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Trends in Cognitive Sciences Jul 2015Brain lesions that damage the insular cortex (IC) interrupt addictive behaviors, suggesting that drug addiction sensitizes the insula. However, neuroimaging studies seem... (Review)
Review
Brain lesions that damage the insular cortex (IC) interrupt addictive behaviors, suggesting that drug addiction sensitizes the insula. However, neuroimaging studies seem to lead to an opposite picture: structural neuroimaging studies show reduced gray matter volume of the IC of drug users, and functional neuroimaging studies show reduced IC activity when drug users perform decision-making tasks. These results have been interpreted as indicating that addictive behaviors are associated with reduced interoceptive signaling within the IC. Here, we use this apparent contradiction to examine the possible roles of the insula in addiction, identify open questions, and explore ways to address them.
Topics: Animals; Cerebral Cortex; Humans; Neuroimaging; Substance-Related Disorders
PubMed: 26066588
DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2015.05.005 -
The influence of gene-environment interactions on the development of alcoholism and drug dependence.Current Psychiatry Reports Apr 2012Alcoholism and drug dependence are common psychiatric disorders with a heritability of about 50%; therefore genetic and environmental influences are equally important.... (Review)
Review
Alcoholism and drug dependence are common psychiatric disorders with a heritability of about 50%; therefore genetic and environmental influences are equally important. Early-life stress is a predictor of adolescent problem drinking/drug use and alcohol/drug dependence in adulthood, but moderating factors governing the availability of alcohol/drug are important. The risk-resilience balance for addiction may be due in part to the interaction between genetic variation and environment stressors (G × E); this has been confirmed by twin studies of inferred genetic risk. Measured genotype studies to detect G × E effects have used a range of alcohol consumption and diagnostic phenotypes and stressors ranging from early-life to adulthood past year life events. In this article, the current state of the field is critically reviewed and suggestions are put forth for future research.
Topics: Adaptation, Psychological; Gene-Environment Interaction; Genetic Variation; Humans; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System; Life Change Events; Pituitary-Adrenal System; Risk Factors; Stress, Psychological; Substance-Related Disorders
PubMed: 22367454
DOI: 10.1007/s11920-011-0252-9 -
Neuropsychopharmacologia Hungarica : a... Mar 2010Epilepsy is relatively frequent neurological condition. Its prevalence is assumed to be about 1%, and it would be interesting to see how many of these people have...
Epilepsy is relatively frequent neurological condition. Its prevalence is assumed to be about 1%, and it would be interesting to see how many of these people have comorbid substance dependence disorder. The manifestation of epilepsy exhibits a seizure-like condition with typical neurological and psychical symptoms, which are induced by pathological electric discharges in brain. The population of addicts is known to have higher prevalence of seizures, found not only in alcohol abusers, but also in illicit drug users. The aim of our paper is to give an overview of the prevalence rates of this serious health condition in patients with substance dependence treated at the OLUP NPO, Predná Hora. The author compares two groups of patients: with and without the epileptic seizures. Alcohol addicts prevailed in both groups. Each 8th treated dependent patient had at least one epileptic seizure. Nearly the same percent of dependent patients in both groups (43,6% vs. 40,9%) holds a driving license, thus they probably also drive a motor vehicle. Is there any person who would initiate withdrawal of driving license from such patients? Frequent somatic diseases in more than one half of the group with seizures (more than 62%) highlight the fact that this group of patients requires thorough and financially probably more demanding health care.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Alcoholism; Automobile Driving; Comorbidity; Employment; Epilepsy; Female; Humans; Male; Marital Status; Middle Aged; Prevalence; Sex Distribution; Slovakia; Substance-Related Disorders
PubMed: 20305305
DOI: No ID Found -
Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences Apr 2013The goal of this study was to investigate the relation between specific anxiety disorders and substance dependence, adjusting for potentially confounding demographic...
AIM
The goal of this study was to investigate the relation between specific anxiety disorders and substance dependence, adjusting for potentially confounding demographic factors (e.g. sex) and comorbidity (e.g. alcohol dependence, major depression), among adults in the USA.
