Tag: user_id 13800

EL PASO, Texas (Jan. 16, 2025) – Researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso have been awarded a $2.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to explore the neurobiological mechanisms behind drug-taking behaviors and addiction.

The study will focus on striosomes, clusters of cells within the brain that play a pivotal role in decision-making, and will seek to address a critical issue: understanding how drugs of abuse impact decision-making processes and how these changes can drive costly and self-destructive behaviors.

“Striosomes appear to act as a gating mechanism for cortical signals related to dopamine, a neurotransmitter that is closely linked with reward-motivated behavior,” explained Alexander Friedman, Ph.D., the grant’s principal investigator and assistant professor in UTEP’s Department of Biological Sciences. “In individuals with substance use disorders, we believe this gating function is disrupted, which may explain why they continue pursuing drugs despite high costs.”

Substance use disorders remain a pressing public health crisis in the United States, with overdoses continuing to rank among the leading causes of death among adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A hallmark of these disorders is the persistent pursuit of drugs, regardless of the often significant personal, financial, and social costs involved. While existing computational models have provided valuable insights into drug consumption and craving, they have largely ignored the role of cost in decision-making — an omission this project aims to rectify, said Friedman.

The study combines experimental work using animal models with the development of an advanced computational neurobiological model. Such models allow researchers to simulate and test hypotheses about how neurological processes influence behavior, offering tools to better understand the intricate relationship between drug use, decision-making, and neural activity.

Travis Moschak, Ph.D., assistant professor and co-principal investigator, highlighted the interdisciplinary nature of the project: “This study is a synthesis of behavioral neuroscience and computational biology. We’re not only exploring how drugs affect brain activity but also how this activity translates into real-world behaviors. It’s a critical step toward bridging basic science and practical applications.”

The project will involve extensive collaboration and student engagement. Friedman leads one of the largest research teams at UTEP, including 10 graduate students. Moschak’s lab will contribute an additional three graduate students, all of whom will be funded through the NIH grant.

“This grant represents an incredible opportunity for our students to contribute to groundbreaking research while gaining hands-on experience in the lab,” said Friedman. “Many of them are already deeply involved in the experimental and computational aspects of this study, and their contributions are invaluable.”

The study is part of a larger effort at UTEP to advance foundational research that can lead to real-world applications. Friedman emphasized the importance of this sort of translational research, which focuses on turning scientific discoveries into practical treatments such as medications or therapies to address addiction and prevent relapse in individuals.

“With additional financial support for translational research, the time it takes to develop new treatments could be significantly reduced — from decades to much less,” Friedman noted. “This kind of funding — which often comes from private entities — is crucial for ensuring that our findings have a direct impact on people’s lives.”

“We are incredibly proud of Dr. Friedman, Dr. Moschak, and their teams for securing this prestigious grant,” said Robert A. Kirken, Ph.D., dean of UTEP’s College of Science. “Their work exemplifies the impactful research happening at UTEP, and it aligns perfectly with our mission of serving the community. This study has the potential to transform lives, and we are deeply grateful for their efforts.”

About The University of Texas at El Paso

The University of Texas at El Paso is America’s leading Hispanic-serving university. Located at the westernmost tip of Texas, where three states and two countries converge along the Rio Grande, 84% of our 25,000 students are Hispanic, and more than half are the first in their families to go to college. UTEP offers 171 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs at the only open-access, top-tier research university in America.

Most people have likely heard of Dry January, a voluntary month where people go without consuming alcohol. But the idea can extend beyond booze to other activities like cannabis consumption.

James MacKillop is a professor with McMaster’s Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences and director of the Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research.

He has spoken at length about the benefits of a “dry” month. For cannabis users, these benefits include a resetting of tolerance, a clearing of the mind, and giving the lungs a break.

Interested in speaking with MacKillop? He can be reached directly at [email protected].

—-

For any other assistance, contact Adam Ward, media relations officer with McMaster University’s Faculty of Health Sciences, at [email protected].

About Newswise

Journalists use Newswise as a source for research news, experts, ready-to-use content and story ideas. Media relations professionals can connect with reporters and share their organization’s news with a wider audience. Public readers discover the latest research news in science, medicine, social sciences, environment, technology, factchecks and business news from the world’s most credible universities and research organizations. More than 7,000 email wires go to journalists from more than 2,400 media outlets around the globe.

Contact Us

Signup

Adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, who use an extended-release medication are more likely to continue the treatment and have a lower risk of developing substance use disorder, according to two West Virginia University studies. 

