addiction Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Internet Addiction Affects the Behavior and Development of Adolescents

The AHA! Team — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 08:21:19 +0000

University College London via EurekAlert! – Adolescents with an internet addiction undergo changes in the brain that could lead to additional addictive behavior and tendencies, finds a new study by UCL researchers. The findings, published in PLOS Mental Health, reviewed 12 articles involving 237 young people aged 10-19 with a formal diagnosis of internet addiction between 2013 and 2023. Internet addiction has been defined as a person’s inability to resist the urge to use the internet, negatively impacting their psychological wellbeing, as well as their social, academic and professional lives. The studies used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to inspect the functional connectivity (how regions of the brain interact with each other) of participants with internet addiction, both while resting and completing a task. Internet addiction has been defined as a person’s inability to resist the urge to use the internet The effects of internet addiction were seen throughout multiple neural networks in the brains of adolescents. There was a mixture of increased and decreased activity in the parts of the brain that are activated when resting (the default mode network). Meanwhile, there was an overall decrease in the functional connectivity in the parts of the brain involved in active thinking (the executive control network). These changes were found to lead to addictive behaviors and tendencies in adolescents, as well as behavior changes associated with intellectual ability, physical coordination, mental health and development. Lead author, MSc student, Max Chang (UCL Great Ormond Street Institute for Child Health) said: “Adolescence is a crucial developmental stage during which people go through significant changes in their biology, cognition, and personalities. As a result, the brain is particularly vulnerable to internet addiction related urges during this time, such as compulsive internet usage, cravings towards usage of the mouse or keyboard and consuming media. “The findings from our study show that this can lead to potentially negative behavioral and developmental changes that could impact the lives of adolescents. For example, they may struggle to maintain relationships and social activities, lie about online activity and experience irregular eating and disrupted sleep.” With smartphones and laptops being ever more accessible, internet addiction is a growing problem across the globe. Previous research has shown that people in the UK spend over 24 hours every week online and, of those surveyed, more than half self-reported being addicted to the internet. Meanwhile, Ofcom found that of the 50 million internet users in the UK, over 60% said their internet usage had a negative effect on their lives – such as being late or neglecting chores. Senior author, Irene Lee (UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health), said: “There is no doubt that the internet has certain advantages. However, when it begins to affect our day-to-day lives, it is a problem. We would advise that young people enforce sensible time limits for their daily internet usage “We would advise that young people enforce sensible time limits for their daily internet usage and ensure that they are aware of the psychological and social implications of spending too much time online.” Mr Chang added: “We hope our findings will demonstrate how internet addiction alters the connection between the brain networks in adolescence, allowing physicians to screen and treat the onset of internet addiction more effectively. “Clinicians could potentially prescribe treatment to aim at certain brain regions or suggest psychotherapy or family therapy targeting key symptoms of internet addiction. “Importantly, parental education on internet addiction is another possible avenue of prevention from a public health standpoint. Parents who are aware of the early signs and onset of internet addiction will more effectively handle screen time, impulsivity, and minimize the risk factors surrounding internet addiction.” Study limitations Research into the use of fMRI scans to investigate internet addiction is currently limited and the studies had small adolescent samples. They were also primarily from Asian countries. Future research studies should compare results from Western samples to provide more insight on therapeutic intervention. Journal PLOS Mental Health Article Title Functional connectivity changes in the brain of adolescents with internet addiction: A systematic literature review of imaging studies To read the original article click here.

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Prevalence of Nicotine Pouch Use Found to be Low Among U.S. Adults

The AHA! Team — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 04:45:40 +0000

