Morphine vs. cocaine: A different mechanism of addiction
Morphine and cocaine both lead to addiction in part because of how they affect key reward areas in the brain. But a new study shows that they do this in very different ways -- knowledge that may eventually make treatments for addicts more specific and successful, but that also may complicate matters for people who take multiple drugs at once. Cocaine and morphine both have profound effects on the flow of dopamine -- a neurotransmitter scientists have consistently implicated in our sensations of reward in the brain. Signaling takes place when one neuron releases dopamine and a neighboring cell takes it up. The excess dopamine left over between the cells is then brought back into the cell that released it, a process called reuptake.But cocaine blocks reuptake, leading to more dopamine hanging out between cells. That results in a more powerful sense of reward. This process has been particularly well-studied in two brain areas called the ventral tegmental area, or VTA, and the nucleus accumbens. Neurons that originate in the VTA release dopamine in the nucleus accumbens, which is right next door, and cocaine appears to impact these neurons more than others. Another chemical called BDNF has been shown to play a key role in cocaine reward by amplifying the addictive nature of cocaine. It does this by supporting changes to the dopamine-sensitive cells in the nucleus accumbens. These changes keep the cells sensitive to cocaine over time.
But in the new study, published last Thursday in the journal Science, researchers demonstrate that BDNF actually has the opposite effect when paired with morphine: It decreases morphine's rewarding effect. When the scientists used genetic techniques to eliminate BDNF or its receptor molecule from the VTA of mice, morphine suddenly became more rewarding.
It turns out that BDNF's diluting effect on morphine reward works like turning down a light's dimmer switch -- it dials down the number of electrical impulses transmitting information between the VTA and the nucleus accumbens. The researchers determined this by directly exciting neurons in the nucleus accumbens -- the ones that receive information from the VTA. This completely eliminated BDNF's ability to make morphine less rewarding.
The scientists note that, while the mechanism of addiction is different for the two drugs, the pathway is basically the same: Both drugs mess up the signaling between the two brain regions, but through different means. That means researchers should start looking at how chemicals like BDNF influence not just morphine or cocaine abusers -- and their mouse equivalents -- but users of multiple drugs as well.
You can read a summary of the study here.
Injecting Painkiller Opana Can Lead to Serious Blood Disorder, FDA Warns
Injecting the painkiller Opana ER can lead to a serious blood disorder that can result in kidney failure or death, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Thursday. Opana is an opioid that contains the ingredient oxymorphone, Reuters reports. The drug is made by Endo Pharmaceuticals. Injecting Opana can cause thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, which causes clots to form in small blood vessels throughout the body. These clots limit or block blood flow to the organs, the article explains.Opana ER is a pill meant to be taken orally. It causes the blood clotting disorder only when it is abused by being crushed and injected intravenously, according to the FDA. The pill has an extended-release design, but crushing it releases the drug all at once. Law enforcement officials are alarmed by the rise of Opana abuse, which they said started after OxyContin was changed in late 2010 to make that drug more difficult to snort or inject for a heroin-like high. OxyContin is a brand of oxycodone. Opana abuse can be deadly because it is more potent, per milligram, than OxyContin and users who are not familiar with how strong it is may be vulnerable to overdosing.
Endo Pharmaceuticals has announced it is reformulating the drug. The pill will be more difficult to crush, and will turn gooey if liquid is added to it. Opana is prescribed for chronic back pain, as well as pain related to cancer and osteoarthritis.
While Illicit Drug Use Decreases in Cities, Prescription Drug Abuse Climbs
While illicit drug use has decreased in most large American cities, prescription drug abuse has climbed, according to a new study. The study evaluated emergency room visits related to drug abuse in 11 major metropolitan areas, and some smaller urban areas, from 2007 to 2009. The researchers found illicit drug use accounted for more emergency department visits than prescription drug abuse in 2007 (26 percent vs. 20 percent), for all metropolitan areas except Phoenix.From 2007 to 2009, emergency departments reported an 8 percent drop in visits for illicit drug abuse, while visits for prescription drug abuse rose 2 percent, HealthDay reports. In 2009, illicit drug use accounted for 28 percent of ER visits, while prescription drug abuse accounted for 22 percent. The findings were presented this week at the annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.
