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Tag: Addiction

  • Substance use disorder expert available for comment

    Substance use disorder expert available for comment

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    According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 13.5% of young adults aged 18 to 25 had both a substance use disorder and some form of mental illness in 2021. 

    Lokesh Shahani, MD, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and behavorial sciences at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, has done extensive research on substance use disorder. 

    Shahani’s research and clinical background includes substance use, HIV psychiatry, addiction, adult general psychiatry, and geriatric psychiatry. He is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and the American Board of Internal Medicine. He has over 45 publications in peer-reviewed journals and presented his work nationally.

    To arrange an interview contact:

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    University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

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  • Psychology Expert: Smartphones Negatively Impact Mental Health

    Psychology Expert: Smartphones Negatively Impact Mental Health

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    This Mental Health Awareness Month, one researcher explains why “unplugging” from your smartphone could improve your psychological well-being. 

    Melissa Huey, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology at New York Institute of Technology, studied the impact of smartphones in the college classroom and discovered that the devices were damaging students’ mental health. 

    Huey and a colleague conducted a six-week study to see how college students’ mindfulness, anxiety, and course comprehension were affected when smartphones were removed from the classroom vs. when they were physically present.

    In two classes, students handed in their smartphones at the beginning of the lecture. In two other classes, which served as a control group, students kept their phones and used them with no limitations. At the end of the six-week study, students self-reported scores on course comprehension, mindfulness, and anxiety levels.

    “Students who handed in their smartphones reported much higher comprehension and mindfulness scores. In addition, they reported lower levels of anxiety,” Huey notes. “However, the opposite was true for those who kept their phones. These students reported lower comprehension and mindfulness scores and higher anxiety levels.”

    Huey’s findings, which were published in the journal Innovative Higher Education, make a strong case for taking smartphone breaks.

    This is not the first time that she has explored how technology affects mental health in younger individuals. In 2021, Huey authored an International Business Times op-ed contending that smartphones and social media were eroding Gen Z’s critical thinking abilities. The following year, she commented on a study that found TikTok’s algorithm offered teens psychologically damaging content that promoted self-harm and eating disorders.  

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    New York Institute of Technology, New York Tech

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  • Where there’s smoke, there’s thiocyanate: McMaster researchers find tobacco users in Canada are exposed to higher levels of cyanide than other regions

    Where there’s smoke, there’s thiocyanate: McMaster researchers find tobacco users in Canada are exposed to higher levels of cyanide than other regions

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    Newswise — HAMILTON, ON – Mar 24, 2024 – Tobacco users in Canada are exposed to higher levels of cyanide than smokers in lower-income nations, according to a large-scale population health study from McMaster University.

    Scientists made the discovery while investigating the molecule thiocyanate – a detoxified metabolite excreted by the body after cyanide inhalation. It was measured as a urinary biomarker of tobacco use in a study of self-reported smokers and non-smokers from 14 countries of varying socioeconomic status. 

    “We expected the urinary thiocyanate levels would be similar across regions and reflect primarily smoking intensity. However, we noticed significant elevation of thiocyanate in smokers from high-income countries even after adjusting for differences in the number of cigarettes smoked per day,” says Philip Britz-McKibbin, co-author of the study and a professor of chemistry and chemical biology at McMaster.

    Tobacco-related illness remains the leading cause of preventable illness and premature death in Canada, contributing to approximately 48,000 deaths annually. According to researchers, the findings could be caused by the type of cigarettes smoked in high-income countries like Canada.

    “The cigarettes commonly consumed in Canada are highly engineered products with lower tar and nicotine content to imply they’re less harmful. Heavy smokers with nicotine dependence compensate by smoking more aggressively with more frequent and deeper inhalations that may elicit more harm, such as greater exposure to the respiratory and cardiotoxin, cyanide.”

    Smoking rates in Canada have declined from 26 per cent in 2001 to 13 per cent in 2020. But participation in smoking cessation programs has declined during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to concern about a potential uptick in smoking rates, including cannabis use and a plethora of vaping of products popular among young adults.

    Researchers say urinary thiocyanate can serve as a robust biomarker of the harms of tobacco smoke that will aid future research on the global tobacco picture, since most smokers now reside in developing countries. As smoking rates have decreased here in Canada, at-risk groups like youth and pregnant women have been prone to underreport their tobacco use when surveyed, making a reliable biomarker more valuable.

    “Historically assessing tobacco behaviors have relied on questionnaires that are prone to bias, especially when comparing different countries and local cultures. The idea is to find robust methods that can quantify recent tobacco smoke exposure more reliably and objectively, which may better predict disease risk and prioritize interventions for smoking cessation.” says Britz-Mckibbin.

    The study was published in the latest issue of Nicotine and Tobacco Research and received funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Genome Canada, the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Hamilton Health Sciences New Investigator Fund, and an internal grant from the Population Health Research Institute.

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    Photos of Philip Britz-McKibbin can be found here

    Credit: McMaster University

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    McMaster University

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  • Inmates With Opioid Addiction Report Peer Navigators Are Crucial for Successful Community Reentry

    Inmates With Opioid Addiction Report Peer Navigators Are Crucial for Successful Community Reentry

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    Newswise — Recently incarcerated people with opioid use disorder have trust in working with peer support specialists who recovered from addiction and faced similar life experiences, according to a Rutgers study.

    The study, published in the journal Psychiatric Services, found that peer support specialists were most valued for providing emotional and community-based addiction recovery support as well as housing and employment information — crucial when going back into the community.

    More than half of people incarcerated in state prisons have been diagnosed with a substance use disorder, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. They are most vulnerable in the months following their release, when they are at high risk of unemployment, homelessness, recidivism and overdose.

    “The risk of a fatal drug overdose in the two weeks after release is 129 times that of the general population, in part because of the high risk of relapse and the loss of drug tolerance while incarcerated,” said Margaret Swarbrick, associate director of the Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies at Rutgers, research professor at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology and an author of the study.

    The researchers interviewed 39 adult inmates diagnosed with an opioid use disorder who worked with peer support specialists upon their release from a New Jersey state prison between July 2020 and April 2021. Thirty completed a follow-up interview about four months later.

    They found that participants appreciated working with someone with a shared life experience with whom they could establish a trusting relationship. However, they reported that policy barriers to recovery and community reintegration presented challenges to meeting certain needs, such as housing, food, employment and access to timely medical and recovery services, even with the peer navigator’s assistance.

    Participants reported the peer support specialists were most valued for providing emotional support and housing and employment information and for navigating barriers to medical and community-based treatment. This was especially true for people with a conviction for drug distribution charges, which precludes access to resources for housing and employment, according to Michael Enich, an M.D.-Ph.D candidate at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, who reported on the findings.

    “Studies have shown that trained peer support specialists who have experienced addiction, incarceration or both, who assist newly released offenders significantly improve the success rates of their reentry into society, especially when it comes to mental health treatment and sobriety,” said Enich. “However, few studies have examined the role of peer services for substance use disorders during the early months after prison release.”

    Many participants viewed their peer navigators as role models who have overcome similar challenges, which was valued especially when they felt at risk of relapse, said Stephen Crystal, director of the Center for Health Services Research at Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research and an author of the study. “Having someone who was there for them ‘no matter what’ and whom they could call at any time was the most important aspect of the program as it gave them a sense of security,” said Crystal, who is also Board of Governors Professor at Rutgers School of Social Work.

    The participants reported the most effective peer health navigators were empathetic, open-minded and good listeners.

    The authors said more research is needed to rigorously examine the long-term impact of peer services on factors such as overdose reduction, treatment engagement and sustained recovery.

    Other Rutgers researchers involved in the study are Peter Treitler, Leigh Belsky and Micah Hillis.

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    Rutgers University-New Brunswick

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  • I Was Drinking A Liter Of Vodka A Day. Then A Single Word From My Son Caused Me To Seek Help.

    I Was Drinking A Liter Of Vodka A Day. Then A Single Word From My Son Caused Me To Seek Help.

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    When I was growing up in Scotland, drinking was a rite of passage — and, as it did with me, typically started around age 13. During my teenage years, I associated alcohol with the good times: birthdays, house parties and summer holidays.

    It wasn’t until I left home for college that my drinking took a dark turn.

    In the U.K., the student experience is centered heavily around going out to the pub and getting drunk. I stayed in the dorms during my first year, living with other students in a culture of binge drinking. If you wanted to make friends, then you had to be comfortable with drinking.

    While many enjoyed their nights out and still made their way to class the next day, I was often still drinking. Alcohol stopped being about the social aspect for me — in fact, I preferred drinking alone.

    My time at university was very isolating. I was socially awkward, found it difficult to make friends, and used alcohol to escape loneliness and provide comfort as I sat alone in my room. Drinking began to take priority over everything else in my life.

