An abnormality that makes it more difficult to exercise self-control has been identified in the brains of drug addicts, as well as their siblings who have no history of addiction. Researchers at the University of Cambridge scanned the brains of 50 pairs of brothers and sisters. One in each pair was dependent on cocaine while [...]
The first few weeks of college are a critical time in shaping students’ drinking habits, according to researchers at Penn State, who say early intervention may help keep students from becoming heavy drinkers. “Research shows there is a spike in alcohol-related consequences that occur in the first few weeks of the semester, especially with college [...]
A provocative new brain imaging study has lead researchers to suggest that cocaine addiction is different for men and women. Scientists from Yale School of Medicine believe the findings suggest men and women with cocaine dependence might benefit from different treatment options. In the study, investigators determined stress robustly activates areas of the brain associated [...]
A popular country and western song laments middle age, although the narrator is “glad he quit the hard drugs.” Now a new study finds that those still using hard drugs into their 50s are five times more likely to die earlier than those who do not. Experts report that young adults often experiment with hard [...]
When a smoker decides to quit, the task is never easy. New research finds the task is doubly hard if you are poor and uneducated. Researchers from The City College of New York followed smokers from different socioeconomic backgrounds after they had completed a statewide smoking cessation program in Arkansas. After a program of cognitive-behavioral therapy, [...]
A laboratory study on rats has led researchers to propose that the growing adolescent brain causes teens to be more susceptible to developing disorders like addiction and depression. The University of Pittsburgh study compared the brain activity of adolescent and adult rats involved in a task in which they anticipated a reward. The researchers found increased [...]
Researchers have determined that drinking alcohol leads to the release of endorphins in areas of the brain that produce feelings of pleasure and reward. Researchers at the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at the University of California, San Francisco, report this is the first time that the endorphin release in the nucleus accumbens and [...]
Researchers have determined that drinking alcohol leads to the release of endorphins in areas of the brain that produce feelings of pleasure and reward. Researchers at the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at the University of California, San Francisco, report this is the first time that the endorphin release in the nucleus accumbens and [...]
Researchers have determined that drinking alcohol leads to the release of endorphins in areas of the brain that produce feelings of pleasure and reward. Researchers at the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at the University of California, San Francisco, report this is the first time that the endorphin release in the nucleus accumbens and [...]
New estimates from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that one in six adults in the U.S. regularly goes on drinking binges. More than 38 million adults binge drink, CDC officials said, defining binge drinking as having four or more drinks for women and five or more for men over a short period of time. [...]