Keck School of Medicine of USC via News-Medical – A new study found that the prevalence of nicotine pouch use was low in U.S. adults despite a 641% increase in sales of the products between 2019 and 2022. Researchers say the findings raise questions about who is using the millions of nicotine pouches sold in the U.S. and why. Nicotine pouches, a new commercial tobacco product, contain a crystalline powder with nicotine, flavorings (including fruit, mint or candy) and other additives. They do not cause respiratory harm and are perceived by some as an alternative to help adults who smoke tobacco quit. Nicotine pouches have recently gained attention over concerns that their flavors and trendy social media marketing campaigns are attracting youth users. However, limited data on usage among adults has been collected since the new products entered the market. Now, a study from the Keck School of Medicine of USC and the University of Nebraska Medical Center analyzed nicotine pouch use in a nationally representative sample of 39,557 U.S. adults. The study found that 2.9% of adults had ever used nicotine pouches, with 0.4% reporting current use. The majority of adults currently using pouches also currently smoke cigarettes. Additionally, 5.2% of those who attempted to quit smoking in the past year and had relapsed back to smoking reported using pouches to help with their cessation efforts. The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was just published in JAMA. “The low prevalence of nicotine pouch use in adults surprised us, given the rapid increase in sales. But it’s also possible that the sales are being diverted to adolescents, who were not represented in this survey.” – Adam Matthew Leventhal, PhD, study coauthor, professor in the department of population and public health sciences at the Keck School of Medicine and executive director of the USC Institute for Addiction Science Patterns of pouch use Data for the study were collected through the Current Population Survey (CPS) Tobacco Use Supplement in September 2022. The CPS is a monthly survey of U.S. adults that uses rigorous research methods to ensure its participants represent an accurate cross-section of the country’s population, making the results reliable enough to influence important policy decisions. The Tobacco Use Supplement includes straightforward questions about cigarette smoking, attempts to quit smoking and-;for the first time in September 2022-;the use of nicotine pouches. Of 39,558 survey respondents, 2.9% had ever used nicotine pouches, and 0.4% were currently using them. Adults who currently smoked (10.8%) or formerly smoked (6.7%) were more likely to report ever using nicotine pouches compared to people who had never smoked (1.1%). Current use of nicotine pouches was also higher among adults who currently smoked (1%) and formerly smoked (0.7%) compared to those who had never smoked (0.2%). Pouch use, both past and present, was lower in adults under 65, but higher in males and non-Hispanic whites. Among those who currently smoked who tried to quit in the past year, more reported trying to switch to e-cigarettes (21.6%) than nicotine pouches (5.2%) to help them quit. One question raised by the findings is whether adults who use nicotine pouches may be using them to “top off” nicotine in situations where they cannot smoke or use other tobacco products, Leventhal said, rather than as a way to quit smoking. Instead of reducing the health risks of cigarette smoking, that use pattern could actually make nicotine dependence more severe. Based on the study results, Leventhal estimates that of all U.S. adults who currently used nicotine pouches in 2022, about 35% had previously smoked cigarettes and 25% were currently smoking cigarettes. The remaining 40% of adult pouch consumers had never regularly smoked cigarettes and could be at risk for developing nicotine dependence. “In summary, we didn’t see a large population of adults using nicotine pouches, and fewer appear to be using them in a fashion that would potentially reduce their harm from smoking cigarettes,” Leventhal said. Regulating nicotine pouches New nicotine products typically go straight to market before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviews marketing applications and decides whether to authorize or ban each product. That decision involves weighing potential public health benefits, such as whether a product provides a safer alternative for adults who smoke, against risks, such as whether it may increase nicotine dependence among youth. Applications from major manufacturers of nicotine pouches are currently under review by the FDA. “Regulators can take our data and put it into that equation,” Leventhal said. “What our study suggests is that there’s not a large population of adults who smoke who are using these products to quit.” This study is part of the USC Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science, one of seven national centers supported by the NIH and FDA to collect evidence that can inform tobacco product regulation. In collaboration with the University of Michigan and other institutions, USC researchers are also conducting a parallel study to investigate adolescent use of nicotine pouches. They are looking at how pouch use relates to shifting teen usage patterns of other nicotine products, including e-cigarettes. About this research In addition to Leventhal, the study’s other author is Hongying Daisy Dai from the College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha. This work was supported by the National Cancer Institute [U54CA180905] and the National Institute on Drug Abuse [R21DA058328]. Source: Keck School of Medicine of USC Journal reference: Dai, H. D., et al. (2024). Prevalence of Nicotine Pouch Use Among US Adults. JAMA. doi.org/10.1001/jama.2024.10686. To read the original article click here.

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Are You Addicted to Drama?

