http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/cocaine/ Medical research on cocaine. Read the latest research on how cocaine affects the human body, cravings, cocaine addiction and more. en-us Sun, 07 Sep 2008 03:05:01 EDT Sun, 07 Sep 2008 03:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/mind_brain/cocaine/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080827102742.htm Addictions to medicines and drugs are thought to develop over a relatively long period of time. The process involves both structural and functional changes in brain nerve cells that are still poorly understood. However, a single drug or alcohol dose is sufficient to generate an initial stage of addiction. Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080827102742.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080827163820.htm Increased connections among brain cells caused by excessive drug use may represent the body's defense mechanism to combat addiction and related behaviors, scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found. Wed, 27 Aug 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080827163820.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080820163103.htm Vigabatrin, a medication proposed as a potential treatment for drug addiction, also leads to rapid weight loss and reduced food intake according to a new animal study from the same research group. Genetically bred 'fat rats' experience dramatic weight loss, reduced food intake after being given vigabatrin. Vigabatrin is currently undergoing US Food and Drug Administration-approved Phase II clinical trials against cocaine and methamphetamine addiction across the US. Sun, 24 Aug 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080820163103.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080815073522.htm A possible future way to prevent relapses into drug dependence has been discovered. The target is the dopamine-producing nerve cells in the midbrain. Sat, 16 Aug 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080815073522.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080813120745.htm The persistent nature of addiction is its most devastating feature. Understanding the mechanism underlying this phenomenon is the key for designing efficient therapy. Two separate studies published by Cell Press in the journal Neuron identify specific cocaine-induced changes in dopamine neurons that play a pivotal role in behaviors associated with drug addiction. Thu, 14 Aug 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080813120745.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080812213931.htm "Erasing" drug-associated memories may prevent recovering drug abusers from relapsing, researchers have discovered. The team was able to reduce drug-seeking behaviors in rats by blocking a brain chemical receptor important to learning and memory during the recall of drug-associated memories. Thu, 14 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080812213931.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080730155352.htm New research has uncovered a fundamental cellular mechanism that may drive pathological drug-seeking behavior. Rats that voluntarily use cocaine show a persistent cellular memory in the brain's reward center even after several months of abstinence from the drug, while their involuntary counterparts had no such memory, according to a new study. Fri, 01 Aug 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080730155352.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080731073646.htm High levels of alcohol and drug consumption by young people in Europe is leading to an increase in unsafe sexual practices and a consequent rise in sexually-transmitted disease infections, according to a recently published study by the European Institute of Studies on Prevention (IREFREA). Fri, 01 Aug 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080731073646.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080729133515.htm Scientists have now described the specifics of how brain cells process antidepressant drugs, cocaine and amphetamines. These novel findings could prove useful in the development of more targeted medication therapies for a host of psychiatric diseases, most notably in the area of addiction. Thu, 31 Jul 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080729133515.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080630201007.htm A survey of 17 countries has found that despite its punitive drug policies the United States has the highest levels of illegal cocaine and cannabis use. Cannabis use was highest in the US (42.4%). Drug use "does not appear to be simply related to drug policy," say the authors, "since countries with more stringent policies towards illegal drug use did not have lower levels of such drug use than countries with more liberal policies." In the Netherlands, for example, which has more liberal policies than the US, 19.8% reported cannabis use. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080630201007.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080612144501.htm Scientists have found impulsivity, a trait often associated with addicts' behavior, predicts whether casual drug use will lead to compulsive drug use. Many individuals take addictive drugs at some point in their lives -- not just illicit drugs like cocaine and heroin, but also legal and commonly available substances such as alcohol and nicotine. But only a sub-group of those who take drugs eventually lose control over their drug use and become 'addicted'. Mon, 16 Jun 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080612144501.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080610092750.htm Exposure of the developing brain to cocaine can cause neurological and behavioral abnormalities in babies born to mothers who use the drug during pregnancy. Researchers -- who note that cocaine use occurs in several hundred thousand pregnancies per year in the United States alone -- investigated the mechanism of cocaine's effect on fetal brain development. Thu, 12 Jun 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080610092750.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080610071947.htm In the first study across time into late childhood of the effects of prenatal drug exposure on sleep, prenatal drug exposure is associated with greater sleep problems in children. In addition, nicotine has a unique effect, and early sleep problems predict later sleep problems. Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080610071947.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080527113200.htm The first large-scale analysis of proteins in the brains of monkeys addicted to cocaine reveals new information on how long-term cocaine use changes the amount and activity of various proteins affecting brain function. Thu, 29 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080527113200.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505162829.htm The search for genes associated with alcohol dependence has recently been extended to the tachykinin receptor 3 gene, located within a broad region on chromosome 4q. Researchers have found that seven of the nine single nucleotide polymorphisms -- DNA sequence variations -- in the 3' region of TACR3 have a significant association with AD as well as cocaine dependence. Mon, 12 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505162829.