“There is a lot of information about childhood and adolescent ADHD, but very few talk about adult ADHD,” said Abdullah Al-Mamun, a data scientist and assistant professor in the WVU School of Pharmacy Department of Pharmaceutical Systems and Policy. “It’s a behavioral disease which can be always treated. You just have to take your medications regularly. If you don’t, symptoms become more aggravated and other symptoms like depression, substance use, etc. are likely to develop.”

The lack of research into adult ADHD nationally is what led Al-Mamun to conduct these studies — one to understand factors related to medication adherence and another to determine how likely patients were to develop substance use disorder based on whether they took their prescriptions regularly. 

Al-Mamun said, while the true prevalence of adult ADHD in the United States is unknown, a new national survey of 1,000 American adults finds 25% of adults now suspect they may have undiagnosed ADHD.

The disease is usually diagnosed in childhood — marked by lack of focus, ignoring social rules and fidgeting — and may last into adulthood. However, it can also initially develop in adults, and symptoms differ from those in children to include impulsiveness, excessive activity or restlessness and low frustration tolerance. 

While there is no standard guideline in the United States for treating adult ADHD, patients of all ages are commonly prescribed medications known as central nervous system stimulants that act to invoke calmness and alleviate symptoms. Patients with higher levels of agitation may also attend psychotherapy sessions.

“In other countries, especially Sweden, the U.K. and Germany, there are emerging guidelines to treat adult ADHD,” Al-Mamun said. “We need more guidelines here in the United States, not only for medications but for behavioral treatment. I hope these studies will highlight the needs for further rigorous assessment of adult ADHD and treatments, which will be extremely valuable to the clinicians.”

Al-Mamun’s study indicates about 80% of adults with ADHD fail to comply with the treatment plan within the first year of diagnosis. He said the reasons could be social stigma, simple forgetfulness or disbelief that they still have the disease beyond adolescence.

Using data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a nationally representative dataset, researchers compared adult patients taking extended-release CNS stimulants to those taking the instant release form to assess factors influencing medication adherence and health care utilization.

Researchers found those taking the extended-release version, especially in the 36-45 and 56-65 age groups, showed a higher rate of adhering to medications. That group also utilized more outpatient visits and prescription refills than ones who weren’t taking the medications regularly.

“That is a good thing because it means people who are taking their medications are concerned about their condition,” Al-Mamun added.

However, patients using the instant release pills didn’t take their medications regularly. They had higher rates of outpatient and emergency room visits, hospital stays and home health services compared to those who took extended-release versions and kept up with their medication schedule.

“This is a huge problem in the United States because medication non-adherence for ADHD is very costly,” Al-Mamun said.

Statistics cited in his study show an estimated cost of up to $100 to $300 billion annually which included direct and indirect health care costs. However, there is no accurate estimation for the adult ADHD population in the U.S.

Beyond the health care cost burden, Al-Mamun said non-adherence to medication results in problems for the patients, their families and work colleagues.

“Patients with adult ADHD often forget things or feel misunderstood which makes them experience agitations and they may be short-tempered,” Al-Mamun explained. “Medications can help, but if they’re not taking them it can become like a spider web. When they get frustrated and people don’t understand why, they become more frustrated.”

He also added those reactions could lead to depression or the use of addicting substances, a trend he found to be on the rise while analyzing West Virginia toxicology data for another project. 

“I saw that there are a lot of people in the adult ADHD population dying because of drug overdose,” he said. “That’s what made me think about doing the second study to see what their risks of developing substance use disorder are.”

Other studies estimated about one in four patients who experience substance use disorder have been diagnosed with ADHD.

Al-Mamun’s study compared records of more than 28,500 patients with ADHD who had received care in West Virginia. Subjects were divided into two groups — one that was prescribed CNS stimulants and one that was not. In both groups, researchers assessed the time frame between ADHD diagnosis and when they experienced substance use disorder related to alcohol, cannabis, nicotine or opioids. 

“We found that people with adult ADHD who take CNS stimulants were less likely to develop substance use disorder and, if they do, they take a longer time to develop it,” he explained. “For example, they take 1,462 days to develop SUD compared to people who don’t take CNS stimulants and develop it in 1,077 days.”

Adult ADHD patients who continued taking medication also had fewer emergency room visits and hospital admissions, the study shows.