The AHA! Team — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 08:52:39 +0000

Dr. Caroline Leaf – In this podcast (episode #479) and blog, I talk to holistic psychologist, educator and best-selling author Scott Lyons about what it means to be addicted to drama, how a drama addiction affects our mental health and relationships, how to manage a drama addiction, and so much more! As a body-based trauma expert, Doctor of Osteopathy and Mind-Body Medicine specialist, Scott helps people break free from cycles of pain, limited beliefs, and trauma. Scott is an innovator in transformative wellness and trauma therapy, teaching over half a million people internationally to relieve stress and restore vitality. Scott has worked with many of the country’s top leaders and CEOs as an executive coach and wellness consultant. Scott is the creator of The Embody Lab—the largest online learning platform for body-based trauma therapies—and developer of Somatic Stress Release™, a holistic process of restoring biological resilience, taught in over 20 countries. Scott is also the founder and designer of Omala, a wellness brand dedicated to creating sustainably sourced tools for transformation. In his incredible new book, Addicted to Drama, Scott turns the notion of the “drama queen” on its head, showing that drama is an addiction and those who are suffering with it are experiencing a much deeper psychological, biological, and social pain. For a person addicted to drama, the intensity becomes their way of coping. Their life is a constant cycle of crisis, chaos, and chronically high levels of stress. They may never be able to relax without an internal alarm going off, sending them spiraling back toward chaos. Drama is the stirring, the excitement, the exaggeration, the eruption, the unrest, and the medicine to feel alive in relation to the numbing of the internal and external world around them. For someone addicted to drama, the drama is often how they survive—or think they do. However, rather than dismissing addiction to drama as just attention seeking, Addicted to Drama offers clear-eyed empathy, humor, and practical strategies to help us all understand and break free of the drama cycle. First, it is important to understand what being addicted to drama looks like externally and on the inside. Externally, this often feels like a “how did we get here?” or “what just happened?” moment, like something that wasn’t such a big deal erupts and becomes a major issue. The experience is intense because the response doesn’t seem to match the circumstances that caused it. It often feels like someone has sucked the air out of the room—there is no space for anyone else but the person having the reaction, which can be incredibly stressful for everyone involved. Internally, this often feels like the world is against you. Everything feels like it is colliding, and it is hard to get yourself out of the eye of the storm. You feel a deep sense of urgency—you feel like you can never outrun the stress you are experiencing. You are constantly searching for what is going wrong—a sense of unease that does not dissipate. And, if you can’t find what is wrong, you create it, because you have a deep sense of being out of sync with the world, which is often the result of some kind of past trauma and isolation that distorts your sense of yourself and your environment. You are responding true to how you experience the world; you are not just “addicted to drama”. Some signs of a drama addiction are: -Feeling anxious or bored when things are calm -Making mountains out of molehills -Pulling other people into the drama -Craving extreme situations and sensations -Making bad situations universal -Crisis hopping -Enjoying controversy -Causing chaos in relationships -Feeling isolated -Feeling like a victim all the time Thankfully, if someone you know is addicted to drama, there are ways to protect yourself, including: -Recognize when you lose your anchor in the presence of someone else. This is the first step to protecting your mental and physical wellbeing. Awareness is key! -Come back into the present of your own body—grounding yourself in the present through techniques like breathing and so on. -Identify how close you want to be to the drama, and assert boundaries when necessary. If you feel like you have a drama addiction, there are ways you can manage and heal this, including: -Becoming aware of your stress response and how it is affecting your thoughts, emotions and behaviors. -Working on ways to “slow down” when you feel like you are ramping up in the moment to give yourself time to process what you are experiencing. Reframing the addiction to drama in positive ways is key. People who are addicted to drama act from a place of pain and defense—they expect the world to come at them. Understanding this is key; just saying something like “get over yourself” or “you are such a drama queen” is not helpful in the moment and can exacerbate the situation. For more on drama as a coping mechanism, listen to my podcast with Scott (episode #479) and check out his amazing work. Podcast Highlights 2:00 Scott’s amazing story & work 6:40 Scott’s new book Addicted to Drama 7:20, 11:45 What being addicted to drama looks like 13:32 Drama addiction & trauma 17:42 Isolation & drama addiction 21:55 How to tell if someone is addicted to drama 31:20 How to protect yourself from someone who is addicted to drama 37:00, 44:50 How to identify & manage your addiction to drama This podcast and blog are for educational purposes only and are not intended as medical advice. We always encourage each person to make the decision that seems best for their situation with the guidance of a medical professional. To read the original article click here.

