Category: From Newswise – Addiction

Rutgers research shows how changes in the brain promote drug-seeking behavior and why some insomnia medications may block it

Parents can transmit a genetic risk for alcohol problems to their children not only directly, but also indirectly via genetically influenced aspects of the home environment, such as marital discord or divorce, according to a Rutgers researcher.

Lowering the amount of nicotine in cigarettes to non-addictive levels may reduce smoking without worsening mental health in smokers with mood or anxiety disorders, according to College of Medicine researchers.

Rutgers researchers find that patients in treatment for opioid use disorder are more likely to stay in treatment if they participate in multiple outpatient visits early in their care.

Researchers at the Miller School are looking for solutions to the continued effects of alcohol use, its harmful impact, and treatment. Understanding the mechanisms of alcohol abuse has gained importance, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Higher alcohol consumption led to an increased burden of pancreatic diseases in society.

A dose of nicotine, equivalent to that found in a single cigarette blocks estrogen production in women’s brains.

Neuroscientists from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) report in Science Advances that star-shaped brain cells known as astrocytes can “turn off” neurons involved in relapse to heroin.

A new study concludes that the 2020 European ban on menthol cigarettes made it more likely that menthol smokers would quit smoking, supporting previous Canadian research on the positive public health impact of banning menthol cigarettes.

A new rodent study shows that even small quantities of alcohol can trigger epigenomic and transciptomic changes in brain circuitry in an area that is crucial in the development of addiction.