    As my alcohol abuse worsened, I dropped out of university and moved back to my hometown with a girl I had met while working a bar job. It was my first relationship, but looking back, I think we mostly found comfort in each other.

    We had been together for five years when she found out that she was pregnant.

    When I learned I was going to be a dad, I felt genuine happiness, something that I hadn’t experienced in a long time.

    We stayed together during the pregnancy, and I helped her out — when I was sober enough. By that point, I was drinking a liter of vodka a day. I only left the house to go to work, which was in a dingy restaurant across the road where no one cared that I smelled like booze. I had cut off the few friends I had, and drinking myself into unconsciousness became the norm. When my wages were spent, I turned to my parents for money. I would lie about why I needed the extra cash, telling them that my shifts had been cut at work or that I needed help with bills.

    However, the single biggest consequence of my drinking was the way I treated the mother of my child. I would get irritated, start arguments over nothing and call her terrible names. It was inexcusable behavior, but that’s what addiction does — it turns us into the very worst versions of ourselves.

    When Neil was born, his mother and I were still together, but things between us deteriorated quickly after his birth. I developed postnatal depression — which was, of course, exacerbated by my drinking — and she had to look after our newborn child almost entirely alone. Instead of using those first few months to bond with my son, I chose to sit in our bedroom drinking myself into oblivion.

    Neil’s mum had finally had enough and left me when Neil was about 6 months old. She told me that I could see Neil whenever I wanted, but she urged me to get help. However, at the time, I refused to accept that my drinking was a problem.

    When he was 2, Neil was over one day and amusing himself with his toys on the living room floor. I playfully asked him, “Do you love Dad?”

    He stopped, locked his eyes on me and clearly replied, “No.”

    I had always struggled to deal with my emotions and usually resorted to suppressing the hell out of them. But at that moment, I couldn’t stop the tears from pouring. I wasn’t just crying because I had failed my son, but I was also ― for the first time — accepting the fact that I was an addict, and I needed help.

    As much as it pains me to say, Neil’s response to my question didn’t come as a total shock. So far in his life, his dad was someone who was always yelling ― because I was either hungover or still drunk from the night before — and showed him almost no affection.

    I rarely cuddled him, hardly ever said “I love you,” and I almost never played with him because I was usually lying on the couch, nursing a splitting headache.

    On one occasion, Neil was supposed to be getting dropped off by his mom, but I had gotten blackout drunk the night before and didn’t answer the door. I eventually came to when I heard an even louder knock, which was enough to get me on my feet to stagger over and see who it was.

    When I opened the door, I saw two police officers. They had been asked to do a wellness check after receiving a worried call from my mother. As it turned out, I had been drunk-calling people all night in some sort of cry for help.

    I have no recollection of that night. And yet, I still carried on drinking.

    Children learn what love is from their parents, and today when I think back to that moment when Neil said he didn’t love me, I realize that it’s because he wasn’t sure if I loved him. His mom had shown him what it meant to be loved, and he knew he wasn’t getting that from me.

    After accepting that I had a drinking problem, my mom was the first person I reached out to. She told me that she had been waiting for this call for a long time, and was so pleased I was finally accepting that I had an addiction and needed help. As well as my weekly 12-step meetings, my mum has been my crutch during recovery.

    Seeing Neil for the first time after getting sober is a moment that will stay with me forever because I was finally able to give him something that he deserved from the start: a dad. I was no longer an empty shell of a person, focused only on feeding my habit. I was sober and ready to be a dad that my son could love.

    Today, my son looks forward to staying with me, running into my arms with a smile on his face when he’s dropped off. I take him on days out, we play with his toys together, we laugh, we cuddle, I read him bedtime stories, and I kiss him good night. Neil now tells me that he loves me because he knows that I love him, and I tell him so every day.

    After only months of sobriety, I know there’s a long road ahead, and recovery hasn’t been without its challenges. But focusing all my efforts on rebuilding my relationship with my son and being the best dad I can be has given me a purpose in life that alcohol had deprived me of for too long.

    There’s one thing, more than any other, that is keeping me sober, and that’s having a son who says, “I love you, Dad.”

    Need help with substance use disorder or mental health issues? In the U.S., call 800-662-HELP (4357) for the SAMHSA National Helpline.

    Do you have a compelling personal story you’d like to see published on HuffPost? Find out what we’re looking for here and send us a pitch.

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  • 12 Northwell emergency departments are accredited for pain, addiction care | Long Island Business News

    12 Northwell emergency departments are accredited for pain, addiction care | Long Island Business News

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    The American College of Emergency Physicians has awarded 12 Northwell Health emergency departments with the Pain and Addiction Care in the Emergency Department bronze-level designation.

    The recognition is part of a national accreditation program that is designed to improve management and substance use care for patients so that they receive the highest level of treatment for pain and addiction, while also minimizing the usage of opioid medications.

    “The fact that 12 of our hospitals have received national accreditation recognizes our efforts to humanize the approach to substance use and pain. We are very proud that our model of care is being regarded as an industry standard,” Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, assistant vice president of Emergency Medicine Addiction Services, said in a statement. “It is our mission that all 18 of our emergency departments will soon be recognized for our work in this space.”

    The accreditation comes at a time when pain-and-substance abuse, and subsequent fatal opioid overdoses are increasing nationwide, experts say. Fatal opioid overdoses, many caused by Fentanyl, are considered a national public health epidemic. There have been 108,000 deaths in the 12-month period that ended in August 2022, according to Northwell.

    The Northwell sites on Long Island that received the designation include Huntington Hospital, North Shore University Hospital, Plainview Hospital, Syosset Hospital, Glen Cove Hospital, LIJ Valley Stream, Long Island Jewish Medical Center and South Shore University Hospital.

    Locations in New York City with the designation include Lenox Health Greenwich Village, Lenox Hill Hospital, Staten Island University Hospital North and Staten Island University Hospital South.

    Northwell says a critical aspect to addressing the substance abuse crisis is the health system’s three-prong approach, which comprises education, clinical practice and research.

    “We will continue our efforts to provide patients with all the knowledge and power available to us to shift that narrative that there is ‘no help out there,’” Kapoor said. “We are here and committed to serve our patients, their families, and our communities in a holistic and comprehensive manner.”

     

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    Adina Genn

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  • New study reveals ketamine could be effective treatment for cocaine-use disorders

    New study reveals ketamine could be effective treatment for cocaine-use disorders

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    Newswise — CLEVELAND—As cocaine use continues to climb across the United States, scientists have struggled to develop an effective pharmacological approach to treat the devastating disorder.

    But by seamlessly combining artificial intelligence (AI), human intelligence, clinical testing and computer analysis, researchers at Case Western Reserve University have unearthed an existing option that appears to hold promise.

    “Ketamine, a small synthetic organic molecule used clinically as an anesthetic and a depression treatment, was found to be associated with significant improvement in remission among people with cocaine-use disorders,” said the study’s corresponding author Rong Xu, professor of biomedical informatics and founding director of the Center for AI in Drug Discovery at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine.

    “This study is a great example of addressing an intractable problem by the creative use of AI using different sources of data,” said study coauthor Pamela Davis, the Arline and Curtis Garvin Research Professor at the School of Medicine. “It is our hope that this approach will suggest therapeutic approaches for other difficult problems.”

    The study, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trial Network, was published online today in the journal Addiction.

    More than 2 million people in the U.S. regularly use cocaine, more than three times the number who take methamphetamine. Roughly one of every five drug overdose deaths in this country involves cocaine, and its consistent use contributes to an array of serious health issues—including heart attack and stroke. However, there is no U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatment for cocaine-use disorders.

    Decades of research have found that existing medications such as antidepressants or stumulants have no meaningful effect, while others involve such small patient samples as to be years away from certain conclusions. Therapeutic interventions have yielded positive outcomes, but barriers such as cost, staffing and stigma significantly limit widespread adoption.

    By developing novel AI-based drug discovery algorithms to identify promising candidates from all FDA-approved drugs, reviewing top drug candidates by expert panels of  addiction experts such as the University of Cincinnati’s T. John Winhusen, Xu and her colleagues deterimined ketamine held the greatest potential to yield useful insights.

    They evaluated the potential clinical effectiveness of ketamine on improving remission rates among patients with cocaine-use disorders by analyzing tens of millions of electronical health records. They found that cocaine-use disorder patients administered ketamine for pain or depression experienced two to four times higher remission rates.

    While a few previous studies have found increased efficacy of ketamine in treating cocaine use disorder, the groups involved were largely homogenous. The Case Western Reserve study not only included greater diversity of participants by race and gender, but also those suffering from additional medical and psychiatric conditions.

    While this study substantially strengthens the argument for the use of ketamine in treating cocaine-use disorder, the researchers emphasized that additonal clinical trials are required to assess ketamine’s potential impact more thoroughly.