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Marijuana and Schizophrenia?

The AHA! Team — Fri, 31 May 2024 05:31:56 +0000

Michael Greger M.D. FACLM via Nutrition Facts – The evidence linking cannabis use to psychotic disorders is considered strong enough to warrant a public health warning. “Even as proponents of [cannabis] legalization contend that smoked marijuana is a harmless natural substance that improves the quality of life, a growing body of evidence links it in a small but significant number of users to…the induction or aggravation of psychosis.” “Psychotic disorders are arguably the most serious of mental illnesses, the best known being schizophrenia.” “Schizophrenia, an illness that is characterized by delusions, hallucinations, and odd behavior, is among the top 10 leading causes of disability in the United States. It affects approximately 1% of the general population.” Can cannabis cause it? Schizophrenia… affects approximately 1% of the general population As I discuss in my video Does Marijuana Cause Schizophrenia?, over the last half-century, “nearly 2,000 studies have been published on this topic…and the pro-psychotic effects of cannabis have dominated media reporting about this drug. But how clear is the link?” Population studies have “consistently demonstrated a strong, positive, and dose-dependent association between cannabis use and the risk of psychotic disorders.” Indeed, studies have shown that the more cannabis people use, the more likely they are to be psychotic, as seen in a chart below and at 1:10 in my video. However, that doesn’t mean cannabis is the cause. It could just be a correlation or even a consequence of the disease. “The link between cannabis and psychosis is well established,” but it may be the case that patients with mental health problems self-medicate and “use cannabis to relieve their distress.” The link between cannabis and psychosis is well established… As you can see below and at 1:38 in my video, there isn’t only a link between cannabis and psychosis in snapshot-in-time cross-sectional studies, but in cohort studies as well, where people are followed over time. Research has shown that cannabis use often precedes psychosis, not the other way around. Now, it goes without saying that “the vast majority of people who use cannabis do not develop psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia, and many people diagnosed with such disorders have never used cannabis.” But, overall, these studies are considered to be “strong enough evidence to warrant a public health message that cannabis use can increase the risk of psychotic disorders.” There is another potential explanation: Even though cannabis use precedes schizophrenia, could it be that whichever genes drive schizophrenia also make it more likely you start smoking pot? The biggest strike against the cannabis-schizophrenia link is country-by-country ecological studies that don’t seem to show more disease in areas where there’s more use. And, overall, schizophrenia rates seem to have remained stable or even gone down worldwide since the 1960s, even though there’s been a big bump in cannabis use since then. If about 10 percent of schizophrenia cases are attributable to marijuana use and there’s been a fourfold increase in use, why hasn’t there been a 40 percent increase in the prevalence of schizophrenia? The problem with that argument is “there is little reliable evidence on the temporal [true] trends in the incidence of schizophrenia, so it is difficult to know whether this statement is true or not.” Perhaps it’s more of an issue with potency rather than just cannabis in general. Indeed, “the incidence of schizophrenia is higher in countries…where high-potency cannabis has taken over the market compared with countries…where more traditional forms of cannabis are smoked.” The bottom line is you don’t know until you put it to the test. You can’t just randomize kids to cannabis, but, in a way, Nature set up a natural experiment for us. There are genes that kids randomly get that can increase their likelihood of smoking pot. Do those kids then go on to have a higher risk of schizophrenia? Yes, research “findings strongly support” all of those population studies that suggest “cannabis plays a causal [cause-and-effect] role in the development of schizophrenia.” Okay, but by how much? Let’s break it down. Even if cannabis use doubles the risk, that would mean only going from a 7-in-1,000 chance of developing a psychosis to 14 in 1,000. So, going from a 1 in 140 chance to a 1 in 70 chance. It would be different if schizophrenia runs in your family, where a doubling of risk could mean going from a one-in-ten chance to one in five, but, on a population scale, it could take thousands of cannabis users quitting to prevent a single case of schizophrenia. So, from a public health standpoint, “addiction is a far more common problem.” Researchers “estimate that people who try cannabis are ninefold more likely to become addicted to it”—even though that itself is relatively rare—“than to develop psychosis in their lifetime.” I have an entire series of videos on cannabis, which I originally released in a webinar and downloadable digital DVD. Key Takeaways Although some proponents of cannabis legalization argue that marijuana is a “harmless natural substance that improves the quality of life,” it has been linked “in a small but significant number of users to…the induction or aggravation of psychosis.” Schizophrenia, a psychotic disorder characterized by hallucinations, odd behavior, and delusions, affects about 1 percent of the general population. Studies have found that the more cannabis people use, the more likely they are to be psychotic, but that could just be a correlation or even a consequence of the disease. Individuals with mental health problems may self-medicate and use cannabis to relieve distress, for example. Research has found that cannabis use often precedes psychosis, not the other way around. Overall, there appears to be “strong enough evidence to warrant a public health message that cannabis use can increase the risk of psychotic disorders.” There does not seem to be more disease in regions with greater cannabis use. Overall, schizophrenia rates appear to have remained stable or even declined worldwide since the 1960s, despite a large jump in cannabis use since then. Potency may be a bigger issue. In countries with higher potency cannabis, the incidence of schizophrenia is higher than in countries with “more traditional forms.” Some genes can increase our likelihood of using cannabis, and kids who randomly get them have been found to have a higher risk of schizophrenia. Research suggests that cannabis may have a cause-and-effect role in the development of that psychosis. Even if cannabis use doubles the risk, however, that would just mean a 1-in-70 chance of developing a psychosis without a family history of schizophrenia. From a public health standard, the far more common problem is addiction. To read the original article click here.

