Scientists identify part of brain linked to gambling addiction
New research reveals that brain damage affecting the insula – an area with a key role in emotions – disrupts errors of thinking linked to gambling addiction. The research, led by Dr Luke Clark from the University of Cambridge, was...
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Community action not enough to reduce problem drinking and related harms
Implementation of community-based interventions alone is unlikely to be effective for reducing most alcohol-related harms and risky alcohol consumption, according to a study by Australian researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine. Anthony Shakeshaft and colleagues from the National Drug and...
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Smokers’ brains biased against negative images of smoking
What if the use of a product influenced your perception of it, making you even more susceptible to its positive aspects and altering your understanding of its drawbacks? This is precisely what happens with cigarettes in chronic smokers, according to...
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E-cigarettes: Gateway to nicotine addiction for US teens, says UCSF study
E-cigarettes, promoted as a way to quit regular cigarettes, may actually be a new route to conventional smoking and nicotine addiction for teenagers, according to a new UC San Francisco study. In the first analysis of the relationship between e-cigarette...
Read moreDetailsCigarette smoking may cause physical changes in brains of young smokers
The young, it turns out, smoke more than any other age group in America. Unfortunately, the period of life ranging from late adolescence to early adulthood is also a time when the brain is still developing. Now, a small study...
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Opioid abuse initiates specific protein interactions in neurons in brain’s reward system
Identifying the specific pathways that promote opioid addiction, pain relief, and tolerance are crucial for developing more effective and less dangerous analgesics, as well as developing new treatments for addiction. Now, new research from the Icahn School of Medicine at...
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No such thing as porn ‘addiction,’ researchers say
Journalists and psychologists are quick to describe someone as being a porn addict, yet there’s no strong scientific research that shows such addictions actually exists.
Read moreDetailsYouth involved in sports less likely to use marijuana, but drink more alcohol
A longitudinal study published in the Journal of Drug Issues has found that joining a sports team makes youths in the United States less likely to smoke marijuana but more likely to drink alcohol. The study, published June 2013, was based on...
Read moreDetailsGiving up smoking? Try positive psychotherapy
The thousands of people who’ve resolved to stop smoking this New Year might soon be able to make use of a new method to help them break free from tobacco.
Read moreDetailsMount Sinai researchers find promising new drug targets for cocaine addiction
Researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have identified a new molecular mechanism by which cocaine alters the brain's reward circuits and causes addiction.
Read moreDetailsPrescription opioid abusers prefer to get high on oxycodone and hydrocodone
Prescription opioid abuse has reached epidemic levels in the past 15 years.
Read moreDetailsClinical trial indicates gabapentin is safe and effective for treating alcohol dependence
The generic drug gabapentin, which is already widely prescribed for epilepsy and some kinds of pain, appears to be safe and effective in the treatment of alcohol dependence.
Read moreDetailsA ‘yes’ to one drug could become ‘yes’ for other drugs
High school seniors who frown upon the use of drugs are most likely to be female, nonsmokers or hold strong religious beliefs, according to a study by Joseph Palamar of New York University.
Read moreDetailsAddiction: Can you ever really completely leave it behind?
New findings provide further support for this notion by suggesting that even long-term abstinence from cocaine does not result in a complete normalization of brain circuitry.
Read moreDetailsBinge drinking 5-plus drinks common for high school seniors, some drink more
Consuming five or more alcoholic drinks in a row is common among high school seniors, with some students engaging in extreme binge drinking of as many as 15 or more drinks, according to a study published by JAMA Pediatrics, a...
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