METHODS
Data were drawn from the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS), a nationally representative population sample of the US adult population aged 15-54. The temporal sequence of onset of anxiety and substance dependence disorders was examined.
RESULTS
Substance dependence temporally precedes several anxiety disorders, particularly panic disorder. Specifically, a history of past substance dependence predicts current panic disorder (odds ratio [OR] =2.62, 95% confidence interval [CI] =1.29, 5.32), social phobia (OR=1.7, 95%CI=1.12, 2.41), and agoraphobia (OR=1.78, 95%CI=1.08, 2.94). Conversely, in more than 50% of substance abuse disorder cases, in nearly 40% of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) cases, and in nearly 30% of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) cases, the anxiety disorder has first onset. Similarly, a lifetime history of social phobia, PTSD, or GAD significantly predicts lifetime substance dependence (OR=1.51 for social phobia, 2.06 for PTSD, 1.45 for GAD).
CONCLUSION
For any particular anxiety disorder, a diagnosis of substance abuse can occur prior to or subsequent to an anxiety disorder. Nevertheless, there is also evidence for the specificity of some associations between anxiety and substance dependence disorders; these are independent of the effects of sex and other comorbid disorders, may be causal in nature, and deserve particular attention in clinical settings. The possibility that within a particular anxiety disorder there are a variety of mechanisms of association with various substances should be addressed in future work.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Alcoholism; Anxiety; Cross-Sectional Studies; Depression; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Female; Humans; Logistic Models; Male; Middle Aged; Substance-Related Disorders; Young Adult
PubMed: 23581868
DOI: 10.1111/pcn.12030 -
Yakugaku Zasshi : Journal of the... 2016Cases of people experiencing disturbed consciousness or dyspnea, causing traffic accidents, or requiring ambulance transport to hospital due to abuse of law-evading... (Review)
Review
Cases of people experiencing disturbed consciousness or dyspnea, causing traffic accidents, or requiring ambulance transport to hospital due to abuse of law-evading chemical substances have become a serious social problem in Japan. Most law-evading herbal products are marketed as incense or herbs and consist of finely chopped, dry vegetative matter mixed with chemical substances (drugs). Analysis of the chemical substances in these herbal products has demonstrated that they contain synthetic cannabinoids. Because there are many cannabinoid compounds, even if a particular drug is regulated, similar compounds that differ only slightly in structure may be added in their place. Therefore a cat-and-mouse game exists between regulations on chemical substances and their propagation. This paper summarizes the pharmacological actions and dangers of chemical substances contained in law-evading herbal products by focusing on synthetic cannabinoids, as a group of chemical substances contained in these products. Furthermore, comprehensive designations of synthetic cannabinoids have been introduced as a new method of regulation that emphasizes the similarity of chemical structures; this paper also outlines the comprehensive designations. We established a psychic-dependence liability and cytotoxicity screening system for synthetic cannabinoids using animals (behavioral analysis in vivo) and cell cultures (cytotoxicity analysis in vitro). With our drug-screening system, we were able rapidly to evaluate and quantify psychic-dependence liabilities and cytotoxicity of synthetic cannabinoids contained in law-evading herbal products. These scientific data using our screening system contributed to the establishment of legislation for comprehensive designations of synthetic cannabinoids.
Topics: Animals; Cannabinoids; Humans; Illicit Drugs; Japan; Social Problems; Substance Abuse Detection; Substance-Related Disorders
PubMed: 26725670
DOI: 10.1248/yakushi.15-00228-1 -
JAMA Psychiatry May 2018The prevalence of alcohol misuse increased substantially over a decade in adults, particularly in those aged 65 years or older. Ramifications for brain structural...
IMPORTANCE
The prevalence of alcohol misuse increased substantially over a decade in adults, particularly in those aged 65 years or older. Ramifications for brain structural integrity are significant, especially in older adults.
