Addiction Research
- Studying the Separate and Joint Effects of Alcohol and Tobacco on the Brain
A new study has found that alcohol abuse elevated the expression of a distinct set of genes in the brain’s nucleus accumbens (NAC) and ventral tegmental area (VTA), while nicotine blunted this effect in the VTA. The NAC is a core region of the mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic system and is interconnected with the VTA and the prefrontal cortex. The mesocorticolimbic system is thought to be central to the reinforcing effects of many drugs and plays an important role in addiction.
- Caring for Your Loved One with Alzheimer’s and Substance Abuse
One of the most difficult and heartbreaking things to cope with is to watch the decline of your loved one with Alzheimer’s disease and substance abuse. You want to help, but you’re unsure what to do or even if what you do will be at all useful. The truth is that you may be the best person to offer the most help for your loved one – but it takes strategy and discipline on your part. And, you also need help for you.
Staggering Numbers
The numbers are pretty staggering. Every 70 seconds, someone in America is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, according to the American Alzheimer’s Association.
An estimated 4.3 million adults aged 50 and older (or 4.7 percent of the adults in that age range) used an illicit drug in the past year. This is based on data from 2006 to 2008 and reported in the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) Report (http://oas.samhsa.gov/2k9/168/168OlderAdults.htm). Marijuana use was more common among adults 50 to 54 and 55 to 59, but among adults aged 65 and older, nonmedical use of prescription drugs was more common than marijuana use. Read More…
- Anterior Cingulate Cortex Activity May Indicate Risk for Alcohol Dependence
Previous research has found that activation of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) is associated with risk factors for alcohol use disorders (such as low alcohol effects and positive alcohol expectations) among adolescents. This study used a spatial working-memory task to examine ACC activity among adults, finding that alcohol-dependent (AD) participants had a greater activation of the dorsal ACC (dACC) when compared to light and heavy social drinkers. Results will be published in the May 2010 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View.
- Study Links Dopamine to Drug Abuse and Compulsive Behavior
A new study has found that people with high levels of the hormone dopamine in the brain, and low sensitivity to it, tend to be greater risk takers and may be more prone to addictive behavior, drug abuse, and gambling, a study has found.
- Parkinson’s Patients Offer Insights on Drug Addiction
Researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute have gained new insight into the brain chemistry behind addiction by studying the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease, who are typically polar opposites of drug addicts.