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New UCI-Led Study Finds Links Between Circadian Rhythms, Metabolism and Addiction

AHA Publisher — Wed, 16 Mar 2022 07:00:58 +0000

University of California, Irvine via Newswise – Irvine, Calif., March 11, 2022 — A new University of California, Irvine-led study establishes important conceptual connections between the fields of circadian rhythms, metabolism, and addiction. Going beyond current studies on substance use disorders, which focus on the impact of addictive drugs on the brain, this new research highlights an existing connection between specific neurons and peripheral organs. The study, titled “Dopamine D2 receptor signaling in the brain modulates circadian liver metabolomic profiles,” was published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “Our findings provide a link to substance use disorders and metabolic dysfunctions,” explained Emiliana Borrelli, PhD, professor of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics at UCI School of Medicine who, for this study, collaborated with the late Paolo Sassone-Corsi, PhD, professor of Biological Chemistry at UCI. “Through our research we explored how the disruption of normal neuronal functions affects metabolic activity and may move the body to an altered state away from homeostasis, which could contribute to the drug seeking behaviors exhibited by people with substance use disorders.” By analyzing the liver metabolome of mice deficient in the expression of the dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) in striatal medium spiny neurons, the researchers found profound changes in the liver circadian metabolome compared to control mice. In addition, they found that activation of dopaminergic circuits by acute cocaine administration reprograms the circadian liver metabolome. “D2R signaling in medium spiny neurons is key for striatal output and is essential for regulating the first response to the cellular and rewarding effects of cocaine,” said Borrelli. “Thus, our results suggest that changes in dopamine signaling in specific striatal neurons evoke major changes in liver physiology. Dysregulation of liver metabolism could contribute to an altered allostatic state and therefore be involved in continued use of drugs.” The circadian clock is tightly intertwined with metabolism and relies heavily on multifaceted interactions between organ systems to maintain proper timing. Genetic and/or environmental causes can disrupt communication between organs and alter rhythmic activities. Substance use leads to altered dopamine signaling followed by reprogramming of circadian gene expression and metabolism in the reward system. This study shows that dopamine D2 receptors (D2R) in striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs) play a key role in regulating diurnal liver metabolic activities. In addition, drugs that increase dopamine levels, such as cocaine, disrupt circadian metabolic profiles in the liver, which is exacerbated by loss of D2R signaling in MSNs. These results uncover a strict communication between neurons/brain areas and liver metabolism as well as the association between substance use and systemic deficits,” said Borrelli. Substance use disorders affect millions of people worldwide. The rewarding properties of substances, such as alcohol, nicotine, opioids, and psychostimulants, are linked to their ability to increase dopamine levels in brain areas that control emotions and induce pleasure. Drug intake modifies neuronal plasticity and is at the start of the process of addiction, which leads vulnerable individuals to continually seek and abuse these substances despite the adverse consequences on their lives. This study was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health under Award Number DA035600 and by the French Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale (INSERM). Future studies will examine whether the alterations in the specific metabolites identified in this study contribute to susceptibility to drug use. To read the original article click here.