“These studies are very important because we don’t know much about what is happening with the adult ADHD population in the United States,” he said. “I have found that people who have ADHD in childhood and whose symptoms improve tended to discontinue their medications. Then we don’t know how they’re doing as adults. I think we need more case studies that track patients from childhood into adult years.”

Al-Mamun and doctoral student Ki Jin Jeun are currently researching the societal costs involved with adult ADHD. In the future, he would like to continue studies to understand why adults with ADHD discontinue their medication and how that relates to substance use disorder. 

A combination of acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) controls pain after wisdom tooth removal better than opioids, according to a Rutgers Health study that could change how dentists treat post-surgical pain.

The trial in more than 1,800 patients found that those given a combination of ibuprofen and acetaminophen experienced less pain, better sleep and higher satisfaction compared with those receiving the opioid hydrocodone with acetaminophen.

“We think this is a landmark study,” said Cecile Feldman, dean of Rutgers School of Dental Medicine and lead author of the study. “The results actually came in even stronger than we thought they would.”

Dentists, who rank among the nation’s leading prescribers of opioids, wrote more than 8.9 million opioid prescriptions in 2022. For many young adults, dental procedures such as wisdom tooth extraction are their first exposure to opioid medications.

“There are studies out there to show that when young people get introduced to opioids, there’s an increased likelihood that they’re going to eventually use them again, and then it can lead to addiction,” said study co-investigator Janine Fredericks-Younger, adding that opioid overdoses kill more than 80,000 Americans each year.

To compare opioid and non-opioid pain relief, the researchers conducted a randomized trial on patients undergoing surgical removal of impacted wisdom teeth, a common procedure that typically causes moderate to severe pain.

Half the patients received hydrocodone with acetaminophen. The other half got a combination of acetaminophen and ibuprofen. Patients rated their pain levels and other outcomes, such as sleep quality, over the week following surgery.

Results in The Journal of American Dental Association showed the non-opioid combination provided superior pain relief during the peak-pain period in the two days after surgery. Patients taking the non-opioid medications also reported better sleep quality on the first night and less interference with daily activities throughout recovery.

Patients who received the over-the-counter combo were only half as likely as the opioid patients to require additional “rescue” pain medication. They also reported higher overall satisfaction with their pain treatment.

“We feel pretty confident in saying that opioids should not be prescribed routinely and that if dentists prescribe the non-opioid combination, their patients are going to be a lot better off,” Feldman said.

The study’s size and design make it particularly notable. With more than 1,800 participants across five clinical sites, it’s one of the largest studies of its kind. It also aimed to reflect real-world medication use rather than the tightly controlled conditions of many smaller pain studies.

“We were looking at the effectiveness – so how does it work in real life, taking into account what people really care about,” said Feldman, referring to the study’s focus on sleep quality and the ability to return to work.

The findings align with recent recommendations from the American Dental Association to avoid opioids as first-line pain treatment. Feldman said she hopes they will change prescribing practices.

“For a while, we’ve been talking about not needing to prescribe opioids,” Feldman said. “This study’s results are such that there is no reason to be prescribing opioids unless you’ve got those special situations, like medical conditions preventing the use of ibuprofen or acetaminophen.”

Members of the research team said they hope to expand their work to other dental procedures and pain scenarios. Other researchers at the school are testing cannabinoids for managing dental pain.

“These studies not only guide us on how to improve current dental care,” said Feldman, “but also on how we can better train future dentists here at Rutgers, where we constantly refine our curriculum the light of science.”

The Opioid Analgesic Reduction Study was funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.

Newswise — HOUSTON ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights showcases the latest breakthroughs in cancer care, research and prevention. These advances are made possible through seamless collaboration between MD Anderson’s world-leading clinicians and scientists, bringing discoveries from the lab to the clinic and back. 

Smoking cessation medications are safe and effective for people with depression
Individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) are more likely to smoke, leading to higher risks of nicotine addiction and early death from tobacco-related illnesses. To identify the best treatments for quitting, researchers led by George Kypriotakis, Ph.D., and Paul Cinciripini, Ph.D., evaluated the safety and efficacy of three smoking cessation monotherapies previously approved by the Food and Drug Administration – varenicline, bupropion and nicotine patches – on 6,553 participants with current or past MDD. There were no differences in risk of neuro-psychiatric adverse events based on medication among all participants. According to the study, varenicline plus counseling had greater efficacy – continuous abstinence during the nine to 12-week period – and may be the best treatment for individuals with past or current MDD. Participants with current MDD also had reduced anxiety and depression while trying to quit. The study highlights the safety and efficacy of these medications for MDD and emphasizes the continued need for more research to address both untreated depression and nicotine addiction to improve outcomes. Learn more in The American Journal of Psychiatry.

