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Biochemical Pharmacology Oct 2019Identifying novel therapeutics for the treatment of substance use disorder (SUD) is an area of intensive investigation. Prior strategies that have attempted to modify... (Review)
Review
Identifying novel therapeutics for the treatment of substance use disorder (SUD) is an area of intensive investigation. Prior strategies that have attempted to modify one or a few neurotransmitter receptors have had limited success, and currently there are no FDA-approved medications for the treatment of cocaine, methamphetamine, and marijuana use disorders. Because drugs of abuse are known to alter the expression of numerous genes in reward-related brain regions, epigenetic-based therapies have emerged as intriguing targets for therapeutic innovation. Here, I evaluate potential therapeutic approaches and challenges in targeting epigenetic factors for the treatment of SUD and highlight examples of promising strategies and future directions.
Topics: Animals; Behavior, Addictive; Brain; Epigenesis, Genetic; Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors; Humans; Narcotic Antagonists; Nicotinic Antagonists; Substance-Related Disorders
PubMed: 31306644
DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2019.07.012 -
Annals of Internal Medicine Jul 2020People with substance use disorder may be especially susceptible to COVID-19, and compromised lung function from COVID-19 could also put at risk those who have opioid...
People with substance use disorder may be especially susceptible to COVID-19, and compromised lung function from COVID-19 could also put at risk those who have opioid use disorder and methamphetamine use disorder. This commentary describes the risks of the collision of the COVID-19 and addiction epidemics.
Topics: Betacoronavirus; COVID-19; Coronavirus Infections; Disease Transmission, Infectious; Epidemics; Global Health; Humans; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Viral; SARS-CoV-2; Substance-Related Disorders
PubMed: 32240293
DOI: 10.7326/M20-1212 -
Biology of Sex Differences Jun 2022Substance use continues to contribute to significant morbidity and mortality in the United States, for both women and men, more so than another other preventable health... (Review)
Review
Substance use continues to contribute to significant morbidity and mortality in the United States, for both women and men, more so than another other preventable health condition. To reduce the public health burden attributable to substances, the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism have identified that medication development for substance use disorder is a high priority research area. Furthermore, both Institutes have stated that research on sex and gender differences in substance use medication development is a critical area. The purpose of the current narrative review is to highlight how sex and gender have been considered (or not) in medication trials for substance use disorders to clarify and summarize what is known regarding sex and gender differences in efficacy and to provide direction to the field to advance medication development that is consistent with current NIH 'sex as a biological variable' (SABV) policy. To that end, we reviewed major classes of abused substances (nicotine, alcohol, cocaine, cannabis, opioids) demonstrating that, sex and gender have not been well-considered in addiction medication development research. However, when adequate data on sex and gender differences have been evaluated (i.e., in tobacco cessation), clinically significant differences in response have been identified between women and men. Across the other drugs of abuse reviewed, data also suggest sex and gender may be predictive of outcome for some agents, although the relatively low representation of women in clinical research samples limits making definitive conclusions. We recommend the incorporation of sex and gender into clinical care guidelines and improved access to publicly available sex-stratified data from medication development investigations.
Topics: Female; Humans; Male; Nicotine; Sex Factors; Substance-Related Disorders; Surveys and Questionnaires; United States
PubMed: 35761351
DOI: 10.1186/s13293-022-00441-3 -
Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine Apr 2023Clinical signs of drug use can be helpful to identify which drug has been consumed. Amphetamine intake has traditionally not been considered to cause nystagmus. The aim...