    The work was conducted at the Center for AI in Drug Discovery by research associate ZhenXiang Gao and medical school student Maria Goreflo, in collaboration with Davis, Winhusen, David Kaelber from MetroHealth and Case Western Reserve and Udi Ghitza from the National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trial Network

    The Center for AI in Drug Discovery’s goal is to develop an integrated drug-discovery pipeline driven by advanced AI technologies, preclinical testing in collaboration with biomedical researchers and clinical studies using patient electronic health records.

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    Case Western Reserve University is one of the country’s leading private research institutions. Located in Cleveland, we offer a unique combination of forward-thinking educational opportunities in an inspiring cultural setting. Our leading-edge faculty engage in teaching and research in a collaborative, hands-on environment. Our nationally recognized programs include arts and sciences, dental medicine, engineering, law, management, medicine, nursing and social work. About 5,800 undergraduate and 6,300 graduate students comprise our student body. Visit case.edu to see how Case Western Reserve thinks beyond the possible.

     

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    Case Western Reserve University

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  • Cannabis has same effect on adolescents and adults, and CBD doesn’t dampen effects

    Cannabis has same effect on adolescents and adults, and CBD doesn’t dampen effects

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    Newswise — The short-term effects of vaporised cannabis do not differ between adolescents and adults, while cannabidiol (CBD) does not dampen the effects of the drug, finds a new study led by UCL and King’s College London researchers.

    For the experimental study published in Addiction, the researchers measured how regular cannabis users of different ages responded to inhaling cannabis with differing levels of CBD.

    The study participants included 24 adolescents (16-17 years old) and 24 adults (26-29 years old), all of whom were already regular users of cannabis (0.5 to three days per week, averaging 1.5 days of cannabis use per week).

    In a clinical research facility (Invicro), the participants inhaled three types of vaporised cannabis under close medical supervision. On three separate weeks, participants were given either a placebo, or a strain of cannabis high in delta-9-tetrahydocannabinol (THC, the main psychoactive component, which typically predominates in both illegal and legal markets), or a high-CBD and high-THC version (consisting of the same level of THC, and also containing CBD)*. There were administered in doses comparable to typical recreational use.

    The participants were asked to report how the drug was affecting them at regular intervals, and completed tests assessing their verbal memory and the psychotic-like effects of the drug (such as delusions, cognitive disorganisation or paranoia).

    The researchers found all the expected effects of cannabis in the THC and THC+CBD conditions, among the participants’ responses: feeling high, feeling anxious, having mild psychotic-like experiences, and memory impairment.

    However, crucially there was no evidence that adolescents differed from adults in their responses to cannabis, while under the influence.

    Lead author, psychology lecturer Dr Will Lawn, who conducted the study at UCL before moving to King’s College London, said: “Immediately following consumption, cannabis can elicit psychotic-like effects, and impair verbal memory, and adolescents in our study who regularly smoke cannabis were just as vulnerable to this as the adults were. Adolescence is a key developmental stage of life, when people are at an increased risk of developing mental health problems.

    “Regularly producing transient psychotic-like effects and memory impairments through cannabis use is likely to augment the risk of psychological distress, especially in those who are vulnerable to these harms. However, critically, our results also indicate that 16- to 17-year-old cannabis users were not more sensitive to the acute harmful effects of cannabis than adults.”

    In recent years, there has been growing concern about the impact of cannabis on young people, as well as hope that CBD may protect against some cannabis harms. A recent long-term, observational study by the same authors found that adolescents are more vulnerable to cannabis addiction, compared to adult users, but they are not more vulnerable to depression and anxiety.**

    Cannabis has natural variation in CBD, which is a non-intoxicating constituent of the drug, as well as the relative levels of THC, which is psychoactive and gets people high.

    CBD has rapidly grown as an over-the-counter wellness supplement in recent years, and previously CBD in cannabis had been thought to mitigate against some of the unpleasant effects of THC.

    For the latest study, in testing the impact of differing CBD levels, the researchers found that CBD levels did not impact the subjective feel of the drug, and it also did not affect memory impairment or psychotic-like effects.

    The researchers say their study does not address high-dose CBD’s potential medical benefits when administered by itself, but the findings do cast doubt on popular suggestions that these lower doses of CBD found in cannabis may protect against THC’s acute effects on memory and psychotic-like experiences.

    Dr Lawn said: “Adding a moderate dose of vaporised CBD, about 25mg, to cannabis that is already high in THC does not alter the subjective experience, nor does it protect from effects such as paranoia or memory impairment. However, we have not investigated the long-term effects of low-dose CBD nor the therapeutic effects of high-dose pharmaceutical CBD here.”

    Senior author Professor Val Curran (UCL Clinical Psychopharmacology Unit, UCL Psychology & Language Sciences) commented: “Cannabis is the world’s most commonly used internationally controlled drug. It is particularly popular among adolescents, with over 15% of 15-year-olds in England and 28% of those in the US reporting usage in the last year. As cannabis laws are rapidly changing around the globe, it is vital that we understand whether the adolescent brain is more vulnerable, in order to inform regulations and accurate, evidence-based harm reduction messaging. Here, we have found that adolescents are neither more resilient nor more vulnerable to the immediate effects of cannabis.”

    The research formed part of the Medical Research Council-funded CannTeen study***, involved researchers at UCL, King’s College London, the University of Bath and Invicro llc, and received full ethical approval from the UCL Ethics Committee. As all participants were over 16 years old, everyone consented as a legal adult. All participants were already cannabis users and the study was completed safely without issues, with medical professionals present at all times.

    The researchers say that strengths of this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled experiment are the tight experimental controls and that participants in the adult and adolescent groups were carefully matched on their natural cannabis use. The researchers caution that their study does not shed light on long-term impacts of cannabis.

    Notes to Editors

    * For a 75kg person, the “THC” condition had 8mg of THC, and the “THC+CBD” condition had 8mg of THC + 24mg of CBD. This dose of THC reflects approximately one quarter of a joint, and a moderate dose of CBD that was thought might influence the drug’s effects. The placebo consisted of a product using cannabis as the starting material, but with all cannabinoids (including THC and CBD) removed.

    ** UCL News, 2022: Adolescents more vulnerable to cannabis addiction but not other mental health risks

    *** More about the CannTeen study

    For more information or to speak to the researchers involved, please contact Chris Lane, UCL Media Relations. T: +44 (0)20 7679 9222 / +44 (0)7717 728 648, E: [email protected]

    Will Lawn, Katie Trinci, Claire Mokrysz, Anna Borissova, Shelan Ofori, Kat Petrilli, Michael Bloomfield, Zarah R Haniff, Daniel Hall, Natalia Fernandez-Vinson, Simiao Wang, Amir Englund, Edward Chesney, Matthew B Wall, Tom P Freeman, and H Valerie Curran, ‘The acute effects of cannabis with and without cannabidiol in adults and adolescents: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover experiment’ will be published in Addiction on Wednesday 8 February 2023, 00:01 UK time and is under a strict embargo until this time.

    The DOI for this paper will be 10.1111/ADD.16154, and the paper will be published at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/add.16154.

    About UCL – London’s Global University

    UCL is a diverse global community of world-class academics, students, industry links, external partners, and alumni. Our powerful collective of individuals and institutions work together to explore new possibilities.

    Since 1826, we have championed independent thought by attracting and nurturing the world’s best minds. Our community of more than 43,800 students from 150 countries and over 14,300 staff pursues academic excellence, breaks boundaries and makes a positive impact on real world problems.

    We are consistently ranked among the top 10 universities in the world and are one of only a handful of institutions rated as having the strongest academic reputation and the broadest research impact.

    We have a progressive and integrated approach to our teaching and research – championing innovation, creativity and cross-disciplinary working. We teach our students how to think, not what to think, and see them as partners, collaborators and contributors.  

    For almost 200 years, we are proud to have opened higher education to students from a wide range of backgrounds and to change the way we create and share knowledge.

    We were the first in England to welcome women to university education and that courageous attitude and disruptive spirit is still alive today. We are UCL.

    About King’s College London

    King’s College London is one of the top 35 universities in the world and one of the top 10 in Europe (QS World University Rankings, 2020/21) and among the oldest in England. King’s has more than 31,000 students (including more than 12,800 postgraduates) from some 150 countries worldwide, and some 8,500 staff. 

    King’s has an outstanding reputation for world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF), King’s maintained its sixth position for ‘research power’ in the UK. King’s has also been rated third amongst multidisciplinary institutions for impact, with 67.8% of its research impact rated outstanding. 

    Since our foundation, King’s students and staff have dedicated themselves in the service of society. King’s will continue to focus on world-leading education, research and service, and will have an increasingly proactive role to play in a more interconnected, complex world. Visit our website to find out more about Vision 2029, King’s strategic vision to take the university to the 200th anniversary of its founding.

