Addiction

Adults with a history of methamphetamine dependence have altered reward expectancy in key regions of the brain, according to a recent study published online this September in the Journal of Psychopharmacology. The results highlighted an impaired ability to evaluate future...

The use of the psychedelic drug psilocybin, in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), is more effective than current smoking cessation treatments, according to a recent study published online this July in The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse....

Excessive Internet gaming over time can lead to decreased epinephrine and norepinephrine levels, according to a recent study published this March in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. The findings provide evidence of reductions in the autonomic regulation of stress and...

If you really want a drink right now, the source of your craving may be a pea-sized structure deep inside the right side of your brain, according to scientists at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Using two different kinds...

A follow up to a previous study finding an association between adolescent bipolar disorder and the incidence of cigarette smoking and substance use disorder finds that risk was even greater five years later, particularly among those with persistent bipolar symptoms....

An international team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) has found strong evidence supporting a new strategy against drug addiction. The researchers showed that a compound that inhibits the activity of certain brain-cell receptors can reverse signs...

Caffeine enhances the reinforcing effects of cocaine and its motivational value, according to a study published this August in Psychopharmacology. The study on rats points to important implications that these effects may have in humans. It is well known that...

A new study from scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), funded by the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), suggests that increased levels of a...

Using rats carefully bred to either drink large amounts of alcohol or to spurn it, researchers at Indiana and Purdue universities have identified hundreds of genes that appear to play a role in increasing the desire to drink alcohol. The...

In addiction, cues in the environment can form strong associations with the drug of abuse. A new study in Biological Psychiatry suggests that alterations in silent synapses, inactive connections between neurons, could be the neural mechanism underlying the formation of...

A new behavior trend may be linked to eating disorders and substance abuse disorders, scientists say. “Drunkorexia” is a behavior pattern of repeatedly fasting or purging to compensate for the amount of calories consumed during binge drinking. Also known as...

People who are addicted to cocaine are particularly prone to developing habits that render their behaviour resistant to change, regardless of the potentially devastating consequences, suggests new research from the University of Cambridge. The findings may have important implications for...

Addiction may be viewed as a disorder of reward learning. To date, addiction research has focused on the molecular adaptations through which memories of exposure to abused substances are encoded and maintained by nerve cells. However, glia, the non-neuronal supporting...

One of the undeniable powers of social media is its ability to influence people and their behaviors. This is especially true, a Michigan State University study finds, when it comes to alcohol use. MSU researchers found that when participants in...