Explaining the Escalation of Drug Use in Substance Dependence: Models and Appropriate Animal Laboratory Tests

Pharmacology ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 80 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 65-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald Zernig ◽  
Serge H. Ahmed ◽  
Rudolf N. Cardinal ◽  
Drake Morgan ◽  
Elio Acquas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
Laboratory Tests ◽  
Substance Dependence ◽  
Dependence Models

A functional neuregulin-1 gene variant and stressful life events: Effect on drug use in a longitudinal population-representative cohort study

2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariliis Vaht ◽  
Kariina Laas ◽  
Evelyn Kiive ◽  
Jüri Parik ◽  
Toomas Veidebaum ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Life Events ◽  
Illicit Drugs ◽  
Substance Dependence ◽  
Stressful Life Events ◽  
Susceptibility Gene ◽  
Stressful Life ◽  
Health Study ◽  
Neuregulin 1

Background: The neuregulin 1 gene is a susceptibility gene for substance dependence. A functional polymorphism (SNP8NRG243177/rs6994992; C/T) in the promoter region of the brain-specific type IV neuregulin-1 gene ( NRG1) has been associated with psychiatric disorders (e.g. schizophrenia and bipolar disorder) that often present higher odds of smoking, alcohol and illicit drug use. This study assessed the association of the NRG1 genotype with drug use and possible interaction with stressful life events (SLEs). Methods: The database of the Estonian Children Personality Behaviour and Health Study (beginning in 1998) was used. Cohorts of children initially 9 years old ( n=583; followed up at 15 and 18 years) and 15 years old ( n=593; followed up at 18 and 25 years) provided self-reports on alcohol, tobacco and illicit substance use and SLEs. Psychiatric assessment based on DSM-IV was carried out on the older birth cohort at age 25 to assess the lifetime presence of substance use disorders. NRG1 rs6994992 was genotyped in all participants by TaqMan® Pre-Designed SNP Genotyping Assay on the Applied Biosystems ViiA™ 7 Real-Time PCR System. The minor (T) allele frequency was 0.37. Results: NRG1 rs6994992 C/C homozygotes, especially those who had experienced more SLEs, were more likely to develop alcohol use disorders by young adulthood, were generally more active consumers of tobacco products, and had more likely used illicit drugs. In T allele carriers, SLEs had a negligible effect on substance use. Conclusions: In humans, NRG1 genotype is associated with substance use, and this relationship is moderated by adverse life events, with a gain-of-function allele being protective.

scholarly journals The Ability of Single Screening Questions for Unhealthy Alcohol and Other Drug Use to Identify Substance Dependence in Primary Care

2014 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 153-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Saitz ◽  
Debbie M. Cheng ◽  
Donald Allensworth-Davies ◽  
Michael R. Winter ◽  
Peter C. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Substance Dependence ◽  
Unhealthy Alcohol ◽  
Screening Questions

scholarly journals The Effects of Mindfulness Training and Dialectical Behavior Therapy on Drug Craving and Emotion Self-regulation in Clients With Substance-dependence

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-138
Author(s):  
Mojtaba Moghadam ◽  
◽  
Behnam Makvandi ◽  
Farah Naderi ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Behavior Therapy ◽  
Dialectical Behavior Therapy ◽  
Substance Dependence ◽  
Mindfulness Training ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Drug Craving ◽  
Drug Use Disorders ◽  
Post Test

Background: Drug craving is a strong and resistant yearn to consume drugs; if not met, his condition would be followed by biopsychological issues, such as fatigue, anxiety, aggression, and depression. This study determined the effects of mindfulness training and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) on drug craving and emotion regulation in clients with substance dependence. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test, post-test and a control group design. The research population included all the clients with drug use disorders, referring to midterm substance-dependence treatment centers in Baghmalek City, Iran, in 2018. Using a convenience sampling method, 60 clients with drug use disorders, willing to participate in the project were selected. Accordingly, they were randomly assigned into two experimental groups (mindfulness training & dialectical behavior therapy), and a control group (n=20/group). The research instruments included the Substance Craving Questionnaire-NOW (SCQ-NOW) and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ). The first experimental group underwent twelve 45-minute weekly sessions of mindfulness training. Besides, the second experimental group received twelve 45-minute weekly sessions of dialectical behavior therapy. The control group received no treatment. Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) was applied in SPSS to analyze the obtained data. Results: The Mean±SD post-test scores of drug craving for mindfulness training, dialectical behavior therapy, and control groups were 130.02±8.01, 124.75±7.58, and 212.19±12.32, respectively. The collected results suggested that the provided intervention programs effectively reduced drug craving and improved emotion regulation in the examined clients (P=0.0001). Additionally, there was no significant difference between the effects of mindfulness training and dialectical behavior therapy on drug craving and emotion regulation. Conclusion: In addition to decreasing drug craving, mindfulness training and dialectical behavior therapy can improve emotion regulation in subjects with drug use disorders.

scholarly journals Mental Health Symptoms Associated with Sexualized Drug Use (Chemsex) among Men Who Have Sex with Men: A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (24) ◽  
pp. 13299
Author(s):  
Daniel Íncera-Fernández ◽  
Manuel Gámez-Guadix ◽  
Santiago Moreno-Guillén
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Psychosocial Adjustment ◽  
Substance Dependence ◽  
Web Of Science ◽  
Mental Health Symptoms ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
Intravenous Drugs ◽  
Sex With Men

Background: Sexualized drug use (SDU), also known as chemsex, refers to the use of psychoactive substances for sexual purposes among men who have sex with men (MSM), which has been associated with mental health symptoms. The objective of this review is to systematically review the available evidence on mental health outcomes in MSM who use sexualized drugs. Methods: To prepare this systematic review, search strategies were developed and applied to the Web of Science, Science Direct, PubMed, and Scopus databases. A total of 117 articles were found, of which 12 were selected for the final review. Results: Those MSM who practiced SDU were more likely to experience from depression, anxiety, or a substance dependence, although these results were not found in all the studies analyzed. Among those who practiced the administration of intravenous drugs (referred to as slamsex), the mental health symptoms were more severe. Conclusions: This systematic review contributes to a fuller understanding of the mental health symptoms present in MSM who consume drugs for sexual purposes. Greater uniformity in data collection instruments is required, as well as the need to conduct a more in-depth assessment of the psychosocial adjustment of people who practice chemsex.

Drug use in global perspective

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas F. Babor ◽  
Jonathan Caulkins ◽  
Benedikt Fischer ◽  
David Foxcroft ◽  
Keith Humphreys ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drug Use ◽  
Drug Users ◽  
Illicit Drugs ◽  
Substance Dependence ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Drug Related Problems ◽  
Overwhelming Evidence ◽  
History Of ◽  
Political Economic

The use of illicit psychoactive substances is commonplace in many parts of the world, with significant variations in the extent of drug use and problem use. This reflects differences in drug markets, drug availability, and legislation, as well as political, economic, and social conditions. Cultural and historical conditions can also play an important role. Overwhelming evidence from epidemiological research conducted over the past 50 years shows that adolescence is the period of greatest risk for the initiation of drug use. Most of those who have tried illicit drugs do not go on to develop drug dependence or drug-related problems. Problem drug users are more often males and are likely to have a family history of substance dependence, delinquent behaviour, and mental health problems. Strategies to prevent drug use or drug related harms need to address the complexity of drug-related problems.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document