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Research Demonstrates a Clear Link Between Nicotine Withdrawal and Poor Eating Habits

AHA Publisher — Tue, 28 Sep 2021 07:00:05 +0000

University of Minnesota Medical School via News-Medical – New data collected by University of Minnesota Medical School researchers demonstrate a clear connection between nicotine withdrawal and poor eating habits. Their findings point to the opioid system, the brain functions responsible for addiction and appetite regulation, as a possible cause for smoker preference of energy-dense, high-calorie food during nicotine withdrawal. This can lead to weight gain, for those who quit smoking, which, in turn, may increase the risk of relapse. Mustafa al’Absi, PhD, a licensed psychologist and professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health at the U of M Medical School, Duluth Campus, is the principal investigator and the senior author of the study recently published in the Journal of Drug and Alcohol Dependence. “We looked at whether or not acute nicotine withdrawal increases the intake of junk food -; high in salt, fat and sugar -; and how the stress-relieving receptors of the opioid system are involved. Mitigating these challenges during the treatment process will help patients quit smoking while understanding their eating habits and encourage healthier decisions.” Mustafa al’Absi, PhD, Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health, U of M Medical School The team studied a group of smoking and non-smoking participants between the ages of 18 and 75 during two laboratory sessions. All were randomly assigned to do a 24-hour withdrawal from nicotine products and administered either a placebo or 50 mg of naltrexone. At the end of each session, participants were given a tray of snack items that differed in high to low energy density and dimensions of salty, sweet and fat. The study found that: Smokers undergoing nicotine withdrawal consumed more calories than non-smokers. Participants were also less likely to select high-fat food after the naltrexone was administered than placebo. “The study’s findings may be related to the use of food, especially those high in calories, to cope with the negative affect and distress that characterizes the feelings people experience during smoking withdrawal,” al’Absi said. “Results from preclinical and clinical research support this and demonstrate that stress increases proclivity for high-fat and high-sugar foods.” Naltrexone normalized calorie intake to levels seen in non-smokers, suggesting that the opioid system may be a mechanism of withdrawal-induced intake of calories. “This is rather a novel finding in the context of nicotine addiction and has lots of implications for the development of future treatment,” al’Absi said. The choice and consumption of food items were impacted by the participants’ smoking backgrounds. al’Absi and his team are now focusing on the impact of appetite changes on weight gain post-cessation and the extent to which these changes hinder smoking cessation and increase the risk of relapse. Future work will be critical to identifying the mechanisms of these changes and could be targeted for therapeutic interventions. “These findings extend earlier studies that indicate the impact of tobacco use on appetite and help identify the influence of an important biological link, the brain opioid system, on craving during nicotine withdrawal,” al’Absi said. “The fear of weight gain is a major concern among smokers who think about quitting. The key to removing these barriers is to better understand the factors that increase the urge for high-caloric foods.” To read the original article click here.

