Addiction

Many popular games allow people to pay a small fee to obtain a "loot box" containing random selections of virtual in-game items. New research has found that there is a significant relationship between problematic gambling behaviors and spending money on...

New research provides evidence that cannabis dependence is linked to altered activity in the striatum when receiving a socially rewarding stimulus. The study has been published in the journal European Neuropsychopharmacology. "Current addiction theories propose that repeated drug use leads...

Poorer sleep quality is associated with greater withdrawal symptoms and cravings in cigarette smokers, according to research published in the journal Addictive Behaviors. But the study also found that an increase in physical activity was associated with improved sleep quality....

A new study in the Journal of Psychopharmacology provides evidence that cannabidiol, a component of cannabis, can inhibit the motivation to consume methamphetamine in rats. The preliminary findings suggest that the substance could be useful in fighting addiction to methamphetamine,...

A new study provides evidence that smartphones can be more reinforcing than food for college students. The findings appear in the journal Addictive Behaviors. "The frequency with which we use our cell phones every day is astounding, with estimates ranging...

New neuroimaging research published in Human Brain Mapping suggests that cannabis use disorder is associated with specific changes in the functional connectivity of the brain. The study found people who meet the clinical criteria for cannabis dependence tended to have...

Cannabidiol (CBD), a compound derived from the cannabis plant that does not produce a psychoactive "high," might help tobacco smokers kick the habit, according to new preliminary research. The study, published in the journal Addiction, is the first to investigate...

Strength training may reduce substance abuse. A new study published in Psychopharmacology has found evidence that resistance exercise reduces the reinforcing effects of heroin in a rat model of addiction. "Scientists and clinicians have recently developed an interest in examining...

A new study provides evidence that feelings of shame act as a pathway between depression and addiction in young adults. In a paper published online in the journal Addictive Behaviors, scientists sought to better understand the associations between depression, shame...

People who are more narcissistic are more likely to be compulsive Facebook users, suggests a new study published in the scientific journal PLOS One. "Currently, the social networking site Facebook is used by over 2.1 billion people. Worldwide, users spend...

Brain scans from young men in South Korea provide evidence that compulsive online video game players do not process some rewards efficiently. The study, published in Frontiers in Psychiatry, found that problematic gaming was associated with impaired learning in a...

Our perception of time could serve as a "useful marker" of whether we're at-risk for social media addiction, according to a new study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research. The research found evidence that people at-risk for Facebook addiction...

Problematic alcohol use -- that is, drinking that is accompanied by unpleasant consequences -- is associated with a smaller hippocampus in the brain, according to new research. "The hippocampus has been implicated in memory and learning processes, as well as...

Certain brain regions light up when mothers view the smiling face of their own infant. But a new brain imaging study suggests that this natural response is muted among mothers with a history of substance addiction. "Normally, when a mother...