OBJECTIVES
To combine cross-sectional, longitudinal data to test age-alcoholism interactions and examine the association between prevalent comorbidities (drug dependence and hepatitis C virus [HCV] infection) and cortical volume deficits in alcohol dependence.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
During 14 years, 826 structural magnetic resonance images were acquired in 222 individuals with alcohol dependence and 199 age-matched control participants (aged 25-75 years at initial study), parcellated with a common atlas, and adjusted for brain volume. Longitudinal data were available on 116 participants with alcoholism and 96 control participants. DSM-IV criteria determined alcohol and drug diagnoses; serology testing determined HCV status. The study was conducted at SRI International and Stanford University School of Medicine from April 11, 2003, to March 3, 2017.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
Magnetic resonance imaging-derived regional cortical volumes corrected for supratentorial volume and sex.
RESULTS
Of the 222 participants with alcoholism, 156 (70.3%) were men; mean (SD) age was 48.0 (10.0) years; the mean age for the 199 control participants was 47.6 (14.0) years. Participants with alcohol dependence had volume deficits in frontal (t = -5.732, P < .001), temporal (t = -3.151, P = .002), parietal (t = -5.063, P < .001), cingulate (t = -3.170, P = .002), and insular (t = -4.920, P < .001) cortices; deficits were prominent in frontal subregions and were not sex dependent. Accelerated aging occurred in frontal cortex (t = -3.019, P < .02) and precentral (t = -2.691, P < .05) and superior gyri (t = -2.763, P < .05) and could not be attributed to the amount of alcohol consumed, which was greater in younger-onset than older-onset participants with alcoholism (t = 6.1191, P < .001). Given the high drug-dependence incidence (54.5%) in the alcoholism group, analysis examined drug subgroups (cocaine, cannabis, amphetamines, opiates) compared with drug-dependence-free alcoholism and control groups. Although the alcohol plus cocaine (t = -2.310, P = .04) and alcohol plus opiate (t = -2.424, P = .04) groups had smaller frontal volumes than the drug-dependence-free alcoholism group, deficits in precentral (t = -2.575, P = .01), supplementary motor (t = -2.532, P = .01), and medial (t = -2.800, P = .01) volumes endured in drug-dependence-free participants with alcoholism compared with control participants. Those with HCV infection had greater deficits than those without HCV infection in frontal (t = 3.468, P = .01), precentral (t = 2.513, P = .03), superior (t = 2.533, P = .03), and orbital (t = 2.506, P = .03) volumes, yet total frontal (t = 2.660, P = .02), insular (t = 3.526, P = .003), parietal (t = 2.414, P = .03), temporal (t = 3.221, P = .005), and precentral (t = 3.180, P = .01) volume deficits persisted in the uninfected participants with alcoholism compared with control participants with known HCV status.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
Drug dependence and HCV infection compounded deleterious effects of alcohol dependence on frontal cortical volumes but could not account for the frontally distributed volume deficits in the drug-free participants with alcoholism. We speculate that age-alcohol interactions notable in frontal cortex put older adults at heightened risk for age-associated neurocompromise even if alcohol misuse is initiated later in life.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Aging; Alcoholism; Cerebral Cortex; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Frontal Lobe; Hepatitis C; Humans; Illicit Drugs; Longitudinal Studies; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Middle Aged; Organ Size; Substance-Related Disorders
PubMed: 29541774
DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.0021 -
Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental... Oct 2015Alcohol abuse is comorbid with abuse of many other drugs, some with similar pharmacology and others quite different. This leads to the hypothesis of an underlying,... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study Review
BACKGROUND
Alcohol abuse is comorbid with abuse of many other drugs, some with similar pharmacology and others quite different. This leads to the hypothesis of an underlying, unitary dysfunctional neurobiological basis for substance abuse risk and consequences.
METHODS
In this review, we discuss commonalities and distinctions of addiction to alcohol and other drugs. We focus on recent advances in preclinical studies using rodent models of drug self-administration.
RESULTS
While there are specific behavioral and molecular manifestations common to alcohol, psychostimulant, opioid, and nicotine dependence, attempts to propose a unifying theory of the addictions inevitably face details where distinctions are found among classes of drugs.
CONCLUSIONS
For alcohol, versus other drugs of abuse, we discuss and compare advances in: (i) neurocircuitry important for the different stages of drug dependence; (ii) transcriptomics and genetical genomics; and (iii) enduring effects, noting in particular the contributions of behavioral genetics and animal models.