    World-changing ideas. Life-changing impact: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/headlines.aspx

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    University College London

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  • Video Game Addiction: Noticing Warning Signs, Getting Help

    Video Game Addiction: Noticing Warning Signs, Getting Help

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    Jan. 23, 2023 – Tomer Shaked, an 18-year-old high school senior in Florida, started gaming around age 9. “I began spending more and more time playing video games in what I now know was a gaming addiction,” he says in an interview.

    “At first, I didn’t play all that much, and still put school and homework first. And when I turned 10, I was still playing only during the weekends,” he reports. “But the screen time increased. My parents set some limits, but I eventually learned to get around my parents’ rules to get my ‘fix’ of gaming.”

    By the age of 12, gaming consumed every free moment and was the only thing he thought about. He began lying to his parents about how much time he was gaming, which damaged his relationship with them. “All I wanted to do was game, game, game.”

    Soon, “gaming wasn’t just one activity I enjoyed. It had become the only activity I enjoyed.”

    Most youngsters who play video games do so “as a form of entertainment, which is what it’s supposed to be, but approximately 5% to 6% of video game users do so to the point where it interferes with their lives and use it as an addiction,” says David Greenfield, PhD, founder and clinical director of the Connecticut-based Center for Internet and Technology Addiction. 

    Considering that there are about 2.7 billion gamers worldwide, with 75% of U.S. households having at least one gamer, even 5% to 6% is a staggering number of people.

    Shaked has written a memoir, Game Over, which he hopes will “highlight important topics associated with gaming addiction that can speak to both teens and their parents who are experiencing this conflict in their own lives.”

    He hopes other teens “can realize they can also live a full and productive life away from a video screen.”

    A Problem of Staggering Dimensions

    Video gaming has been around since the mid- to late 1970s, but not at the level it is now.

    “When video gaming met the internet, it was like mixing peanut butter and chocolate together. As the internet’s popularity blossomed in the late 1980s and 1990s, that’s when it got out of hand,” Greenfield says. His clinic treats people who have addiction to internet content, and “by far the most common area we see is video gaming.”

     

    What Makes Video Gaming So Addictive?

    Greenfield says brain mechanisms involved in video game addiction are similar to the brain mechanisms involved in other addictions.

    “The brain doesn’t know the difference between a drug and a video game because gaming activates the same receptors responsible for all other addictions, including substances and gambling.”

    The key brain chemical involved is dopamine – a neurotransmitter involved in pleasure and reward, Greenfield says. From an evolutionary point of view, dopamine is what made mating and eating – the two most important survival activities – pleasurable and “increased the likelihood that we would continue to engage in them.”

    In addiction, “you’re piggy-backing onto these ancient neural pathways and hijacking the reward mechanism that dopamine is responsible for,” he says. “On some weird level, your brain acts as if the activity is survival-enhancing when in fact it’s the opposite.”

    Soon, people with this type of addiction feel there is no other source of pleasure in their lives because they’ve allowed other parts of their lives to fall by the wayside in their almost exclusive focus on gaming.

    That’s what happened to Shaked.

    “I think the appeal of gaming is the constant reward system in place,” he says. “These are virtual worlds that allow you to win battles that can’t be fought in the ‘real world’ in real time, allowing you to win soccer and basketball games and making you very popular in the ‘virtual’ world.”

    You get to the point “where you know the games and how to play them, you get attention and admiration online, which have no value in the real world but are very addictive in the virtual world.”

    And time goes by seamlessly. “Anyone who has ever played a video game – even someone without an addiction – can attest to the fact that time simply gets lost,” says Shaked.

    Red Flags for Parents

    What might start out as a break for parents – the kids are busy playing their video games and the parents have a few minutes to themselves – expands into something much bigger. But the progression doesn’t happen overnight, and parents might miss the clues.

    Things like: 

    • Not wanting to leave the house unless required 
    • Not wanting to go on vacation without gaming equipment 
    • Refusing to go outside 
    • Rushing through normal activities, like meals, to get back to the games 

    Greenfield says parents should look for changes in patterns of daily living – fewer social interactions, changes in patterns of hygiene, less physical activity, eating less, and worse academic performance. 

    “The majority of people who come to treatment in our center are brought in by parents or other family members. Many have stopped showering and taking care of themselves, they’ve become more isolative, their friendships are related only to gaming or through apps they can use to communicate while gaming,” says Greenfield, who is the author of the book Overcoming Internet Addiction for Dummies.

    Addictive video gaming can take a toll on the body, even leading (in extreme cases) to blood clots from sitting for so long, electrolyte imbalances from going without food for days, and other problems (like obesity) associated with sedentary living. Being in front of a computer can contribute to neck and back problems, headaches, and visual problems, among others.

    Kicking the Gaming Habit

    Shaked’s journey was unusual: at the age of 17, he had an epiphany while driving home from school. “I looked at myself and asked how I had been spending my childhood. I had been in front of the computer screen more than in front of my parents. You never want to say you’ve been in front of a computer screen more than in front of people, because that’s pretty sad.”

    He realized that he had “lost” himself. “I had been so lost in a fake video game world that I had lost my identity and had become a video game character, not a real person.” He decided to completely stop playing video games.

    But most people don’t have these types of epiphanies and need family intervention or even professional help to give up gaming, Shaked notes. He doesn’t advise others to “go cold turkey,” although that’s what he did. Doing so creates a tremendous void because the person does not yet have an activity to fill that time.

    Greenfield, who’s also author of the book Virtual Addiction, agrees. His center helps parents gradually reduce screen time by helping them install software that limits how much time the teen can spend on the screen. “Kids have to get used to real-time living because the brain gets used to the level of dopamine that comes from gaming. They need to relearn how to experience normal pleasure in other areas of life.”

    Some parents and kids might simply need education about gaming addiction, although others also need therapy. Some might even need residential treatment. “The needs of gaming addicts run the entire gamut.” 

    It’s important to find a therapist familiar with video gaming addiction, Greenfield warns. Because videos are so pervasive, less knowledgeable therapists might dismiss a gaming addiction as harmless fun. But gaming addiction should be taken as seriously as any other addiction.

    Today, Shaked leads a full and meaningful life. He’s involved in rowing and has received a varsity award. He completed a law fellowship for high school juniors, joined a beach cleanup crew, and received first prize in a state Spanish competition. He also has volunteered at the Jack and Jill Foundation of America and plans to donate the proceeds of sales of his book to the foundation, which helps children from underprivileged communities get access to educational programs.

    “The organization really touched my heart, and that’s why I dedicated this book to them,” he says. 

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  • New Smell Tech Could Make VR Therapies More Powerful

    New Smell Tech Could Make VR Therapies More Powerful

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    Jan. 19, 2023 — An emerging trend in virtual reality – incorporating smell – could be exciting news not just for gaming but for health care as well.

    A growing number of hospitals across the country are using virtual reality to help patients manage pain, overcome phobias, and calm anxiety. Providers and patients report mostly good results, save for the high price tag. And VR therapies may start to become more common, particularly if insurers begin to cover the cost. 

    But despite its potential in health care, VR continues to fall short in one way: We still can’t smell it. 

    “[Smell] hasn’t been explored enough in virtual reality, but it deserves to be,” says Judith Amores, PhD, senior researcher at Microsoft Research and research affiliate at the MIT Media Lab. “The potential benefits are incredible.”

    Amores has researched connecting VR with smell to enhance a person’s response. In one experiment, she had participants wear a VR headset that depicted calming nature scenes and a smart necklace she developed capable of releasing lavender scent. When bursts of lavender were added to the VR, the participants reported feeling 26% more relaxed than they had without the scent. A device that monitors brain activity confirmed it: The participants’ physiological response had increased by 25% when scent was added. 

    The study was small (just 12 people), but Amores says it represents a direction that demands to be explored with more people in peer-reviewed research. A 2022 systematic review of research on virtual reality using multiple senses backs her up: “Smell and taste are still underexplored,” the review says, “and they can bring significant value to VR applications” – including health. 

    When we smell something, receptor cells in the nose message the olfactory bulb at the base of the brain. That information is shuttled to the amygdala and hippocampus, brain areas responsible for processing memory and emotion, Amores explains. 

    “Your sense of smell goes directly into the emotional center of the brain,” says Amores. “That means you can literally change how you feel based on what you’re smelling.” 

    Thus, smell has the power to immerse us deeper into virtual reality, which could make VR treatments faster and more effective, Amores says.

    New Smell Technology Could Drive Research Forward

    While medical research in this area may be slow, the entertainment industry’s efforts could help push it forward. No VR systems that incorporate smell are available yet, Amores says, but that may change as soon as this year. 

    At the international Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held earlier this month, Vermont-based OVR Technology unveiled a headset with eight primary aromas that can be combined to create thousands of scents. The ION3, as it’s called, is scheduled to be released later this year.

    Meanwhile, a study published in the International Journal of Human-Computer Studies describes an odor machine that was tested with a virtual reality headset from tech giant HTC. The researchers suggest such technology could, among other uses, help enhance “smell training” for those who’ve lost their sense of smell due to COVID-19. 

