addiction

In the largest study of its kind, scientists find nearly 4,000 genetic variants that may predispose people to alcohol and tobacco use behaviors. 

A jolt of norepinephrine in the mouse gut facilitates colonization by certain microbes, which in turn deplete glycine, enhancing cocaine-induced behaviors.

A study finds that injuries to certain areas of the brain were associated with quitting smoking more quickly, easily, and with no cravings.

How scientists aim to induce an immune response against addictive drugs

Researchers are turning to the immune system for help in treating addiction and preventing overdose.

As the year draws to a close, we look back on researchers we bid farewell to, and the contributions they made to their respective fields.

Knowingly facing the end of her life, she raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for underrepresented students in higher education.

After eight weeks of exposure to ecologically plausible levels of methamphetamines, the fish tended to prefer meth-laced water over water without the drug.

Mice with low vitamin D had exaggerated craving for opioids and felt the drugs’ effects more strongly—results supported in part by human medical records—suggesting that supplements should be explored as treatments for opioid use disorders.

A physician and neurobiologist at the Rockefeller University who specialized in addiction research, Kreek was best known for her work on developing the treatment for heroin addiction.

The researchers say these findings challenge dogma in the field, which has given the liver all credit for metabolizing alcohol.

Join The Scientist on December 11 to discuss Yaa Gyasi’s sophomore novel, about a Stanford University neuroscience grad student navigating family issues, lab work, and her emerging identity.

In Chapter 14, author David Nutt describes the opioid crisis currently besetting the US.

Draconian drug laws harm citizens the world over. It’s high time to use sound science to change the landscape of prohibition.

Some rats showed a decrease in addictive tendencies when researchers activated the pathway, while the behavior of others became more addictive when the pathway was inhibited.

Bury your nose in tales of neurosyphilis, gender identity, the medical mysteries of sleep disorders, and more.

Preliminary findings from a clinical trial of heavy drinkers suggest that the drug can weaken certain memories tied to the reward of imbibing, although the mechanisms aren’t fully clear.

Kamran Khodakhah, a researcher at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, explains the cerebellum's newly described role in addictive and social behaviors.

The Albert Einstein College of Medicine neuroscientist has revealed surprising functions of the brain region, such as its role in the brain’s rewards circuits and in addiction.