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508222420.htm Teenagers and young adults across Europe drink and take drugs as part of deliberate sexual strategies. A third of 16-35 year old males and a quarter of females surveyed are drinking alcohol to increase their chances of sex, while cocaine, ecstasy and cannabis are intentionally used to enhance sexual arousal or prolong sex. Fri, 09 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508222420.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421133021.htm New drug research suggests that teens may get addicted and relapse more easily than adults because developing brains are more powerfully motivated by drug-related cues. This conclusion has been reached by researchers who found that adolescent rats given cocaine -- a powerfully addicting stimulant -- were more likely than adults to prefer the place where they got it. Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080421133021.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416081628.htm Increasing the brain level of receptors for dopamine, a pleasure-related chemical, can reduce use of cocaine by 75 percent in rats trained to self-administer it. Earlier research had similar findings for alcohol intake. Treatments that increase levels of these chemicals -- dopamine D2 receptors -- may prove useful in treating addiction. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416081628.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407162403.htm Are the estimated 1 million young adults who were exposed to cocaine before birth more vulnerable to drug abuse today? New research indicating long-lasting brain changes suggests the possibility -- especially in males -- according to a new report. Thu, 10 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407162403.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080406153352.htm New research in monkeys suggests the feasibility of treating cocaine addiction with a "replacement" drug that mimics the effects of cocaine but has less potential for abuse -- similar to the way nicotine and heroin addictions are treated. Tue, 08 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080406153352.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407153034.htm Over 1 million babies born annually in the United States are exposed to drugs, alcohol or tobacco while in utero. New research suggests that prenatal exposure to these substances (alone or in combination) may have effects on the baby's brain structure that persist into adolescence. Tue, 08 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080407153034.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080406153354.htm Having a lower social standing increases the likelihood that a monkey faced with a stressful situation will choose cocaine over food, according to a new study. More dominant monkeys undergoing the same stressful situation had fewer changes in brain activity in areas of the brain involved in stress and anxiety and were less likely to choose cocaine. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080406153354.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080406153350.htm Simple environmental enrichment and increased social stress can both affect the level of individual drug use, according to new monkey research. Enrichment reduced drug use by all of the study animals; additional stress caused more drug intake in subordinate monkeys. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080406153350.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080312141248.htm Cocaine addicts often suffer a downward emotional spiral that is a key to their craving and chronic relapse. While researchers have developed animal models of the reward of cocaine, they have not been able to model this emotional impact, until now. Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080312141248.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080227155016.htm Diltiazem, a drug used in the treatment of high blood pressure, reduces cocaine cravings in a rat model. Previous work showed that two brain chemicals, dopamine and glutamate, independently contribute to the development of cocaine addiction. This new research indicates that calcium channels provide critical links between dopamine and glutamate that drives the intense craving associated with cocaine addiction. Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080227155016.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080218134721.htm Many studies on cocaine addiction - and attempts to block its addictiveness - have focused on dopamine transporters, proteins that reabsorb the brain's "reward" chemical once its signal is sent. Since cocaine blocks dopamine transporters from doing their recycling job, it leaves the feel-good chemical around to keep sending the pleasure signal. Now a new study suggests that cocaine's effects go beyond the dopamine system. In the study, cocaine had significant effects on brain metabolism, even in mice that lack the gene for dopamine transporters. Mon, 25 Feb 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080218134721.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080206121515.htm In experiments with rats, researchers have identified the change in brain circuitry that drives development of a compulsion to seek drugs, even when that compulsion is self-destructive. The researchers demonstrated the function of the circuitry by selectively switching off drug-seeking in the animals. They said their findings show the key role of the brain region, known as the striatum, which is a region activated by reward. Thu, 07 Feb 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080206121515.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080130092113.htm Using a brain imaging technology called functional magnetic resonance imaging, scientists have discovered that cocaine-related images trigger the emotional centers of the brains of patients addicted to drugs -- even when the subjects are unaware they've seen anything. Wed, 06 Feb 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080130092113.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071107160233.htm New measurements of brain activity confirm that cocaine-addicted individuals have compromised sensitivity to monetary rewards. This altered sensitivity may help explain why some drug-addicted individuals are unable to modify their drug-taking behavior, even in the face of well-understood negative consequences and/or positive incentives for behavioral change. Mon, 12 Nov 2007 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071107160233.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071107160227.htm Researchers have uncovered a key genetic switch that chronic cocaine or stress influences to cause the brain to descend into a pathological state. In studies with mice they showed how chronic cocaine changes gene activity to enhance the addictive reward from the drug. And they showed similarly how chronic stress induces the same kinds of changes that hypersensitizes the brain, causing depression-like symptoms. Fri, 09 Nov 2007 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071107160227.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071106201948.htm Researchers employed the 'stop-signal paradigm' to measure the length of time taken by subjects to initiate and suppress a prepared reaction. The results show that while both recreational users of cocaine and non-users performed similarly in terms of response initiation, users needed significantly more time to inhibit their responses. Wed, 07 Nov 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071106201948.