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Elevated Levels of Serotonin Can Curb Cocaine Addiction in Mice

AHA Publisher — Mon, 13 Sep 2021 07:00:36 +0000

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) via News-Medical – Elevated levels of serotonin can prevent the development of compulsive cocaine seeking and addiction in mice, researchers report. The findings help to resolve the biological markers of addiction risk. Like other addictive drugs, cocaine acts by blocking the reuptake of key neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin, resulting in its euphoric effects. However, not all who use the drug become addicted – only about 20% of cocaine users lose control and continue to compulsively use the drug despite adverse consequences. What makes some users susceptible to addiction risk isn’t well known. Although previous studies have suggested that the differential efficacy of the brain serotonin system could play a role in developing a cocaine addiction, the relevant brain circuits and processes that underly the transition from casual to compulsive use remain elusive. In this study, Yue Li and colleagues report the discovery of a mechanism that reveals a modulatory role of serotonin in preventing the development of compulsive cocaine seeking and addiction in mice. In a series of experiments using wild-type and transgenic mice, Li et al.show how cocaine binds with serotonin transporters to block reuptake, which results in elevated levels of extracellular serotonin. This buildup activates the serotonin receptor 5-HT1Band causes presynaptic depression that inhibits synaptic transmission between the orbitofrontal cortex and the dorsal striatum, preventing wild-type mice from becoming addicted. However, in transgenic mice whose serotonin transporters did not bind with cocaine and thus prevented the accumulation of extracellular serotonin, compulsive cocaine-seeking behavior was elevated. According to the authors, the findings suggest that serotonin plays an essential role in modulating the risk of developing addiction. “Further studies should clarify the neural mechanism underlying serotonin modulation of the transition to compulsion in drug addition, what agents specific to serotonin receptors can be used and when these agents can be administered to potentially treat drug addiction,” write Katsuhiko Miyazaki and Kayoko Miyazaki in a related Perspective. To read the original article click here.

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Do You Find Processed Foods Utterly Irresistible? Here’s Why

AHA Publisher — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 07:00:07 +0000

Lorie Johnson via CBN News – Many doctors call processed foods the number one enemy of our health. They are extremely high in calories, which is bad enough, but combined with the fact that a lot of people simply can’t stop eating them leads to a worldwide weight problem that’s only getting worse. Obesity can lead to a number of chronic health problems like heart disease, cancer, and depression to name just a few. In fact, the second leading risk factor for developing complications from Covid-19 behind age is obesity. Rapid Take-Over Processed foods barely existed just fifty years ago, yet now rake in about one trillion dollars each year and are projected to increase their market share by 4% annually in the coming years. In just a generation, we’ve witnessed these packaged products being virtually unseen at the local market to now making up ninety percent of grocery store shelves. Health experts say three-fourths of the calories most Americans consume come from processed foods. Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Michael Moss looked into why we as a culture have become increasingly obsessed with processed foods. He discovered it’s not an accident, but rather a deeply manipulative plan on the part of the food industry giants to make more money regardless of the health implications. “I’ve been crawling through the underbelly of the processed food industry for ten years now,” he told CBN News, “And I continue to be shocked by the level of their cunning, deviousness, if you will, in being able to figure out what draws us to the products…to not just like them…but want more and more.” Exploiting Our Weaknesses In his book, Hooked: Food, Free Will and How the Food Giants Exploit Our Addictions, Moss claims food companies intentionally make their products addictive by first understanding our vulnerabilities and then taking advantage of them. “Biologically, these deep instincts we have make us incredibly vulnerable to overeating,” he said. For example, our bodies are designed to naturally crave sugar, fat, and salt. Processed food is packed with highly condensed amounts of each, much more than we use in home cooking. “They get the brain excited,” Moss explained, “And it sends a signal saying, ‘Wow, Michael, I love that. Can I have some more of that?'” To feed that craving, food manufacturers can add som 56 different types of sugar to their products creating an expectation that everything we consume should taste sweet. “Our brain doesn’t say, ‘Oh wait a minute, Michael, you just ate two-thousand calories in that snack bag. Stop. Wait a minute.’ Your brain is going to be put to sleep and say, ‘OK, let’s have some more. Great taste,'” Moss said. Texture, Low Price, Lots of Choices Getting us hooked on great taste is only the beginning. The processed food industry also spends a lot of time and money engineering just the right texture in their foods and drinks. Smooth, bubbly, crunchy or an irresistible blend of different textures can trigger our brains to crave more. Food makers even have a term for it: “mouthfeel” and a ranking system. The greater the “mouthfeel,” the greater the consumption, the more money made. Getting the price down, often by using less healthy ingredients, is another strategy because it increases a product’s likeability. “But it’s also something that sends that signal to the brain, ‘Wow I love the cheapness of this food. I want more of it,'” Moss said. Food manufacturers understand we get excited by anything new. So they constantly add to an already wide variety, knowing it’ nearly impossible to resist all the choices. “It’s called the ‘smorgasbord effect,'” Moss explained, “And its why you can eat at a smorgasbord, fill up until you’re stuffed, but then look down the table and see something new and go, “OK, I can fit that in.'” Disguised As Healthy, Convenient These food giants take advantage of our desire to feel like we’re making healthy choices. Believe it or not, they also make some of our most popular diet foods using the same tricks to get us hooked. “But really when you looked at the ingredients and the nutrition they weren’t all that different from their full-calorie foods,” Moss said. Plastering healthy-sounding buzz words like “protein” and “fiber” on packages can also mislead. “And so they’re adding protein to sugary cereal that’s still probably not so healthy for you,” Moss said, “They are putting in lots of fiber in products and touting that on the label even though a lot of that fiber really doesn’t work to fill you up like fiber should.” Food companies exploit our desire to make eating easy. “Convenience is another one of those big driving forces,” Moss said. Protect Your Health So now that we understand the tricks of the trade, how do we defend ourselves? Whenever possible, cook at home from scratch. It doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. For example, it only takes five minutes to cook fish in a pan on the stove while microwaving a sweet potato. Moss says the opposite of processed foods is whole foods. These are foods that closely resemble their natural form. They can generally be found around the perimeter of the grocery store such as in the produce, fish, meat, and dairy departments. Generally, the processed foods are in the center of the store. There are some exceptions, however, such as canned fish, tomatoes, and beans as well as frozen blueberries, raw nuts, and olives. To read the original article click here. For more articles from CBN News click here.

