UC Berkeley findings offer new clues into the addicted brain

What drives addicts to repeatedly choose drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, overeating, gambling or kleptomania, despite the risks involved?

Neuroscientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have pinpointed the exact locations in the brain where calculations are made that can result in addictive and compulsive behavior.

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Scripps Research scientists create vaccine against heroin high

Vaccine may hold promise for those who want to break their heroin addiction

LA JOLLA, CA – Researchers at The Scripps Research Institute have developed a highly successful vaccine against a heroin high and have proven its therapeutic potential in animal models.

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UWM research offers hope for treatment of cocaine addiction

A common medication shown to hinder retrieval of memories associated with cocaine use in animal models

New discoveries by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) offer potential for development of a first-ever pharmacological treatment for cocaine addiction.

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Varenicline for smoking cessation linked to increased risk of serious harmful cardiac events

The use of varenicline to stop smoking is associated with a 72% increased risk of a serious adverse cardiovascular event, states an article in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) (pre-embargo link only) http://www.cmaj.ca/embargo/cmaj110218.pdf.

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Thrill-seeking females work hard for their next fix

It seems that women become addicted to cocaine more easily than men and find it harder to give up. New research published in BioMed Central’s open access journal Biology of Sex Differences reinforces this position by showing that the motivation of female rats to work for cocaine is much higher than males.

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Scripps Research scientists reveal key mechanism governing nicotine addiction

New research could produce novel therapies that increase natural resistance to addiction to smoking

JUPITER, FL – January 25, 2011 – Embargoed by the journal Nature until January 30, 1 PM Eastern time – Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have identified a pathway in the brain that regulates an individual’s vulnerability to the addictive properties of nicotine. The findings suggest a new target for anti-smoking therapies.

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Vaccine Blocks Cocaine High in Mice

Novel Vaccine Is Poised to Move Quickly Into Human Trials

In NIH-Funded Study, Researchers Say the Approach Could Also Stop Addiction to Other Drugs, Including Heroin and Nicotine

NEW YORK (Jan. 4, 2011) — Researchers have produced a lasting anti-cocaine immunity in mice by giving them a safe vaccine that combines bits of the common cold virus with a particle that mimics cocaine.

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New compounds may treat both alcohol and cigarette addictions

Researchers at the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center at the University of California, San Francisco, and Pfizer Inc., have determined that two new compounds may be effective in treating both alcohol and nicotine dependence at the same time.

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Dopamine model could play role in treating schizophrenia and drug addiction

In the brain, dopamine is involved in a number of processes that control the way we behave. If an action results in the substance being released, we are more likely to repeat the action. This applies to actions such as eating, sexual intercourse or winning a competition. However, the same also holds true when individuals take harmful narcotics. Scientists believe that mental illnesses such as schizophrenia can be linked to dopamine imbalances.

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Mount Sinai researchers discover why cocaine is so addictive

Mount Sinai researchers have discovered how cocaine corrupts the brain and becomes addictive. These findings—the first to connect activation of specific neurons to alterations in cocaine reward—were published in Science on October 15. The results may help researchers in developing new ways of treating those addicted to the drug.

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