Substance Abuse News and Research

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Peers' Genetic Traits Impact Long-Term Risk for Substance Use and Psychiatric Disorders

Mom always said, "Choose your friends wisely." Now a study led by a Rutgers Health professor shows she was onto something: Their traits can rub off on you – especially ones that are in their genes.

12 Aug 2024

Study Reveals Epigenetic Changes in Sperm from Non-Genetic Infertility Causes

How non-genetic factors can induce epigenetic modifications to the sperm and cause male infertility.

3 Jul 2024

UCI Researchers Receive $1.19 Million Grant to Unravel the Genetic Basis of Nicotine Addiction

A three-year, $1.19 million grant from the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program will allow University of California, Irvine researchers to explore how specific sections of DNA might influence nicotine addiction.

26 Apr 2024

Researchers Highlight Crucial Contributions of Astrocytes to Mental Health

The health and function of the brain depend on astrocytes, which are essential cells in the central nervous system. According to recent research, they affect behaviors and higher cognitive functions by controlling local neuronal activity.

22 Apr 2024

Genetic Risk of Depression Linked to Increased Risk of Other Psychiatric Disorders

Recent research reveals that people who are hospitalized for depression are at an increased risk of developing conditions like substance abuse, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and anxiety, depending on their genetic predisposition to the individual disorder.

30 Aug 2023

Study reveals the cellular composition and circuit organization of the locus coeruleus

A small nucleus in the brainstem called locus coeruleus (literally the "blue spot,") is the primary source of a major neuromodulator, norepinephrine (NE), an important mediator of the 'fight or flight' response in animals. However, very little is known about the local connections of this small albeit critically important group of neurons.

16 Mar 2023

Study elucidates the cellular changes caused by exposure to adversity during childhood

A new brain connection discovered by University of California, Irvine researchers can explain how early-life stress and adversity trigger disrupted operation of the brain's reward circuit, offering a new therapeutic target for treating mental illness. Impaired function of this circuit is thought to underlie several major disorders, such as depression, substance abuse and excessive risk-taking.

28 Feb 2023

Accelerating the structure-guided discovery of chemogenetic tools

In order to more fully understand how diseases arise in the brain, scientists must unravel the intricate way neurons relay messages (either chemical or electrical) along a complex web of nerve cells. One way is by using a tool called DREADDs, which stands for Designer Receptors Activated by Designer Drugs.

21 Feb 2023

Long-term deep meditation may have a beneficial effect on gut microbiota, study suggests

Regular deep meditation, practised for several years, may help to regulate the gut microbiome and potentially lower the risks of physical and mental ill health, finds a small comparative study published in the open access journal General Psychiatry.

30 Jan 2023

Role of adolescent lifestyle in biological aging

According to findings published in eLife, genetics may contribute to the explanation of the connection between unhealthy lifestyles and increased biological aging in young adults.

10 Nov 2022

Novel molecules alleviate pain, avoid sedating effect

According to new research headed by UC San Francisco scientists, a newly found group of molecules relieved pain in mice whilst preventing the sedating effect that limits the usage of opiates.

3 Oct 2022

Researchers analyze the effect of dopamine on gene activity and addiction

North Carolina State University researchers have shown that neuron-like cells produced from human stem cells may be used to examine alterations in the neurological system linked to addiction.

10 May 2022

Social contact-seeking behavior in mice is driven by peptide amylin in the brain, study reveals

As we have experienced during the COVID pandemic, loneliness, or perceived social isolation, is a major stress for social animals and increases the risk of various mental and physical health issues such as depression, substance abuse, obesity, and premature death.

9 Feb 2022

Study unravels genetic markers involved in life’s momentous milestones

A team of Oxford researchers successfully identified hundreds of genetic markers that are involved in two of life’s most momentous milestones.

5 Jul 2021