    Boosting VR Therapies With Smell

    Smell-enhanced VR therapies could be explored for all kinds of clinical uses, Amores says, like to treat anxiety, sleep disorders, or even Alzheimer’s disease (smell is linked to memory). 

    VR “exposure therapy” has already been used to treat PTSD in military veterans, immersing them into a virtual environment that triggers a traumatic memory, desensitizing them to the memory so they learn their thoughts are safe. A 2021 article in Brain Research noted that incorporating smell into such therapy is “critically needed,” since odors can trigger traumatic memories, in some cases more fiercely than sounds. A distressing scent (like diesel fuel or the smell of something burning) could be followed by, or layered with, a relaxing scent such as pine, eucalyptus, or cinnamon in a gradual way to reduce or even eliminate smell triggers, according to the paper.

    Those with addictions may benefit from VR exposure therapy too, learning to manage or resist cravings triggered by certain cues, some research suggests. VR has the power to transport them anywhere – to a bar or a party, say – and the scent of wine or cigarettes may add to the realism needed to elicit cravings. 

    Another application could be surgery prep, Amores says. A patient has a VR session complete with relaxing smells – walking through a forest and breathing in the scents of pine and moss, for example – lowering anxiety before the procedure, and potentially reducing the amount of pain medication needed and improving outcomes. 

    Those smells could be deployed again during hospitalization or recovery — with or without the VR — to quickly return the patient to a calm state. It’s a kind of Pavlovian conditioning that would be easy to replicate, says Amores.

    At Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, VR is being researched and used to help patients alleviate pain across a variety of conditions, including irritable bowel syndrome and chronic lower back pain. 

    Melissa Wong, MD,  an OB/GYN specializing in maternal-fetal medicine at Cedars-Sinai, has studied VR for pain and stress relief during labor and childbirth, possibly delaying the use of an epidural.  

    “There is absolutely something about the mind-body connection when it comes to pain,” says Wong, “and the use of VR could tap into that.” Making it more immersive by adding scent would likely amplify those effects, she adds.

    As research continues to highlight the power of smell, we’ll likely see the sense being implemented more and more in clinical treatment, Amores predicts. It may not be long before “Smell-o-Vision” comes to a hospital near you.

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  • Good and bad feelings for brain stem serotonin

    Good and bad feelings for brain stem serotonin

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    Newswise — New insights into the opposing actions of serotonin-producing nerve fibres in mice could lead to drugs for treating addictions and major depression.

    Scientists in Japan have identified a nerve pathway involved in the processing of rewarding and distressing stimuli and situations in mice. 

    The new pathway, originating in a bundle of brain stem nerve fibres called the median raphe nucleus, acts in opposition to a previously identified reward/aversion pathway that originates in the nearby dorsal raphe nucleus. The findings, published by scientists at Hokkaido University and Kyoto University with their colleagues in the journal Nature Communications, could have implications for developing drug treatments for various mental disorders, including addictions and major depression.

    Previous studies had already revealed that activating serotonin-producing nerve fibres from the dorsal raphe nucleus in the brain stem of mice leads to the pleasurable feeling associated with reward. However, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), antidepressant drugs that increase serotonin levels in the brain, fail to exert clear feelings of reward and to treat the loss of ability to feel pleasure associated with depression. This suggests that there are other serotonin-producing nerve pathways in the brain associated with the feelings of reward and aversion.

    To further study the reward and aversion nerve pathways of the brain, Hokkaido University neuropharmacologist Yu Ohmura and Kyoto University pharmacologist Kazuki Nagayasu, together with colleagues at several universities in Japan, focused their attention on the median raphe nucleus. This region has not received as much research attention as its brain stem neighbour, the dorsal raphe nucleus, even though it also is a source of serotonergic nerve fibres.

    The scientists conducted a wide variety of tests to measure activity of serotonin neurons in mice, in response to stimulating and inhibiting the median raphe, by using fluorescent proteins that detect entry of calcium ions, a proxy of neuronal activation in a cell-type specific manner.

    They found that, for example, pinching a mouse’s tail—an unpleasant stimulus—increased calcium-dependent fluorescence in the serotonin neurons of the median raphe. Giving mice a treat such as sugar, on the other hand, reduced median raphe serotonin fluorescence. Also, directly stimulating or inhibiting the median raphe nucleus, using a genetic technique involving light, led to aversive or reward-seeking behaviours, such as avoiding or wanting to stay in a chamber—depending on the type of stimulus applied.

    The team also conducted tests to discover where the switched-on serotonergic nerve fibres of the median raphe were sending signals to and found an important connection with the brain stem’s interpenduncular nucleus. They also identified serotonin receptors within this nucleus that were involved in the aversive properties associated with median raphe serotonergic activity.

    Further research is needed to fully elucidate this pathway and others related to rewarding and aversive feelings and behaviours. “These new insights could lead to a better understanding of the biological basis of mental disorders where aberrant processing of rewards and aversive information occur, such as in drug addiction and major depressive disorder,” says Ohmura.

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    Hokkaido University

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  • TikTok Star Cooper Noriega’s Cause Of Death Confirmed By Coroner

    TikTok Star Cooper Noriega’s Cause Of Death Confirmed By Coroner

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    TikTok star Cooper Noriega’s cause of death has been confirmed by a Los Angeles coroner six months after he died, several news outlets reported.

    The social media star’s body was found in a mall parking lot in Burbank, California, on June 9. Paramedics were unable to revive him. He was 19.

    The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner reportedly determined that Noriega died due to the combined effects of several drugs: fentanyl, lorazepam and alprazolam. The latter two are sedatives commonly known under the brand names Ativan and Xanax; they can be prescribed to treat anxiety and other conditions. The coroner said recent use of clonazepam, another anxiety medication, also contributed to Noriega’s death.

    The death was ruled an accident.

    Hours before his death, Noriega posted a TikTok while lying in bed with the caption: “who else b thinking they gon d!€ young af.”

    Four days prior, he said he was creating a Discord account called “Coop’s Advice,” intended as a safe space to discuss addiction and mental illness. He also opened up about his struggles with addiction that he said started when he was 9 years old.

    “I would like to use the influence I’ve been given to create a space built on spreading awareness and normalizing talking about mental illness,” he wrote in an Instagram post. “My goal is to eventually open a rehab where people aren’t traumatized at the end of their recovery, and where staff members are trusted people.”

    Noriega’s TikTok account is followed by more than 3.2 million users.

    Since his death, his family have posted from his Instagram account that they intend to make his vision for Coop’s Advice a reality.

    “We will continue to spend the rest of our lives finishing everything Cooper every dreamed of. We will honor his legacy forever,” the family said in a statement in June. “Our beautiful boy, we love you forever.”

    The family has established the Coop’s Advice Foundation, which aims to “become a leader in the movement to rethink how our society understands and addresses mental health and addiction, especially among the members of GenZ.”

    “Cooper’s life and work shined a light on the urgent need to destigmatize addiction and support comprehensive mental health, and Coop’s Advice will ensure that light continues to shine,” the foundation’s site reads.

    Need help with substance use disorder or mental health issues? In the U.S., call 800-662-HELP (4357) for the SAMHSA National Helpline.

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  • Wastewater samples show the dramatic effects of tough love on codeine addicts as consumption plunges

    Wastewater samples show the dramatic effects of tough love on codeine addicts as consumption plunges

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    Newswise — Switching the painkiller codeine to a prescription-only medicine in 2018 led to a 37 per cent overall drop in its consumption across Australia, according to new findings from wastewater sampling published in the journal Addiction.

    The samples, taken from 49 wastewater treatment plants, which cover catchment areas for 10.6 million Australians, show the dramatic effect of withdrawing the country’s most misused legal opioid from pharmacy counters, cutting dependency, and potentially saving lives.

    Scientists from the University of South Australia and University of Queensland compared wastewater samples taken between 2016 and 2019, 18 months before and after codeine was rescheduled and low-dose formulations removed from over-the-counter (OTC).

    Codeine concentrations were converted to per capita consumption estimates, revealing an immediate decrease of 37 per cent nationally after the rescheduling and between 24 per cent and 51 per cent in all states and territories.

    UniSA scientist Associate Professor Cobus Gerber says the samples – representing 45 per cent of the country’s population – demonstrate the effectiveness of the Federal Government’s decision to take tough measures on the popular painkiller.

    Opioids are among the most widely used analgesic medicines globally, with more than 61 million people using them in 2018.

    Their misuse is responsible for two thirds of all drug-related deaths, due to abuse and dependence.

    Codeine has been the most widely used legal opioid in Australia, with its per capita use steadily increasing. 2013 data showed Australia took more codeine as a country than the United States, despite having roughly seven per cent of the population.

