2014 Summer Research Opportunity to Students
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) invites high school and under-graduate students to submit applications for the 2014 Summer Research Program. Under this program students underrepresented in the biomedical and behavioral sciences are paired with NIDA funded scientists at research institutions across the United States for 8-10 weeks during the summer to work in the field of substance abuse and addiction research. Internships may involve a variety of experiences including laboratory experiments, data collection, data analysis, patient interviews, library research and literature reviews. Student interns receive a stipend, and if necessary and eligible, provisions for travel and housing expenses….
Early-Onset, Regular Cannabis Use Is Linked to IQ Decline
A NIDA-supported 25-year study of 1,000 individuals suggests regular cannabis use that starts in adolescence strips away IQ. Study participants who initiated weekly cannabis use before age 18 dropped IQ points in proportion to how long they persisted in using the drug, while nonusers gained a fraction of a point. “This study is important because we have precious little evidence on whether or not drug use leads to enduring changes in cognition,” says Dr. Steven Grant, chief of the Clinical Neurosciences Branch within NIDA’s Division of Clinical Neuroscience and Behavioral Research. “The issue is critical, because at stake are the…
Connection Between Adolescent Substance Use and the Risk for Dropout
Experts at the Institute for Behavior and Health, Inc. (IBH) and the Center on Young Adult Health and Development (CYAHD) at the University of Maryland School of Public Health investigated the connection between adolescent substance use and the risk for dropout in the U.S. There is compelling evidence that the association of academic difficulties and substance use is bidirectional. In some individuals, academic difficulties precede the onset of substance use, and in those cases, a vicious cycle can ensue—leading to even more severe academic difficulties and eventual dropout. In other cases, even controlling for individual background characteristics, substance use precedes…
Early Discipline Tied to Less Use of Drugs, Alcohol in Teens
Correcting disruptive behavior in young children could help prevent them from using alcohol and drugs when they’re teens, researchers report. The findings suggest “that by selectively targeting disruptive behaviors in early childhood, and without addressing substance use directly, we could have long-term effects on substance use behaviors in later life,” Castellanos-Ryan said. “Our study shows that a two-year intervention aimed at key risk factors in disruptive kindergarten boys from low socioeconomic environments can effectively reduce substance use behaviors in adolescence — not only in early adolescence but up to the end of high school, eight years post-intervention,” study author Natalie…
Alcohol Use Among Pregnant Women in Substance Abuse Treatment Drops
According to a new report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) the percentage of pregnant woman in substance abuse treatment using alcohol (with or without drug use) dropped from 46.6% to 34.8% over a ten year period. However, the report also shows that the percentage of substance abuse admissions involving pregnant women using drugs (without co-occurring alcohol use) rose from 51.1% to 63.8% during this same period. Click here to continue reading
Combination of Smoking and Heavy Drinking ‘Speeds Up Cognitive Decline’
Researchers from UCL (University College London) found that smokers who drank alcohol heavily had a 36% faster cognitive decline compared to non-smoking moderate drinkers. Smoking and heavier alcohol consumption often co-occur, and their combined effect on cognition may be larger than the sum of their individual effects. The research team found that in current smokers who were also heavy drinkers, cognitive decline was 36% faster than in non-smoking moderate drinkers. Click here for full story…
Brain’s Response to Sweets May Indicate Risk for Development of Alcoholism
Several human and animal studies have shown a relationship between a preference for highly sweet tastes and alcohol use disorders. Furthermore, the brain mechanisms of sweet-taste responses may share common neural pathways with responses to alcohol and other drugs. A new study using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has found that recent drinking is related to the orbitofrontal-region brain response to an intensely sweet stimulus, a brain response that may serve as an important phenotype, or observable characteristic, of alcoholism risk. “Our study was designed to determine which brain areas responded to sweet taste — as compared to plain…
Long-Term Cannabis Use May Blunt the Brain’s Motivation System
Researchers found that dopamine levels in a part of the brain called the striatum were lower in people who smoke more cannabis and those who began taking the drug at a younger age. They suggest this finding could explain why some cannabis users appear to lack motivation to work or pursue their normal interests. The cannabis users in the study had their first experience with the drug between the ages of 12 and 18. There was a trend for lower dopamine levels in those who started earlier, and also in those who smoke more cannabis. The researchers say these…