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Published on September 27, 2023
A “universal” brain circuit may underlie all substance use disorders, according to research from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the University of British Columbia. The findings are published in Nature Mental Health. The lead author is Jacob L. Stubbs. Analyzing data from over 144 studies involving 9,000+ participants, researchers found consistent neuroimaging…
Published on August 14, 2023
Investigators led by a researcher from the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and College of Medicine report that a one-time administration gene therapy shows potential as a treatment for serious alcohol addiction. The study, published today in the journal Nature Medicine, used an accepted primate model to show that…
Published on May 3, 2023
Researchers from the Center for Clinical Pharmacology at Washington University School of Medicine say they have identified a new target for addiction-free pain treatment—alternate binding sites on the kappa opioid receptor. According to the WashU investigators, scientists who are developing drugs that only target the kappa receptor to alleviate pain,…
Published on August 3, 2022
Eighteen new genetic risk factors for opioid use disorder (OUD) and related substance use disorders have been found though a large-scale genome-wide association study. Previously, there was only one gene linked so far to these conditions. The findings, published in Molecular Psychiatry, were made by a team of Yale scientists. “Our…
Published on December 29, 2021
Researchers at the University of Michigan Health Rogel Cancer Center have shown that it is possible to inhibit tumor growth by disrupting chromatin accessibility. Specifically, the researchers have found a way to degrade components of SWI/SNF, a chromatin remodeling complex. These components are ATPases that provide the energy SWI/SNF needs…
Published on August 30, 2017
A genetic test developed by Prescient Medicine can predict individual risk of opioid addiction, the company said, based on studies by the company and a collaboration partner whose results were disclosed today. In one study, Sherman Chang, Ph.D., vp of research and development at the company’s collaboration partner AutoGenomics, and…
Published on April 27, 2016
Understanding the genetic differences that predispose addictive behavior in one individual versus another could significantly influence treatment options and outcomes for patients. Moreover, identifying the genetic factors that cause some to stay clean, while others relapse, is of significant value to clinicians and treatment facilities. Now, researchers at the University…
Published on May 1, 2015
Genomics has an obsession, and it’s called Big Data. However, unlike other obsessions, this one will probably not ruin anyone’s life—maybe only a few late nights or weekend plans for the researcher on a tight deadline. This preoccupation was born out of necessity. It began as an innate need to…
Published on February 23, 2024
Researchers at Stanford Medicine developed a new artificial intelligence model that in tests was found to be more than 90% successful at determining whether MRI scans of human brain activity were from a man or from a woman. “A key motivation for this study is that sex plays a crucial…
Published on February 15, 2024
As the crushing burden of opioid addiction grows, companies such as Latigo Biotherapeutics and Vertex Pharmaceuticals are working to develop new, safer, and more effective non-opioid painkillers. It’s a huge unmet need and an opportunity. Non-addictive pain drugs represent a growing market that is expected to be worth over $30B…
Published on February 8, 2024
A Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigation of the websites of liver transplant centers in the U.S. found that the vast majority of them use stigmatizing language on their websites. The language that is being used are words such as “alcoholism,” “alcoholic,” or “alcohol abuse,” which could potentially discourage the willingness…
Published on January 22, 2024
The offspring of pregnant women with opioid addiction are less likely to have developmental malformations at birth if exposed to buprenorphine compared with methadone. Led by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, the study was published in JAMA Internal Medicine. It showed that the risk for various congenital…
Published on December 20, 2023
A psychedelic drug with, as of yet, no FDA approved use may substantially help cancer patients with major depression, according to recent results from a Phase II clinical trial. Participants treated with psilocybin, also called “magic mushrooms,” not only experienced a lessening of depressive symptoms but also spoke highly of…
Published on December 6, 2023
Heavy alcohol drinking and withdrawal in mice is linked to pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP), according to work by researchers from Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine. PACAP is found in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST). Further, the team found that inhibiting PACAP in…
Published on November 10, 2023
Sponsored by This IPM podcast unpacks some of the important work being done by Emma Johnson, PhD, assistant professor, department of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine. We discuss her mission to elucidate the genetic architecture of psychiatric disorders, particularly focusing on substance use and addictions. We hear…