    In 2013, the proportion of OTC codeine products was estimated at 40 per cent of total painkillers stocked in pharmacies.

    The Therapeutic Goods Administration estimated that, prior to 2018, OTC codeine sales were responsible for more than 100 deaths each year, taking a lead from many other countries to remove codeine from pharmacy counters, given the significant medical issues associated with its use.

    Lead author, University of Queensland researcher Dr Ben Tscharke, says “less availability not only means less chance for codeine to be misused, but also changing the perception of codeine being a harmless drug. Making it prescription-only sends a clear message about how dangerous it is.”

    “Codeine is typically prescribed for short-term, acute pain management but there was anecdotal evidence that many people used it as a first-line treatment and for extended periods, without consulting a doctor.”

    The wastewater samples showed that regional areas decreased by a smaller margin than cities, possibly because more people in rural and regional locations obtained a script after the change, and patients in metropolitan areas had more pain alternatives to choose from, including non-medicinal treatments.

    South Australia and Tasmania had the smallest decreases – averaging 25 per cent – and the Northern Territory the largest decrease of 51 per cent.

    Prior to rescheduling, codeine rates of use were approximately 25 per cent higher in regional areas.

    National sales of codeine during the study period were not as close to wastewater estimates, showing a combined 50 per cent decrease in total packs of codeine sold nationally (high strength 37 per cent drop and low strength 80 per cent drop).

    Researchers attribute the difference to consumption delays due to stockpiling.

    Similar reductions were observed in monthly calls to poison call centres, where poisonings halved after the rescheduling of codeine.

    Colder climates (ACT, Victoria and Tasmania) had a greater variance between winter and summer codeine consumption before rescheduling. This may be attributed to more chronic and age-related ailments in winter, causing pain.

    “Wastewater monitoring is not able to provide conclusive reasons for consumer behaviour, but it does show the effectiveness of interventions, such as codeine rescheduling,” the researchers say.

    The study is the first to evaluate a national drug policy change via wastewater sampling.

    Notes for editors

    “A wastewater-based evaluation of the effectiveness of codeine control measures in Australia” is published in Addiction.

    It can be accessed at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/add.16083?af=R#:~:text=Wastewater%20analysis%20shows%20that%20codeine,to%20changes%20in%20drug%20scheduling.

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    University of South Australia

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  • Man Crushed by Boulder on Hike Returns to Raise Money for Families and Victims of Human Trafficking

    Man Crushed by Boulder on Hike Returns to Raise Money for Families and Victims of Human Trafficking

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    A Phoenix Pastor and his daughter raised $1.8 million for families in need and victims of human trafficking, after being crushed by an 8,000-pound boulder.

    Press Release
    –

    Nov 21, 2022


    COLORADO CITY, Ariz., November 21, 2022 (Newswire.com)
    –
    Pastor Luke Barnett and his daughter, Annalee, set out two years ago to hike the world-famous, 800-mile Arizona Trail. The two were hiking in an effort to raise $1 million to help the Short Creek Dream Center support families and individuals in need of housing, provide food resources to families in need and offer refuge to victims of abuse in Colorado City, AZ (the town featured in the Netflix docuseries, Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey). Luke and Annalee were 500 miles into the hike when an 8,000-pound boulder came bombing down toward Annalee. Heroically, Luke pushed his daughter out of the way, saving her, and, in turn, was crushed and dragged by the boulder himself. Narrowly escaping with his life, Luke was airlifted with multiple broken bones, including a broken femur, three broken ribs, and a nearly severed finger, spent nine days in the hospital, and encouraged Annalee to continue the hike without him. 

    This story broke internationally and allowed the hikers to raise over $1.8 million in support of the Short Creek Dream Center and Short Creek community. 

    Now, Luke Barnett is back on the Arizona Trail and determined to complete the last 300 miles of the hike. He wants to accomplish the feat that the boulder robbed them of two years ago and, most importantly, continue to raise money and awareness to support the Dream Center’s efforts in the Short Creek community to help survivors of abuse, human trafficking, domestic violence and provide critical resources to families in need. 

    To learn more about the hike and how it’s supporting victims and families in the community, visit: https://www.shortcreekdreamcenter.org/adventure-your-life-2-0/.

    About the Short Creek Dream Center

    The Short Creek Dream Center exists to serve the twin towns of Hildale and Colorado City as they continue to grow, heal, and transform. From transitional housing, recovery, community outreach and helping combat the effects of poverty, the Dream Center exists to help find and fill the needs of the Short Creek Community and beyond. 

    Along with the Phoenix Dream Center, Streetlight USA, and Stop Traffic Walk, the Short Creek Dream Center is part of the largest network of anti-human trafficking agencies in North America. Trafficking comes in many different forms and we want to see anyone suffering from exploitation be set free and have a place to go for support. 

    Learn more about the Short Creek Dream Center at: https://www.shortcreekdreamcenter.org/.

    Source: Short Creek Dream Center

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  • Deprivation in childhood linked to impulsive behaviour in adulthood – research

    Deprivation in childhood linked to impulsive behaviour in adulthood – research

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    Newswise — Children who have experienced deprivation are more likely to make more impulsive choices than those who don’t and can lead to addictions in later life – research has shown.

    ‘Trait impulsivity’, the preference for immediate gratification, has been linked to spending more on food, especially unhealthy, highly calorific food. Studies have shown that children who experience poverty and food insecurity tend to have a higher body-mass index as adults than those who do not.

    Researchers from the School of Psychology at Aston University found a link between deprivation in childhood and impulsive behaviour – leading to addictions later in life. The findings, which are a culmination of six years of research, also found a further link between impulsivity, obesity and the cost of living crisis.

    Professor Richard Tunney, head of the School of Psychology at Aston University, published a study in Scientific Reports earlier this year where he showed that children who experience deprivation make more impulsive choices than children who don’t.

    The research team studied 146 children, with an average age of eight, living in some of the most deprived areas of England and compared them with children living in some of the most affluent neighbourhoods.

    Children were given a choice between taking home a small amount of money (for example, £1) or getting £10 a week, or even more a year later. How long a person is willing to wait for the larger amount of money can be used to calculate a ‘discount rate’ that shows how much the waiting time reduces the value of the money.

    An impulsive person might prefer £1 now because the value of £10 in six months is ‘discounted’ to less than £1 right now. This means that, for them, the £10, is discounted by £9 over the six-month wait.

    A less impulsive person might be willing to wait six months for £10, but not wait for a whole year for £15. This means that, for them, the value of the £15 is discounted by £5 over the additional six-month wait. This discount rate is a measure of how impulsive someone is.

    Commenting on the findings, Professor Tunney said: “The results showed that children living in the most deprived areas had significantly higher discount rates than children living in the least deprived areas, regardless of age or intelligence, indicating that deprivation was the causal factor in the children’s choice.

    “This preference for immediate outcomes is a stable personality trait that remains constant throughout a person’s life.”

    However, in the research team’s most recent study published by the Royal Society, they investigated impulsivity in over 1,000 older adults aged between 50 and 90.

    The study found that older adults living in the most deprived areas showed the same preference for smaller-sooner financial outcomes as the children in the first study.

    It also found that a person’s job predicted the choices they made. Adults working in technical or routine occupations, such as mechanics or cleaners, chose to receive smaller amounts of money than wait for larger amounts compared with people in professional occupations, such as engineers or scientists.

    Professor Tunney added: “These findings are concerning because impulsivity doesn’t just predict obesity. These findings tell us a lot about why people living in poorer areas tend to be unhealthier than people living in wealthy areas.

    “People who experience deprivation as children are more likely to choose to do things that, although they might be pleasurable in the short term, are unhealthy in the long run. This includes overeating, taking drugs, smoking cigarettes and gambling.

    “We know too, that impulsivity can help to explain why some people go on to become addicts, while other people can avoid some of the more harmful effects of drugs and alcohol.

    “Deprivation is one of many factors that can lead to impulsive behaviour throughout a person’s lifetime. Genetics also plays a role in impulsivity. Policymakers can’t do anything about a person’s genes but they can influence the nation’s long-term mental and physical health by minimising child poverty. Failing to do so will have long-term implications for the children living through today’s cost of living crisis.”

    For more information about the School of Psychology at Aston University, please visit our website.

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  • Outpatient Visits Are Critical to Success of Treating Opioid-Use Disorder, Researchers Find

    Outpatient Visits Are Critical to Success of Treating Opioid-Use Disorder, Researchers Find

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    Newswise — People with opioid-use disorder who enter treatment are at risk for relapse, overdose or death if they engage in less than two outpatient visits in their first month of care, according to a study coauthored by Rutgers researchers.

    The study, published in The American Journal of Psychiatry, examined the likelihood of patients continuing treatment for opioid-use disorder during their first month in care based on how often they engaged in outpatient visits or other professional services.