Clinical signs of drug use can be helpful to identify which drug has been consumed. Amphetamine intake has traditionally not been considered to cause nystagmus. The aim of this study was to explore whether there is a relationship between amphetamine use and nystagmus in a population of apprehended drivers in a naturalistic setting. We evaluated drivers suspected of drug-impaired driving where blood samples were collected and a clinical test of impairment (CTI) was performed. Evaluation of nystagmus is one of the CTI subtests. The samples were analysed for alcohol and psychoactive drugs. Cases with a nystagmus test were recorded and amphetamine-only cases were compared with alcohol-only cases and with cases where alcohol or drugs were not detected, respectively. Samples from 507 amphetamine-only cases were compared to 485 alcohol-only cases and 205 drug-negative cases. The median blood amphetamine concentration was 0.37 mg/L and the median alcohol concentration was 1.57 g/kg. The proportion of cases with nystagmus was similar in amphetamine-only cases (21%) and drug-negative controls (25%), p = 0.273, but higher in alcohol-only cases (53%), p < 0.001. No association was found between the blood amphetamine concentration and degree of nystagmus (Spearman's ρ = 0.008, p = 0.860), whereas an association between blood alcohol concentration and degree of nystagmus was demonstrated (ρ = 0.249, p < 0.001). In conclusion, our study did not find that apprehended drivers using amphetamine had more frequently nystagmus than a control group that tested negative for alcohol and drugs, even at high amphetamine concentrations in blood. Hence, nystagmus should not be considered a tool for identifying amphetamine-induced impairment in drivers.
Topics: Humans; Amphetamine; Blood Alcohol Content; Automobile Driving; Substance-Related Disorders; Ethanol; Substance Abuse Detection
PubMed: 36924680
DOI: 10.1016/j.jflm.2023.102502 -
International Journal of Molecular... Oct 2023'Drug abuse' has been recognized as one of the most pressing epidemics in contemporary society. Traditional research has primarily focused on understanding how drugs... (Review)
Review
'Drug abuse' has been recognized as one of the most pressing epidemics in contemporary society. Traditional research has primarily focused on understanding how drugs induce neurotoxicity or degeneration within the central nervous system (CNS) and influence systems related to reward, motivation, and cravings. However, recent investigations have increasingly shifted their attention toward the detrimental consequences of drug abuse on the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The BBB is a structural component situated in brain vessels, responsible for separating brain tissue from external substances to maintain brain homeostasis. The BBB's function is governed by cellular interactions involving various elements of the 'neurovascular unit (NVU),' such as neurons, endothelial cells, astrocytes, pericytes, and microglia. Disruption of the NVU is closely linked to serious neurodegeneration. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the harmful effects of psychostimulant drugs on the BBB, highlighting the mechanisms through which drugs can damage the NVU. Additionally, the review proposes novel therapeutic targets aimed at protecting the BBB. By understanding the intricate relationships between drug abuse, BBB integrity, and NVU function, researchers and clinicians may uncover new strategies to mitigate the damaging impact of drug abuse on brain health.
Topics: Humans; Endothelial Cells; Brain; Blood-Brain Barrier; Central Nervous System; Substance-Related Disorders
PubMed: 37894832
DOI: 10.3390/ijms242015154 -
Viruses Nov 2021Commonly misused substances such as alcohol, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and opioids suppress immune responses and may impact viral pathogenesis. In recent years,... (Review)
Review
Commonly misused substances such as alcohol, cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine, and opioids suppress immune responses and may impact viral pathogenesis. In recent years, illicit use of opioids has fueled outbreaks of several viral pathogens, including the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and hepatitis C virus (HCV). This review focuses on the myriad of mechanisms by which drugs of abuse impact viral replication and disease progression. Virus-drug interactions can accelerate viral disease progression and lead to increased risk of virus transmission.
Topics: Animals; HIV; HIV Infections; Hepatitis; Hepatitis Viruses; Humans; Illicit Drugs; Substance-Related Disorders
PubMed: 34960656
DOI: 10.3390/v13122387 -
Computational and Mathematical Methods... 2020Drug abuse poses great physical and psychological harm to humans, thereby attracting scholarly attention. It often requires experience and time for a researcher, just...
Drug abuse poses great physical and psychological harm to humans, thereby attracting scholarly attention. It often requires experience and time for a researcher, just entering this field, to find an appropriate method to study drug abuse issue. It is crucial for researchers to rapidly understand the existing research on a particular topic and be able to propose an effective new research method. Text mining analysis has been widely applied in recent years, and this study integrated the text mining method into a review of drug abuse research. Through searches for keywords related to the drug abuse, all related publications were identified and downloaded from PubMed. After removing the duplicate and incomplete literature, the retained data were imported for analysis through text mining. A total of 19,843 papers were analyzed, and the text mining technique was used to search for keyword and questionnaire types. The results showed the associations between these questionnaires, with the top five being the Addiction Severity Index (16.44%), the Quality of Life survey (5.01%), the Beck Depression Inventory (3.24%), the Addiction Research Center Inventory (2.81%), and the Profile of Mood States (1.10%). Specifically, the Addiction Severity Index was most commonly used in combination with Quality of Life scales. In conclusion, association analysis is useful to extract core knowledge. Researchers can learn and visualize the latest research trend.