Definitive radiotherapy demonstrates effectiveness in metastatic thyroid cancers
Definitive radiotherapy (dRT), intended for long-term disease control, is an effective option for several solid tumors that are oligometastatic, meaning they have limited metastatic lesions, or oligoprogressive, meaning few metastases are progressing. However, the benefit of dRT for metastatic thyroid cancers is largely unknown. Researchers led by Matthew Ning, M.D., examined the use of targeted dRT using stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) in 119 patients with oligometastatic/oligoprogressive thyroid cancer. Treatment with dRT showed a 91% local control rate for treated sites at three years and was associated with significant delays in the need for systemic therapy, the current standard of care. Only 2.5% of patients experienced grade 3 toxicities, with no higher-grade events. The median time to systemic therapy escalation, which can bring significant adverse effects and impact quality of life, was more than four years. While further studies are needed, this study highlights the potential of dRT in controlling oligometastatic and oligoprogressive thyroid cancers. Learn more in the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.  

Targeting signaling pathway may overcome treatment resistance in pancreatic cancer
Many patients with late-stage pancreatic cancer develop resistance to various treatments including first-line chemotherapy, highlighting a need to identify and understand the mechanisms of resistance. To provide insights, researchers led by Yohei Saito, Ph.D., Yi Xiao, Ph.D., and Dihua Yu, M.D., Ph.D., examined single-cell transcriptomic data from models of pancreatic cancer and clinical pathological information from patients with pancreatic cancer. They discovered a novel signaling circuit – Yap1 in cancer cells and Cox2 in fibroblasts of tumor microenvironment – that is activated during chemotherapy and helps these cancer cells survive. Co-targeting Yap1 in cancer cells and Cox2 in fibroblasts effectively overcame chemotherapy resistance and significantly extended survival in preclinical models. Interestingly, clinical analyses revealed that patients with pancreatic cancer who received statins, which inhibit Yap1, and aspirin, which targets Cox2, had prolonged survival during chemotherapy. These findings further highlight the therapeutic potential of co-targeting this signaling circuit to overcome resistance and improve patient outcomes. Learn more in Cell Discovery. 

ctDNA in appendix cancer reveals new insights for prognosis and treatment 
Appendiceal adenocarcinoma (AA), a rare type of appendix cancer, can be challenging to detect. While it is often treated with surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), better tools are needed to guide patient selection, monitoring and treatment decisions. Researchers led by Michael White, M.D., and John Paul Shen, M.D., analyzed circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in AA and identified a unique mutational profile, with TP53 mutations being the most common. They detected ctDNA less frequently in metastatic AA and at lower levels than in colorectal cancer, suggesting that AA sheds less DNA into the bloodstream. Detectable ctDNA was associated with lower survival rates, highlighting ctDNA’s potential as a valuable tool for identifying AA patients with poorer prognoses. This approach could enhance patient selection and monitoring in AA care. Learn more in Clinical Cancer Research.  

TP53 aberrations affect treatment response and survival in myeloid leukemias
TP53 genetic alterations are associated with poor outcomes in myeloid leukemias, but their exact impact on treatment response and survival, considering newer treatment options and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), warrants further evaluation. In a new retrospective study, researchers led by Jayastu Senapati, M.D., D.M., Sanam Loghavi, M.D., and Naval Daver, M.D., analyzed 413 newly diagnosed patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with TP53 mutations. They characterized the relationship between patient outcomes and multiple variables, such as age, disease state, TP53 mutation burden, and therapy received. The study found improved survival outcomes in those with AML and a low-risk TP53 aberration and all patients treated with an HSCT. The overall response rate was 62% and 53% in patients with MDS and AML, respectively. Patients with AML also had higher overall response rates and composite complete response rates when treated with venetoclax, although this did not translate to higher rates of allogeneic HSCT or survival. The comprehensive analysis highlights the importance of knowing a patient’s burden of TP53 aberrations to predict outcomes and determine better therapeutic strategies. Learn more in Haematologica. 

Awards and Honors

MD Anderson at ASH 2024
Read below for highlights from MD Anderson researchers at the 66th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition. More information can be found at MDAnderson.org/ASH.

In case you missed it
Read below to catch up on recent MD Anderson press releases.

Read this press release in the MD Anderson Newsroom.

– 30 –