    “Engagement in outpatient visits or professional services appears to be a necessary condition for adequate care retention,” said study coauthor Stephen Crystal, the director of the Center for Health Services Research at the Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research and Distinguished Research Professor at the Rutgers School of Social Work. “Monitoring this engagement may help identify and address barriers and disparities in outcomes.”

    Starting an individual on medication for opioid-use disorder and then retaining them in professional care are two evidence-based interventions for reducing overdoses, according to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Researchers said patients participating in outpatient visits during treatment can be a measure of success for care retention, but there is a need to assess how this measure applies specifically to individuals with opioid-use disorder who are receiving medication, such as buprenorphine, as part of treatment.

    Using data reported between 2011 and 2019 from a multisite buprenorphine clinic throughout eight states, researchers examined the relationship between participating in outpatient visits and care retention in nearly 20,000 individuals. The patients were predominately male and non-Hispanic, which is broadly representative of people nationwide who are using buprenorphine for opioid use disorder treatment, according to prior research from study authors.

    Researchers found that nearly half of patients who participated in multiple outpatient visits in their first month of care remained in treatment for a minimum of six months, whereas 2.9 percent of patients who didn’t participate in multiple visits remained in treatment after six months.

    “This finding is critically meaningful and could guide intervention development to prioritize stabilization of high-risk patients early in treatment,” said Arthur Robin Williams, lead author of the study and an assistant professor at Columbia University Department of Psychiatry. “Without early engagement, the great majority of patients will be lost to relapse and possible death.”

    The study’s findings align with the priorities of organizations such as the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which support care coordination and peer navigation services early in treatment to help stabilize patients who otherwise might be lost to follow up. 

    “Many of these services are not currently reimbursable by payers, so insurance plans need to create bundled rates to be more innovative,” Williams said.

    More research is needed to identify patients at the greatest risk for overdose, said the researchers, adding that further research can demonstrate the importance of milestones in opioid-use treatment to develop care-performance measures.

     

    ABOUT RUTGERS INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH, HEALTH CARE POLICY AND AGING RESEARCH 

    Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research advances health and well-being through meaningful, rigorous and impactful research in the critical areas of behavioral health, health services, health disparities, health policy, health economics, pharmacoepidemiology, and aging research. 

    Since its 1985 founding, the Institute has become nationally renowned for interdisciplinary and translational research. The Institute’s 57,000 square foot facilities are home to six members elected to the National Academy of Medicine and 200 members representing over 30 schools, institutes, and units with adjunct members from 29 national and international universities.

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    Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research at Rutgers University

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  • The latest news in Opioids, Drug Abuse, and Addiction

    The latest news in Opioids, Drug Abuse, and Addiction

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    Overdose deaths remain a leading cause of injury-related death in the United States. The majority of overdose deaths involve opioids. Here are some of the latest articles that have been added to the Drugs and drug abuse channel on Newswise, a free source for journalists. For the latest in addiction research, see the Addiction channel.

    Outpatient Visits Are Critical to Success of Treating Opioid-Use Disorder, Researchers Find (embargoed until 26-Oct-2022 12:05 AM EDT)

    Opioid prescribing after surgery remains the same for seniors, but doses are lower, study shows

    Opioid abuse decreases during pandemic, yet higher rates persist for sexual minorities

    Home sensors can detect opioid withdrawal signs at night

    Human Cocaine and Heroin Addiction Is Found Tied to Impairments in Specific Brain Circuit Initially Implicated in Animals

    Researchers seek to unravel the mystery of susceptibility to drug addiction

    New study reveals undercount of Cook County opioid deaths

    Artificial intelligence tools quickly detect signs of injection drug use in patients’ health records

    American adolescent substance abuse has declined — with the exception of cannabis and vaping

    Opioid addiction treatment disparities could worsen if phone telehealth option ends, study suggests

     

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    Newswise

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  • Opioid prescribing after surgery remains the same for seniors, but doses are lower, study shows

    Opioid prescribing after surgery remains the same for seniors, but doses are lower, study shows

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    Newswise — NEW ORLEANS — Although there has been no decrease in the number of opioid prescriptions seniors receive after surgery, the doses of those prescriptions are lower, according to a study of more than a quarter million Canadian patients being presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2022 annual meeting.

    “While it’s good news that the doses in opioid prescriptions are being reduced, the fact that the actual number of opioid prescriptions filled has remained the same shows there is still an opportunity for improvement,” said Naheed Jivraj, MBBS, MS, FRCPC, lead author of the study and a critical care medicine fellow at the University of Toronto, Ontario. “That’s particularly true for procedures associated with low postoperative pain that can be effectively controlled with non-opioid medications such as acetaminophen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).”

    While opioids can be an important part of pain management after surgery, limiting their use, including by lowering the dose, is important since they can cause major side effects and lead to addiction, as well as a potentially deadly overdose.

    To assess trends in filling pain prescriptions in the week after surgery, the researchers studied the records of 278,366 patients representing all adults in Ontario older than 65 who had one of 14 surgical procedures between 2013 and 2019. The surgical procedures in the study included: thyroid removal, appendix removal, hernia repair, laparoscopic or open removal of the gallbladder, removal of the prostate, open-heart surgery, laparoscopic or open colon removal, laparoscopic vaginal or abdominal hysterectomy, removal of the breast, hip replacement and knee replacement. 

    They identified an increase in patients filling non-opioid prescriptions (e.g., acetaminophen or NSAID) from 9% in 2013 to 28% in 2019. They found most patients also continued to receive a prescription that contained an opioid — 76% in 2013 and 75% in 2019. However, the dose of the opioid prescriptions decreased, from an average of 317 MME (morphine milligram equivalent) in 2013 to an average of 260 MME in 2019. 

    Most patients undergoing procedures such as removal of the appendix or thyroid can get pain relief from acetaminophen or an NSAID; however, few patients who had these procedures filled prescriptions for those non-opioid alternatives, researchers noted.

    “Our study highlights how pain management practices are changing after surgery,” said Dr. Jivraj. “The increase in seniors filling non-opioid prescriptions and the lower opioid dose may reflect the development of surgery-specific prescribing guidelines and the increasing use of anesthesiologist-championed Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocols and other programs that focus on improving patient outcomes.”

     

    THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ANESTHESIOLOGISTS

    Founded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is an educational, research and scientific society with more than 55,000 members organized to raise and maintain the standards of the medical practice of anesthesiology. ASA is committed to ensuring physician anesthesiologists evaluate and supervise the medical care of patients before, during and after surgery to provide the highest quality and safest care every patient deserves. 

    For more information on the field of anesthesiology, visit the American Society of Anesthesiologists online at asahq.org. To learn more about the role physician anesthesiologists play in ensuring patient safety, visit asahq.org/MadeforThisMoment. Join the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2022 social conversation today. Like ASA on Facebook, follow ASALifeline on Twitter and use the hashtag #ANES22.

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    American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA)

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  • Alcoholic Pancreatitis Patients with Continued Alcohol Intake May Finally Have Therapeutic Options

    Alcoholic Pancreatitis Patients with Continued Alcohol Intake May Finally Have Therapeutic Options

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    Newswise — Many alcoholic pancreatitis patients continued drinking during COVID-19. University of Miami Miller School of Medicine researchers study the effects of continued alcohol intake and seek better treatment for alcohol-associated pancreatic disease.

    Researchers at the Miller School are looking for solutions to the continued effects of alcohol use, its harmful impact, and treatment. Understanding the mechanisms of alcohol abuse has gained importance, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. Higher alcohol consumption led to an increased burden of pancreatic diseases in society.

    In a study titled “Urolithin A attenuates severity of chronic pancreatitis associated with continued alcohol intake by inhibiting PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling,” published in the American Journal of Physiology – Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, researchers examine the short- and long-term consequences of this increased alcohol effect on pancreatic diseases and work together on innovative approaches to better understand how to treat pancreatitis patients with continued alcohol intake.

    Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas often associated with long-term alcohol consumption, a potential risk factor for the induction of acute pancreatitis. Recurrent attacks of acute pancreatitis results in chronic pancreatitis. Each year, about 275,000 hospital stays for acute pancreatitis and 86,000 hospital stays for chronic pancreatitis occur across the U.S., according to the statistics released by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

    Acute pancreatitis appears suddenly and can typically be resolved in days with treatment in most patients. However, acute pancreatitis can also cause severe life-threatening conditions in some cases. Recurrent episodes of acute pancreatitis instigate irreversible damage to the pancreas, causing weight loss, pain, diabetes, and even pancreatic cancer.

    Alcohol Use Spiked during COVID-19

    Total alcohol sales almost tripled in the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic, subsequently increasing the number of patients diagnosed with alcohol-associated pancreatitis. Excessive alcohol consumption is associated with 40-70% of pancreatitis cases. Without moderation, alcohol use harshly impacts both the liver and pancreas, causing fat accumulation and inflammation, disrupting normal function.

