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Blue-eyed individuals may have greater chance of becoming alcoholics

People with blue eyes might have a greater chance of becoming alcoholics, according to a unique new study by genetic researchers at the University of Vermont.

1 Jul 2015

UC San Diego epidemiologist receives $1.5 million grant for research on HIV, substance abuse

Dan Werb, PhD, an internationally noted epidemiologist at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, has been named one of four inaugural recipients of the Avenir Award, a prestigious $1.5 million research grant from the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

30 Jun 2015

Adding tamper resistant properties to medications can help curb prescription drug abuse

Health Canada today published a Notice of Pre-Consultation in Canada Gazette, Part I, seeking stakeholder feedback on draft Tamper-Resistant Properties of Drugs Regulations.

27 Jun 2015

NIDA announces recipients of Avenir Award programs for HIV/AIDS, genetics or epigenetics research

The National Institute on Drug Abuse today announced the first six recipients of its two newly developed Avenir Award programs for HIV/AIDS and genetics or epigenetics research. The Avenir (meaning "future" in French) Awards support early stage investigators who propose highly innovative studies. The six scientists will each receive up to $300,000 per year for five years to support their research.

27 Jun 2015

Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research journal supports President Obama's statement on medical use of marijuana

Mary Ann Liebert, publisher of the newly launched peer-reviewed open access journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, strongly supports President Obama's statement that "...carefully prescribed medical use of marijuana may in fact be appropriate and we should follow the science as opposed to ideology on this issue," when asked about a pending Senate bill seeking to change federal law regarding state-legalized medical marijuana programs.

26 Jun 2015

'Virtual-reality' therapy can reduce people's craving for alcohol, new study suggests

A form of 'virtual-reality' therapy may help people with alcohol dependence reduce their craving for alcohol, a new study suggests. The findings, published in the July issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, come from a small study of just 10 patients.

24 Jun 2015

FDA-approved antihypertensive drug can stop cocaine and alcohol addiction

Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have successfully stopped cocaine and alcohol addiction in experiments using a drug already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat high blood pressure. If the treatment is proven effective in humans, it would be the first of its kind -- one that could help prevent relapses by erasing the unconscious memories that underlie addiction.

23 Jun 2015

Dr. Maurizio D'Incalci to receive Pezcoller-Prodi Award in Scientific Career

Dr. Maurizio D'Incalci, MD, Ph.D., will receive an award in recognition of his scientific career at the new Special Conference on Anticancer Drug Action and Drug Resistance: from Cancer Biology to the Clinic organized by the European Association of Cancer Research, the American Association of Cancer Research and the Italian Cancer Society and that will be held in Florence, Italy, June 20-23.

23 Jun 2015

UB study sheds light on the molecular basis of cocaine addiction

Researchers at the University at Buffalo have discovered a previously unknown neural pathway that can regulate changes made in the brain due to cocaine use, providing new insight into the molecular basis of cocaine addiction.

19 Jun 2015

Discovery provides clue to long-held mystery about how animals' internal compasses function

A team of scientists and engineers at The University of Texas at Austin has identified the first sensor of the Earth's magnetic field in an animal, finding in the brain of a tiny worm a big clue to a long-held mystery about how animals' internal compasses work.

18 Jun 2015

Findings could lead to treatments for chronic pain caused by nerve damage

Non-narcotic treatments for chronic pain that work well in people, not just mice, are sorely needed. Drawing from human pain genetics, an international team led by Boston Children's Hospital demonstrates a way to break the cycle of pain hypersensitivity without the development of addiction, tolerance or side effects.

18 Jun 2015

New research looks at quickly expanding effort to equip law enforcement officers with naloxone

Opioid overdose is one of the leading causes of accidental death in the U.S. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the epidemic accounts for some 25,000 deaths per year--or approximately 68 fatalities per day.

17 Jun 2015

New study finds that children's exposure to second-hand smoke in England declines by 80%

A new study published today by the scientific journal Addiction finds that in England, children's exposure to second-hand smoke has declined by approximately 80% since 1998.

12 Jun 2015

US physicians with waivers increase potential access to effective medication-assisted treatment

American physicians with waivers allowing them to provide office-based medication-assisted buprenorphine treatment to patients addicted to opioids were able to increase potential access to effective medication-assisted treatment by 74 percent from 2002 to 2011, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

11 Jun 2015

New research suggests pedophiles more likely to have facial anomalies

New research suggests pedophiles are more likely to have superficial facial flaws, known as Minor Physical Anomalies (MPAs). They are also more likely to be left-handed, says Fiona Dyshniku of the University of Windsor in Canada. She led an investigation into the prevalence and distribution of physical anomalies among men who are sent for sexological assessment.

11 Jun 2015

Brain protein key to binge drinking? An interview with Dr. Candice Contet

Alcohol binge drinking is mostly driven by positive reinforcement, a process in which a rewarding experience (e.g., the euphoria one feels when intoxicated) strengthens the behaviour leading to this experience (e.g., going to a bar).

9 Jun 2015

Study suggests direct biophysical link between chronic pain, depression and anxiety

Brain inflammation caused by chronic nerve pain alters activity in regions that regulate mood and motivation, suggesting for the first time that a direct biophysical link exists between long-term pain and the depression, anxiety and substance abuse seen in more than half of these patients, UC Irvine and UCLA researchers report.

9 Jun 2015

Braeburn reports positive topline results from Probuphine Phase 3 study for treatment of opioid addiction

Braeburn Pharmaceuticals, an Apple Tree Partners company, today reported positive topline results from the Phase 3 double-blind, double-dummy clinical study of Probuphine, the investigational subdermal implant containing buprenorphine HCl for the long-term maintenance treatment of opioid addiction.

8 Jun 2015

New study aims to find the genetic causes of substance addiction

A new study aims to find the genetic causes specific symptoms of substance addiction, which could lead to a more nuanced way of looking at substance abuse, and ways to treat it.

5 Jun 2015

Researchers developing probe wire to better understand causes of degenerative brain diseases

Researchers are developing a tiny wire that will speed up the discovery of new drugs and could one day unlock the mysteries of illnesses such as Alzheimer's or Lou Gehrig's disease.

4 Jun 2015