“The harsh reality is prescription drug abuse has become a growing problem in our society,” study author Dr. Asokumar Buvanendran of Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, said in a news release. “We hope the results of this study will aid physicians in effectively treating patients who struggle with prescription drug abuse, as well as encourage widespread patient education about the safe use, storage and disposal of medications.”
Differing opinions
Internet Changing Addiction Treatment, Expert Says
Web-based
programs are proving to be an innovative and powerful adjunct to addiction
treatment, according to an expert on internet treatment strategies. However,
they are not meant to replace face-to-face addiction treatment, notes Paul Radkowski, CEO/Clinical Director at Life Recovery
Program in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Internet addiction programs range from
web-based education interventions, to self-guided web-based therapeutic
programs, to human-supported web-based therapies, Radkowski explained at the
recent annual meeting of the International Certification & Reciprocity
Consortium (IC&RC). Click
here to read the rest of the story.And then there is….
In-Person Counseling Better Than Computer-Based Alcohol Interventions, Study Finds
Face-to-face interventions are more effective than computer-delivered programs to curb college drinking, a new study finds. While both strategies can produce results in the short term, only in-person counseling produces results beyond a few months, according to News-Medical.net. Computer-delivered interventions (CDIs) have become a popular way for colleges to reach a large number of students, according to lead author Kate Carey of Brown University. She reviewed 48 studies on college programs to combat drinking. Click here to read the story.
The Power to
Solve the Drug Overdose Crisis Is in Our Hands
You've
probably read the headlines. Heroin and pain pill use is on the rise in the
suburbs. It's hard to open a newspaper these days without being hit with grim
reports of another death due to opioid medications and heroin. You may also be
unaware that drug overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death in
Illinois, causing more fatalities than car accidents. But there is hope in
sight. Illinois legislators have been responsive to the crisis. In 2010,
legislators passed the Drug Overdose Prevention Act, expanding access to
naloxone, the opiate antidote. In 2012, legislators passed the Emergency
Medical Services Access Act, which grants limited immunity to people for
possession of very small amounts of drugs in the event of an overdose. Click
here to read the full blog.
Computerized Counseling May Be Failing College Students
Computer-delivered counseling has grown rapidly in college campuses as the format provides a method to address a large group of students with a relatively small counseling staff. However, a new review of several studies discovers that computer-delivered interventions have less effect than individual counseling. Specifically, the impact of these computer-delivered interventions on students was weaker and more short-lived than the effect of face-to-face counseling. Go here to read the rest of the story.Young people driving epidemic of prescription drug abuse
A
new study by the University of Colorado Denver reveals that today’s adolescents
are abusing prescription pain medications like vicodin, valium and oxycontin at
a rate 40 percent higher than previous generations. That makes it the second
most common form of illegal drug use in the U.S. after marijuana, according to
Richard Miech, Ph.D., lead author of the study and professor of sociology at CU
Denver. Read more at http://scienceblog.com/57173/young-people-driving-epidemic-of-prescription-drug-abuse/#DXcgHFYzvOBsiqXQ.99
Drop in Illicit Drug Use in Cities, Uptick in Prescription Drug Abuse
ER visits from street drugs declined 8 percent in 3-year period, study found
Illicit drug use has declined in most large U.S. cities in recent years, but prescription drug abuse has increased, a new study shows. Researchers analyzed data on drug-abuse related visits to emergency departments in 11 major metropolitan areas and some smaller urban areas over three years, 2007-2009. The data from the Drug Abuse Warning Network was separated into two types of drug abuse: prescription drugs such as the pain medication OxyContin and illegal street drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Rest of the story is available here.Alcohol Dependence Has Deadlier Consequences Than Smoking Among Women: Study
Alcohol dependence is more likely than smoking to increase death rates among women, a new study finds. German researchers found deaths rates were 4.6 times higher among women who were alcohol dependent, and 1.9 times higher among alcohol-dependent men, compared with the general population.Lead researcher Ulrich John said the smoking-related deaths are more due to cancers, which seem to occur later in life than many alcohol-related deaths. He added that drinking can contribute to other risky behaviors, such as smoking and obesity, HealthDay reports. The study included data on more than 4,000 adults, who were followed for 14 years. The average age of death for those who were alcohol dependent was 60 for females and 58 for males, both of which are about 20 years lower than the average age of death among the general population. The researchers found having participated in inpatient alcohol dependency treatment did not improve survival.