    With repeated episodes of binge drinking (four to five drinks in two hours), the pancreas eventually builds up scar tissues with persistent inflammation, weakening its endocrine and exocrine functions needed to digest food and regulate blood sugar levels. This chronic insult to the organ can cause excruciating pain, malnutrition, diabetes, and death.

    “We are developing novel models to study and to prevent inflammation or reverse the pancreatic damage caused due to excess alcohol intake,” said lead author Nagaraj Nagathihalli, Ph.D., associate professor of surgery in the DeWitt Daughtry Family Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology.

    Continued Alcohol Use Perpetuates Pancreatic Injury in Mice Models

    Accumulating scientific evidence suggests that continued alcohol consumption with established alcoholic pancreatitis instigates irreversible pancreatic damage due to recurrent episodes of acute pancreatitis by fostering a continuous fibro-inflammatory microenvironment within the pancreas.

    “The molecular mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology of alcoholic pancreatitis with continuous alcohol intake remains ambiguous; treatment options and preventative care strategies are restricted due to limited experimental animal models that successfully recapitulate human pancreatitis arising from prolonged or continued alcohol use after established pancreatic injury,” said Dr. Nagathihalli.

    “In this study, using an established alcoholic pancreatitis mice model, we have addressed two of the major unanswered questions with regards to the pathogenesis of pancreatitis. We’ve characterized the pancreas-specific signaling pathways in this process and determined if utilizing novel therapeutic agents can attenuate the severity of alcoholic pancreatitis progression, despite continued alcohol triggers” said first author of the study Siddharth Mehra, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the Miller School’s Department of Surgery.

    Preventing Alcohol-associated Chronic Pancreatitis May Benefit Patients with Difficulty in Alcohol Abstinence

    The microbiome has been implicated in gastrointestinal inflammation as a critical mediator of overall gut health. Urolithin A is a natural compound synthesized by gut bacteria from ingested ellagitannins, a class of hydrolyzable tannins found mainly in pomegranate, berries, and nuts. Previous work from the group has shown that Urolithin A is a potent anti-inflammatory agent in several pre-clinical disease models and exhibits anti-tumor activity in gastrointestinal cancers.

    “Our studies have demonstrated that Urolithin A is well tolerated and does not elicit any adverse toxic effects at clinically relevant doses in mice. However, despite the promising effect of Urolithin A in several malignancies and inflammatory disorders, the benefit of this microbial metabolite in the prevention of pancreatitis had not been investigated,” says Dr. Nagathihalli. The FDA recognizes Urolithin A as a “safe dietary supplement.”

    “In animal experiments, we have shown that Urolithin A can help improve the effectiveness of treating alcoholic pancreatitis despite continued alcohol intake,” said Dr. Mehra.

    Co-authors of the study include Dr. Chanjuan Shi of Duke University; Dr. Michael VanSaun of the University of Kansas; Dr. Venkatakrishna Jala of the University of Louisville; and Supriya Srinivasan, Ph.D., Samara Singh, Zhiqun Zhou, M.D., Vanessa Garrido, Ph.D., Iago Castro Silva, M.D., Tulasigeri Totiger, Ph.D., Austin Dosch, M.D., Xizi Dai, Ph.D., Rajinder Dawra, Ph.D., Jashodeep Datta, M.D., and Nipun Merchant, M.D., of the Miller School of Medicine.

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    University of Miami Health System, Miller School of Medicine

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  • Cordant Health Solutions Opens 10,000-Square-Foot Pharmacy Location in Louisville, Kentucky, to Serve Midwest and Southeast

    Cordant Health Solutions Opens 10,000-Square-Foot Pharmacy Location in Louisville, Kentucky, to Serve Midwest and Southeast

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    New Location Expands Pharmacy Footprint to Support Whole-Person Behavioral Health Care

    Press Release
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    Jul 20, 2022


    LOUISVILLE, Ky., July 20, 2022 (Newswire.com)
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    Cordant Health Solutions®, a leader in providing innovative tools for addiction treatment programs, has expanded its pharmacy footprint with the opening of a new 10,000-square-foot pharmacy location in Louisville. The new location houses Cordant’s two pharmacy brands, St. Matthews Community Pharmacy and St. Matthews Specialty Pharmacy, and serves as the hub for pharmacy operations in the Midwest and Southeast.

    Cordant acquired St. Matthews Community and Specialty Pharmacy, a well-known and respected pharmacy in April 2021 and has since invested in St. Matthews to expand its capacity to serve patients in the Commonwealth as well as across the Midwest and Southeast. The combination of Cordant’s integrated laboratory and managed pharmacy program with St. Matthews’ expertise in specialty medications and clinical pharmacy services creates an unparalleled solution to support clinicians who treat patients with substance use disorder (SUD) and associated behavioral health and specialty disease conditions. 

    To address the growing need both regionally and nationally for specialized pharmacy services for addiction treatment and behavioral health conditions, Cordant merged its existing Louisville Cordant Pharmacy Solutions™ location and the newly acquired St. Matthews pharmacies into the new, larger facility in February 2022. The new location allows Cordant to offer its managed medication-assisted treatment (MAT) pharmacy program to more treatment providers and patients and support evidence-based harm reduction efforts by improving access to the life-saving overdose reversal medication, naloxone. 

    People with SUD are also at particular risk for developing one or more primary conditions or chronic diseases, including hepatitis. By consolidating care, providers can help patients access the treatment they need and increase treatment retention. The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) supports this approach, stating, “integration of service delivery, addressing the unique needs of addiction patients, including HCV (hepatitis C virus) treatment, is strongly encouraged.” The expanded pharmacy offering from St. Matthews includes specialty medications and services for hepatitis as well as a variety of other conditions that are commonly co-occurring with SUD, including HIV and mental health disorders.

    Patient feedback on Cordant’s programs has been overwhelmingly positive. In a study published in the Journal of Opioid Management, patients expressed improved satisfaction due to Cordant’s delivery program and indicated that it was a motivating factor for them to attend their treatment appointments. Patients testified to the encouragement Cordant’s program has given them, stating, for example, “It makes my appointments more important to me and more convenient in getting my meds,” and “It is much more convenient and discrete. It ensures that I don’t miss my appointments.”

    “One of the biggest barriers our patients face is getting their prescriptions filled—difficulty finding transportation to pharmacies, for example,” said Shannon Cales, founder and CEO of NuLease, a treatment facility in Louisville and Campbellsville that specializes in medical and behavioral therapies for opioid and alcohol dependency. “What I love about Cordant and St. Matthews is they treat people the same way we do. We give our patients a feeling of togetherness and family with no judgment. Cordant shares the same mission of treating patients with respect and total acceptance. They will do whatever they can to help find solutions to the problems our patients face with getting access to the medications they need.”

    In May 2022 alone, Cordant and St. Matthews helped more than 10,000 patients struggling with SUD and other behavioral health conditions receive their medications. “While going to the pharmacy to get a prescription filled is simple for many people, those battling SUD and mental health diagnoses are in a much more difficult situation and often lack the means to get to the pharmacy. How we partner with patients and providers helps ensure patients have access to the medications that can help them reclaim their lives,” said Bob Mann, executive vice president of Cordant’s integrated services.

    While Cordant has long offered a naloxone program, calls for expanded access to the overdose reversal drug from harm reduction organizations, the medical community and the White House have increased as overdose rates continue to rise. By delivering naloxone to patients with their addiction treatment medications, it overcomes the barriers some experience in obtaining access to the pharmacy and ensures the patient has it if needed. In May 2022, Cordant dispensed more than 1,000 doses of life-saving naloxone to patients being treated for SUD. 

    “Overdose deaths have risen sharply over the last two years and continue to rise,” said Mann. “There is a dire need for better access to medications for opioid use disorder that are proven to help a patient be successful in treatment. With this pharmacy expansion, we will be able to help patients get the medications they need while also continuing our efforts to remove the barriers they face that can often derail recovery.”

    St. Matthews Specialty Pharmacy is accredited by the Utilization Review Accreditation Commission (URAC) for Specialty Pharmacy and the Accreditation Commission for Health Care (ACHC), which demonstrates the pharmacy’s commitment to excellence and upholding the industry’s most rigorous standards for healthcare quality, safety and accountability. 

    About Cordant Health Solutions®

    Cordant Health Solutions® (cordantsolutions.com) provides innovative solutions for clinicians, organizations and payers involved with substance use disorder, pain management and criminal justice cases to provide accurate, actionable results to hold patients accountable, reduce risk and improve patient outcomes. A leader in quality standards, Cordant integrates its unique specialized pharmacy services for medication-assisted treatment and associated behavioral health conditions with drug testing options that include monitoring and risk assessment tools to improve patient accountability and optimize quality of life.

    For media inquiries, contact Kim Kudasik, Senior Marketing Manager, kkudasik@cordanths.com.  

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    Source: Cordant Health Solutions

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