Anxiety Drug Addiction Explained by New Research
New research explains how addiction to prescription anxiety medication works, and may lead to development non-addictive versions of the drugs. Scientists from the US and Switzerland have discovered how anxiety medications, such benzodiazepine drugs as Ativan, Xanax, and Valium, work in the brain. As it turns out, the drugs use the same reward pathways as […]
Hormone Dopamine Linked to Addiction and Risk-Taking
New research on dopamine and dopamine receptor profiles could lead to new drug addiction prevention and treatments. Japanese and Danish scientists have shown in new research that those with higher dopamine levels in the brain have a greater need for stimulation, due in part to the lowered dopamine-sensitivity. Dopamine is the “gratification” hormone, widely known […]
How Cocaine Addiction Works
What is Cocaine Cocaine is a stimulant, a psychoactive drug that temporarily increases mental and/or physical functioning. Unlike other stimulants, cocaine is not used as a prescription medicine, but is an illicit drug carefully controlled throughout the world. Cocaine is used primarily recreationally and is a widely abused drug. Cocaine is highly addictive. Cocaine was […]
Cocaine Addiction: Gene Alterations From Prolonged Cocaine Use
US Researchers at NIDA report having identified a key brain mechanism, better explaining how and why cocaine addiction occurs. Announced last week, January 7th 2009, government scientists at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) said that the new discoveries about the root of cocaine addiction could lead to the development of new drug treatments. […]
New Cocaine Addiction Treatment on the Horizon: A Bacterial Enzyme
Researchers in the UK have identified a bacterial enzyme that, they say, breaks cocaine down in the body, effectively reducing the drug’s addictiveness and may help fight both cocaine addiction and overdose. The naturally occurring bacterial enzyme, Cocaine esterase or CocE, essentially breaks cocaine molecules down in the body, reducing its physical addictiveness and eventually […]
Alcohol and Marijuana Use Genetically Linked
New twin study out of the US suggests that the same gene that leads to drinking alcohol may also lead to marijuana use. Twin studies are used to better understand the genetic influence of behaviours. In such studies, scientists compare the results from identical twin sets, who have identical genetics, with the results from fraternal […]
Marijuana Use by Teens More Detrimental than Previously Thought
New research from the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal, Qc. suggests that the effect of daily cannabis use on the teenage brain is worse than previously thought. Moreover, the long-term effects appear irreversible. Marijuana, the most used illicit drug, has long been considered a ‘soft’ drug—minimally damaging in comparison to most other, ‘hard’, drugs […]
Alcohol Addiction Found in Fruit Flies
According to a new study, fruit flies show both desperation and relapse when exposed to alcohol for a length of time. Researchers say their study may shed light on the genetic roots of alcohol addiction. Fruit flies, it may seem strange, are often used for genetic studies due both to their rapid reproductive rate, as […]
Dark Chocolate Found to Help Lower Stress
Just in time for the Holidays, yet another reason to eat chocolate! The “healing” properties of chocolate have long been suspected—the euphoric rush of endorphin triggered love-like feelings, the surge of satisfaction. For some, chocolate is even an aphrodisiac. Dark chocolate, with its high levels of antioxidants, has been purported to have a number of […]