cocaine
Cocaine Proving to be a Hard Drug to Crack
There are a number of individuals throughout the world that deal with addictions. For those with a cocaine addiction, this one has proven to be one of the most difficult to beat. Individuals who complete treatment for a cocaine addiction may or may not experience a full recovery as it can depend on other factors.
A recent Science Daily post examined study findings indicating that a high score on the so-called ‘scale of craving,’ an antisocial personality type and previous heroin abuse are all factors that are most commonly involved in situations where people fall back into the cocaine habit.
Stress Tends to Play a Part in Cocaine Relapse
Is it possible that stress can lead to cocaine abuse or is it the other way around? According to the results in recent mouse studies, the stress-evoked changes in circuits that regulate serotonin in certain parts of the brain can precipitate a low mood and a relapse in cocaine-seeking.
Science Daily recently published a release that examined the findings of this study.
“The impetus for this research was our interest in how stress alters the brain’s cell receptors and protein signals in ways that lead to mood changes, depression, anxiety, and drug seeking,” said Dr. Michael Bruchas, acting instructor of pharmacology at the University of Washington (UW). The senior author was Dr. Charles Chavkin, the Allan and Phyllis Treuer Professor of Pharmacology and director of the UW Center for Drug Addiction Research.
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Study Examines Impact of Cocaine Abuse
While the use of cocaine can have far-reaching impacts on an individual, the memory and cognitive problems associated with use and abuse may also be linked to pre-existing traits or lifestyle factors. These findings were discussed in a recent Science Daily post and were presented at the Neuroscience 2009, an annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.
“Our results clearly demonstrate the negative impact that even limited access to cocaine can have on cognitive function,” said senior author Charles W. Bradberry, PhD, of the University of Pittsburgh. “These findings may lead to the development of therapies for cognitive impairments as a way to improve addiction treatment.”
Cocaine Found in up to 90 Percent of US Paper Money
Up to 90 percent of US paper money contains traces of cocaine, according to researchers in what is described as the largest, most comprehensive analysis to date of cocaine contamination in banknotes. The scientists found the most cocaine in large cities such as Baltimore, Boston, and Detroit. In fact, they found traces of cocaine in 95 percent of the banknotes analyzed from Washington DC alone.
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Drug Patterns Uncovered through Wastewater
A team of researchers has mapped patterns of illicit drug use across the state of Oregon by sampling municipal wastewater before it is treated. According to a Science Daily article, their findings provide a one-day snapshot of drug excretion that can be used to better understand patterns of drug use in multiple municipalities over time.
More Women Using Cocaine in the UK
The Telegraph UK reported that one in 15 women ages 10-25 in England admitted they have tried cocaine, raising concerns that young women will soon overtake men for cocaine use. Unfortunately, cocaine is being considered more glamorous and socially acceptable, with high-profile celebrities like Kate Moss and Amy Winehouse being associated with the drug.
The increase in female cocaine users parallels the recent increase in female binge drinkers. The co-author of the study, Jim McVeigh, says that the findings shouldn’t be surprising because “we have seen the same thing happening with alcohol, which is intrinsically linked with cocaine.”
New Approaches for Cocaine Addiction
Results from two recent studies may offer the promise of new approaches in fighting cocaine addiction.
Blocking MCH in brain cells limits cocaine cravings
In the first study, which was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, pharmacological researchers at the University of California-Irvine discovered a blocking hormone related to hunger that may be able to limit cravings for cocaine.
Shinjae Chung and Olivier Civelli, the two UC-Irvine researchers, identified how the melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) works along with dopamine in the brain’s pleasure center and results in the body’s addictive response to using cocaine. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter, is essential to the normal functioning of the central nervous system. In addition, Chung and Civelli found that craving for cocaine was limited by blocking MCH in those brain cells.
Cocaine Use Among U.S. Workers Down, Amphetamines Up
Statistics from Quest Diagnostics, the world’s largest provider of diagnostic tests, show that fewer U.S. workers used cocaine or methamphetamines in 2008 than in 2007, but that more took amphetamines. Based on 5.7 million urine tests analyzed by Quest, the findings said cocaine use fell to 0.47% from 0.58%, but that amphetamine use rose from 5.3% to 12.5%.
“While many substances are showing declines in use, a significant trend upward that will be important to watch is the rise in amphetamine positives,” said Robert Willette, a former research chief at the National Institute on Drug Abuse in Bethesda, Maryland.
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New Research Reveals Impact of Cocaine Addiction on the Brain
There are several popular misconceptions circulating in society today as to what exactly addiction is, and whether or not addiction should be treated as a disease by health professionals. To many scientists, addiction has long been associated as a by-product of altered mental states where the brain cannot distinguish between healthy and unhealthy behavior. For example, addictions manifested in the form of obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD) are thought to arise from abnormal neuron firing in the brain; in other words, the brain of an addict displays the same need for the desired object in the same way that one would crave basic necessities like food or water. However, scientists from the Wake Forest University School of Medicine have revealed surprising information on how an addiction can actually alter the activity of certain proteins and neurons in the brain. This new research can help scientists understand why addiction is so hard to overcome, and how to effectively prevent and treat addict relapses.
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