“We already know females tend to respond much stronger to toxins such as alcohol than males,” John said in a news release. “Women also seem to develop alcohol-attributable disease faster than men do.” The study appears in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
Understanding the Zombie Teen's Body Clock
Many
parents know the scene: The groggy, sleep-deprived teenager stumbles through
breakfast and falls asleep over afternoon homework, only to spring to life,
wide-eyed and alert, at 10 p.m.—just as Mom and Dad are nodding off.
Fortunately for parents, science has gotten more sophisticated at explaining
why, starting at puberty, a teen's internal sleep-wake clock seems to go off
the rails. Researchers are also connecting the dots between the resulting sleep
loss and behavior long chalked up to just "being a teenager." This
includes more risk-taking, less self-control, a drop in school performance and
a rise in the incidence of depression. The
rest of the story is available here.
Teens, Young Adults Driving Prescription Drug Abuse Increase, Study
Finds
Teenagers
and young adults are abusing prescription painkillers at a rate 40 percent
higher than what would be expected for their age group, a new study finds. The
findings reinforce concerns by law enforcement and medical experts that the
wide availability of painkillers is dangerous for adolescents, according to The
Denver Post. Researchers at the University of Colorado Denver evaluated data
from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, and found Americans ages 15 to
27 are driving the prescription drug abuse epidemic, the article notes.“Prescription drug use is the next big epidemic,” lead researcher Richard Miech, Ph.D., said in a news release. “Everyone in this field has recognized that there is a big increase in the abuse of nonmedical analgesics but our study shows that it is accelerating among today’s generation of adolescents.”
The study notes that the total number of hydrocodone and oxycodone products prescribed legally in the U.S. increased more than fourfold, from about 40 million in 1991, to nearly 180 million in 2007. This increase in painkiller availability makes it easier for teens to start using the drugs than in the past, because more homes have prescription painkillers in their medicine cabinets, the researchers said. “While most people recognize the dangers of leaving a loaded gun lying around the house, what few people realize is that far more people die as a result of unsecured prescription medications,” Miech said. The study appears in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
Alcohol’s Effects on Brain Can Begin to Subside Soon After Person Stops Drinking
Alcohol’s damaging effect on the brain can begin to subside two weeks after a person stops drinking, a new study suggests. Recovery may vary among different areas of the brain, the researchers say. The findings could offer promising news for recovering alcoholics, according to HealthDay. The study included 49 alcoholics in an inpatient treatment program, who were compared with 55 people who did not abuse alcohol. Participants underwent a brain scan within 24 hours of detoxification, and again two weeks later. The researchers found two weeks after detoxification, drinkers had a rapid recovery of the brain from alcohol-induced volume loss—a shrinkage of brain matter and an accompanying increase of cerebrospinal fluid, which acts as a cushion for the brain.“This volume loss has previously been associated with neuropsychological deficits such as memory loss, concentration deficits and increased impulsivity,” lead researcher Gabriele Ende of the Central Institute of Mental Health in Germany said in a news release.
The study found some parts of the brain were able to recover from chronic alcohol abuse faster than others. The cerebellum, which controls motor coordination and motor skills, recovered quickly. Areas that control higher cognitive functions such as divided attention took a longer time to recover. The study, published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, has implications for treatment, according to the researchers. “Many alcohol treatment programs only deal with the withdrawal stage of abstinence from alcohol, that is, the first three days,” co-researcher Natalie May Zahr of Stanford University School of Medicine noted. “Based on the current study and others, clinicians should consider recovery programs that provide support for the recovering addict for a minimum of two weeks.”
ADHD drugs
become popular, dangerous study solution for students
For
Stephan Perez, attending the prestigious Columbia University was more than just
a dream; it was a goal he set his sights on when he was only 13 years old and a
goal he willed himself to achieve.“I enrolled into all A.P. and honors classes. And that was my vision. I had only one goal. I woke up in the morning, it was Columbia. I went to sleep at night and it was Columbia,” said Perez in an interview set to air Thursday at 10pm/9c on NBC’s Rock Center with Brian Williams.
The Georgia-bred teenager worked tirelessly over the next few years and even stopped playing sports in order to focus all of his attention on his academics. His hard work finally paid off when he learned not only had he been accepted to his dream school, he received a Gates Millennium Scholarship that would pay for his tuition expenses.
But his inspirational rise to the top would end in a disastrous fall. It’s a cautionary tale for driven students and their parents. Click here to read the full story.
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