allows for deep exploration of the human brain without the need for surgery, with potential applications in therapy. Neurological disorders like addiction, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) impact millions globally, presenting with complex pathologies that involve several brain regions and circuits. Treating these conditions is [...]

Breaking Free From Meth: UCLA’s Dual Drug Therapy Proves Effective in Clinical Trials

University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences — Mon, 10 Jun 2024 12:00:19 +0000

Research from UCLA demonstrated that a combination therapy of naltrexone and bupropion effectively reduced methamphetamine use in trial participants over 12 weeks, suggesting the potential of pharmacological interventions in addressing rising overdose rates. A clinical trial on a two-drug therapy for methamphetamine use disorder reduced use of the highly addictive drug for up to 12 [...]

Rising Smoke: Fentanyl’s Alarming New Trend in San Francisco

PLOS — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 23:30:56 +0000

Researchers in San Francisco studied the transition from injecting to smoking fentanyl, finding it driven by fear of overdose and injection difficulties, yet still associated with significant risks. Individual experiences and local trends around fentanyl smoking are highlighted in a new interview-based study in San Francisco, CA. The insights provide deepening understanding of this dangerous [...]

Fentanyl’s Fatal Fumes: The Lethal Risks of Residue in Smoking Devices

University of California - San Francisco — Wed, 22 May 2024 18:00:31 +0000

As smoking fentanyl becomes more common than injection, users face mounting dangers from the residue in smoking equipment. Now that smoking has overtaken injecting as the most common method for consuming fentanyl, researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have uncovered an increased risk of fatal overdose from the residue that accumulates in [...]

Pills in Disguise: The Surprising Surge of Fentanyl Seizures

National Institute on Drug Abuse — Sat, 18 May 2024 23:31:30 +0000

NIH-supported study highlights increasingly dangerous illicit drug supply, risk of pills not coming from a pharmacy. Law enforcement seizures of illicit fentanyl increased dramatically in number and size between 2017 to 2023 in the U.S., especially in pill form, according to a new study funded by the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute on [...]

Fentanyl Pill Seizures Skyrocketed by Over 1,700% Since 2017

NYU Langone Health / NYU Grossman School of Medicine — Mon, 13 May 2024 09:00:31 +0000

U.S. fentanyl seizures skyrocketed by over 1,700% from 2017 to 2023, with nearly half of the seizures in pill form by 2023, indicating a major shift in the drug market and increased overdose risks. According to a new analysis, the number of illicit fentanyl seizures by law enforcement in the United States grew by more [...]

Innovative Study Reveals How Addiction Hijacks Brain Functions

The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine — Fri, 10 May 2024 22:42:59 +0000

Mount Sinai researchers, in collaboration with scientists at Rockefeller University, have discovered how cocaine and morphine hijack the brain’s natural reward systems. Their study, published in the journal Science on April 18, provides new insights into the brain’s neural mechanisms involved in drug addiction. This breakthrough could enhance fundamental research, clinical practices, and the development [...]

Breaking Free: A Plant-Based Medication Helps People Quit Vaping

Massachusetts General Hospital — Mon, 06 May 2024 15:00:15 +0000

Recent research indicates cytisinicline may effectively help individuals quit vaping, with a trial showing promising results in doubling cessation rates compared to a placebo. Eleven million U.S. adults use e-cigarettes to vape nicotine, and about half of them say that they want to stop, but many have trouble doing so because nicotine is an addictive [...]

Irreversible Brain Damage: New Threat From Fentanyl Inhalation

BMJ — Mon, 06 May 2024 00:45:22 +0000

Toxic leukoencephalopathy has been seen with heroin inhalation, but this is the first reported fentanyl case. Inhaling the synthetic opioid fentanyl may cause potentially irreversible brain damage (toxic leukoencephalopathy), warn doctors in the journal BMJ Case Reports, after treating a middle-aged man found unresponsive in his hotel room after snorting the drug. Leukoencephalopathy refers to [...]

First Documented Case of Brain Damage From Fentanyl Inhalation

Oregon Health & Science University — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 22:30:53 +0000

Case study highlights added danger of illicit fentanyl, especially to first-time users. The man arrived unconscious and near death. Previously healthy with no known medical history, the 47-year-old arrived by ambulance to the emergency department at Oregon Health & Science University on February 25, 2023. He was found collapsed in his hotel room, where he [...]

Unlocking the Genetic Codes of Alcohol Consumption

University of California - San Diego — Fri, 19 Apr 2024 16:33:19 +0000

Exploration of 3 million records uncovers connections between gene variants governing alcohol use and many non-alcohol-related conditions. A research group centered at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine has drilled deep into a dataset of over 3 million individuals compiled by the direct-to-consumer genetics company 23andMe, Inc., and found intriguing connections between [...]

College Students Beware: Taking “Study Drugs” Can Have Serious Consequences

Binghamton University — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 23:09:49 +0000

Abuse of Adderall among college students predisposes them to the use of alcohol, cannabis, and other substances. Taking “study drugs” like Adderall without a diagnosis is not only dangerous in itself, but can lead to other drug use and a decline in mental health, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New [...]

The Thin Lie: How Smoking Actually Increases Belly Fat

Society for the Study of Addiction — Sun, 24 Mar 2024 18:03:05 +0000

Research shows smoking is linked to increased abdominal and visceral fat, raising the risk of serious health issues. Genetic analysis confirms smoking’s significant impact on fat distribution, underscoring the importance of anti-smoking campaigns. The worry of gaining weight is a common excuse for smokers not to quit. A new study published today in the scientific [...]

More Than 1/3 of Illicit Drugs Sold on the Dark Web Contain Unexpected Substances, According to New Study

RMIT University — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 05:17:13 +0000

Analysis of illegal drugs purchased online revealed that 35% did not match their advertised substances, underscoring the critical need for increased local drug testing services in Australia to mitigate risks and prevent overdoses. Testing of illicit drugs bought online found 35% were not what they said they were, highlighting the urgent need for more local [...]