Topics: Classification; Data Mining; Humans; PubMed; Quality of Life; Research Design; Substance-Related Disorders; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 32076454
DOI: 10.1155/2020/1030815 -
Pediatric Clinics of North America Dec 2019Prenatal exposure to alcohol and drugs is associated with physical, cognitive, and behavioral problems across the offspring's lifespan and an increased risk of alcohol... (Review)
Review
Prenatal exposure to alcohol and drugs is associated with physical, cognitive, and behavioral problems across the offspring's lifespan and an increased risk of alcohol and drug use in adolescent and young adult offspring. These prenatal effects continue to be evident after control for demographic background and parental alcohol and drug use. Behavior problems in childhood and adolescence associated with prenatal exposures may serve as a mediator of the prenatal exposure effects on offspring substance use.
Topics: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior; Female; Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders; Humans; Maternal Behavior; Pregnancy; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; Risk Factors; Substance-Related Disorders
PubMed: 31679604
DOI: 10.1016/j.pcl.2019.08.010 -
Behavioural Processes Aug 2019Circadian rhythms organize behavior and physiological processes to be appropriate to the predictable cycle of daily events. These rhythms are entrained by stimuli that... (Review)
Review
Circadian rhythms organize behavior and physiological processes to be appropriate to the predictable cycle of daily events. These rhythms are entrained by stimuli that provide time of day cues (zeitgebers), such as light, which regulates the sleep-wake cycle and associated rhythms. But other events, including meals, social cues, and bouts of locomotor activity, can act as zeitgebers. Recent evidence shows that most organs and tissues contain cells that are capable of some degree of independent circadian cycling, suggesting the circadian system is broadly and diffusely distributed. Within laboratory studies of behavior, circadian rhythms tend to be treated as a complication to be minimized, but they offer a useful model of predictable shifts in behavioral tendencies. In the present review, we summarize the evidence that formed the basis for a hypothesis that drugs of abuse can entrain circadian rhythms and describe the outcome of a series of experiments designed to test that hypothesis. We propose that such drug-entrained rhythms may contribute to demonstrated daily variations in drug metabolism, tolerance, and sensitivity to drug reward. Of particular importance, these rhythms may be evoked by a single episode of drug taking, strengthen with repeated episodes, and re-emerge after long periods of abstinence, thereby contributing to drug abuse, addiction, and relapse.
Topics: Animals; Brain; Circadian Rhythm; Cues; Drug Tolerance; Feeding Behavior; Habituation, Psychophysiologic; Humans; Illicit Drugs; Metabolic Clearance Rate; Motivation; Substance-Related Disorders
PubMed: 31132444
DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2019.05.017 -
Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews Mar 2020Based on their pharmacological properties, psychoactive drugs are supposed to take control of the natural reward system to finally drive compulsory drug seeking and... (Review)
Review
Based on their pharmacological properties, psychoactive drugs are supposed to take control of the natural reward system to finally drive compulsory drug seeking and consumption. However, psychoactive drugs are not used in an arbitrary way as pure pharmacological reinforcement would suggest, but rather in a highly specific manner depending on non-pharmacological factors. While pharmacological effects of psychoactive drugs are well studied, neurobiological mechanisms of non-pharmacological factors are less well understood. Here we review the emerging neurobiological mechanisms beyond pharmacological reinforcement which determine drug effects and use frequency. Important progress was made on the understanding of how the character of an environment and social stress determine drug self-administration. This is expanded by new evidence on how behavioral alternatives and opportunities for drug instrumentalization generate different patterns of drug choice. Emerging evidence suggests that the neurobiology of non-pharmacological factors strongly determines pharmacological and behavioral drug action and may, thus, give rise for an expanded system's approach of psychoactive drug use and addiction.
Topics: Animals; Behavior, Addictive; Brain; Drug-Seeking Behavior; Humans; Reinforcement, Psychology; Stress, Psychological; Substance-Related Disorders
PubMed: 30179633
DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.08.015