Topics: Alcoholism; Animals; Behavior, Addictive; Disease Models, Animal; Genomics; Humans; Neural Pathways; Self Administration; Substance-Related Disorders; Transcriptome
PubMed: 26431116
DOI: 10.1111/acer.12810 -
Liver Transplantation : Official... Nov 2007Addiction (e.g., alcohol or drugs) is a chronic disease. Specific behavioral and pharmacological treatments have proven efficacy. Addressing addiction includes... (Review)
Review
Addiction (e.g., alcohol or drugs) is a chronic disease. Specific behavioral and pharmacological treatments have proven efficacy. Addressing addiction includes intervention for risky and problem use. Clinicians who are not addiction specialists can play important roles in addressing addiction.
Topics: Alcoholism; Behavior, Addictive; Comorbidity; Humans; Methadone; Naltrexone; Psychotherapy; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome; Substance-Related Disorders; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 17969089
DOI: 10.1002/lt.21339 -
The American Journal of Psychiatry Aug 2007This review provides a neuroadaptive perspective regarding the role of the hormonal and brain stress systems in drug addiction with a focus on the changes that occur... (Review)
Review
This review provides a neuroadaptive perspective regarding the role of the hormonal and brain stress systems in drug addiction with a focus on the changes that occur during the transition from limited access to drugs to long-term compulsive use of drugs. A dramatic escalation in drug intake with extended access to drug self-administration is characterized by a dysregulation of brain reward pathways. Hormonal studies using an experimenter-administered cocaine binge model and an escalation self-administration model have revealed large increases in ACTH and corticosterone in rats during an acute binge with attenuation during the chronic binge stage and a reactivation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis during acute withdrawal. The activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis with cocaine appears to depend on feed-forward activation of the mesolimbic dopamine system. At the same time, escalation in drug intake with either extended access or dependence-induction produces an activation of the brain stress system's corticotropin-releasing factor outside of the hypothalamus in the extended amygdala, which is particularly evident during acute withdrawal. A model of the role of different levels of hormonal/brain stress activation in addiction is presented that has heuristic value for understanding individual vulnerability to drug dependence and novel treatments for the disorder.
Topics: Animals; Behavior, Addictive; Brain; Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; Disease Models, Animal; Electrodes, Implanted; Hydrocortisone; Hypothalamus; Illicit Drugs; Models, Neurological; Prolactin; Rats; Reinforcement, Psychology; Reward; Self Administration; Stress, Physiological; Substance-Related Disorders
PubMed: 17671276
DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2007.05030503 -
International Journal of Molecular... Sep 2022Recent data show that young people, mainly due to the pressure of some risk factors or due to disrupted interpersonal relationships, utilise greater reward value and... (Review)
Review
Could Alcohol Abuse and Dependence on Junk Foods Inducing Obesity and/or Illicit Drug Use Represent Danger to Liver in Young People with Altered Psychological/Relational Spheres or Emotional Problems?
Recent data show that young people, mainly due to the pressure of some risk factors or due to disrupted interpersonal relationships, utilise greater reward value and display greater sensitivity to the reinforcing properties of "pleasurable stimuli", specifically in those situations in which an enhanced dopamine release is present. Alcoholic beverages, foods rich in sugar and fat, and illicit drug use are pleasurable feelings associated with rewards. Research shows that there is a link between substance abuse and obesity in brain functioning. Still, alcohol excess is central in leading to obesity and obesity-related morbidities, such as hepatic steatosis, mainly when associated with illicit drug dependence and negative eating behaviours in young people. It is ascertained that long-term drinking causes mental damage, similarly to drug abuse, but also affects liver function. Indeed, beyond the pharmacokinetic interactions of alcohol with drugs, occurring in the liver due to the same metabolic enzymes, there are also pharmacodynamic interactions of both substances in the CNS. To complicate matters, an important noxious effect of junk foods consists of inducing obesity and obesity-related NAFLD. In this review, we focus on some key mechanisms underlying the impact of these addictions on the liver, as well as those on the CNS.
Topics: Adolescent; Alcoholism; Dopamine; Humans; Illicit Drugs; Liver; Obesity; Substance-Related Disorders; Sugars
PubMed: 36142317
DOI: 10.3390/ijms231810406