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Ohio County Sees ‘Catastrophic’ Rise in Opioid Deaths, Coroner Says COVID Is Culprit

AHA Publisher — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 07:00:30 +0000

Andrea Morris via CBN News – The coronavirus pandemic has impacted everyone in some way after descending upon civilization with full force, but the mental health crisis it has created has also been deadly. Franklin County, Ohio has seen a sharp increase in deaths from overdose since the start of COVID-19, prompting the local coroner to inform residents of these grim facts. Dr. Anahi Ortiz said the opioid epidemic affecting Franklin County has been “catastrophic” and it’s directly connected with the coronavirus. “By the first six months of 2020, current data shows that we saw a 73.4 percent increase in overdose fatalities in Franklin County,” Dr. Ortiz pointed out. “I think the anxiety and depression that has come from COVID-19 has exacerbated addiction in a number of ways,” she added. “Thinking about families who already have the anxiety and isolation from COVID-19 and their loved one has just died from addiction, that’s just a tremendous burden to bear.” Dr. Ortiz explained that 85% of the overdose deaths were fentanyl-related. “Then you have folks who perhaps because they became unemployed, etc., may have not been able to buy their usual, and then when they do get some money, they start using again, and they start at the same doses they were taking previously, and that’s when they die,” Ortiz added. She noted that Franklin County has launched training events where locals learn how to use an opioid-reversal medication called Narcan as officials have worked to help residents receive treatment and resources. Ultimately, patients must understand the associated risks when taking opioid-related medications, and that knowledge could help prevent some addiction before it begins. CBN News previously reported on other mental instabilities linked to the coronavirus pandemic, such as the rise in suicide, anxiety, and depression. In August, the CDC released a report revealing that 25.5 percent of Americans age 18 to 24 had seriously considered suicide with the past 30 days. For adults ages 25 to 44, that percentage was 16 percent. Anxiety and depression among younger adults, women, and the poor have been the highest. Data collected by the Census Bureau showed that a third of Americans were exhibiting signs of anxiety, depression, or both. If you’re dealing with mental health issues during the pandemic like suicidal thoughts, addiction, and depression, support groups and helplines are available to assist you. CBNtelephone counselors are available to pray with you at 1-800-700-7000. The Suicide Prevention Hotline can be reached by calling 1-800-273-8255. The National Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health America can be contacted by clicking here. To read the original article click here. For more articles from CBN News click here.

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