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071106141554.htm Scientists now provide further evidence that a drug known as D-cycloserine could play a role in helping to extinguish the craving behaviors associated with drug addiction. Their study found that mice treated with D-cycloserine were less likely to spend time in an environment where they had previously been trained to expect cocaine than mice treated with a placebo. Wed, 07 Nov 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071106141554.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071105164459.htm The genes that play a role in illegal drug abuse are not entirely the same as those involved in dependence on legal substances like alcohol and nicotine, and caffeine addiction appears to be genetically independent of all the others, according to a new study. Wed, 07 Nov 2007 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071105164459.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071105154923.htm Anyone who sniffs cocaine once has a 15 to 20% likelihood of becoming addicted to this hard drug. Why does the recreational user only try it once whereas another person becomes physically and mentally dependent on the drug? Researchers have now found a possible explanation in the effect of stress hormones. Tue, 06 Nov 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071105154923.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071011065401.htm The anticipation of a cocaine fix and the actual craving to abuse the drug are two closely related phenomena, according to new evidence. Scientists explain that craving is an intense and often irrepressible urge to seek and consume the drug, which can result in relapses even after extended periods of abstinence. In searching for effective therapies, understanding how craving, cognition and motivation are entwined is essential. Thu, 11 Oct 2007 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071011065401.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070829162811.htm The decreased use of cocaine in the United States over the last 20 years mostly occurred among the highly educated, while cocaine use among non-high school graduates remained constant. Thu, 30 Aug 2007 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070829162811.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070821143621.htm Public health officials may soon be able to flush out more accurate estimates on illegal drug use in communities across the country thanks to a new screening test. The test doesn't screen people directly, but instead seeks out evidence of illicit drug abuse in drug residues and metabolites excreted in urine and flushed toward municipal sewage treatment plants. Wed, 22 Aug 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070821143621.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070813083048.htm Researchers have discovered a treatment that counteracts the effects of cocaine on the human cardiovascular system, including lowering the elevated heart rate and blood pressure often found in cocaine users. Wed, 15 Aug 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070813083048.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070808211552.htm UK estimates of "drug-related deaths" include mortalities of drug abusers and nondrug abusers. So these figures may not be the best way of monitoring the performance of Drug and Alcohol Action Teams. Fri, 10 Aug 2007 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070808211552.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070711105836.htm Researchers have shown that prenatal cocaine exposure in zebrafish (which share the majority of the same genes with humans) can alter neuronal development and acutely dysregulate the expression of circadian genes and those affecting melatonin signaling, growth and neurotransmission. The circadian factors, including the principal circadian hormone melatonin, can attenuate the prenatal effects of cocaine. Fri, 13 Jul 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070711105836.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070621155554.htm A pair of new vaccines designed to combat cocaine and methamphetamine dependencies not only relieve addiction but also minimize withdrawal symptoms. Fri, 22 Jun 2007 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070621155554.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070618124538.htm Parents, doctors, and others have wondered whether common treatments for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) inadvertently predispose adolescents to future drug abuse. The answer may depend on the age at which treatment is started and how long it lasts, say the authors of a new brain-imaging and behavioral study conducted in animals. Tue, 19 Jun 2007 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070618124538.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070418163701.htm A new study to evaluate treatments for addiction to prescription painkillers is being launched in California. This is the first large-scale study to assess whether addiction to opioid painkillers, such as Vicodin and OxyContin, can effectively be treated with drug treatments currently used for heroin addiction. Thu, 19 Apr 2007 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070418163701.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070402233734.htm Increasing rates of amphetamine and cocaine usage by young adults significantly boost their risk of stroke, with amphetamine abuse associated with the greatest risk, researchers recently report. Tue, 03 Apr 2007 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070402233734.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070302082810.htm Scientists at the University of Cambridge have discovered why some individuals may be predisposed to drug addiction and believe it may lead to better treatments for this brain disorder. Mon, 05 Mar 2007 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/03/070302082810.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070116093548.htm An ongoing research project into the detection of illicit drug use has shown that of a sample of bank notes in current circulation in the greater Dublin area -- 5, 10, 20 and 50 Euro denominations -- 100% of them showed contamination with cocaine. Tue, 16 Jan 2007 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070116093548.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070112155153.htm A recent study by investigators at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development may help explain the long-term behavioral and neurological problems associated with prenatal exposure to cocaine. Sat, 13 Jan 2007 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070112155153.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/12/061207160628.htm Researchers have found evidence for a fundamental molecular mechanism underlying the hyperactive high of cocaine. In studies with rats, they have traced the effect to interactions between two types of receiving stations in neurons for nerve signals from their neighbors. The researchers' studies in rats found that when the animals received cocaine, a component of a receptor for the neurotransmitter dopamine tends to grab onto a component of a receptor for glutamate. The result, they found, was interference with normal activation of this glutamate receptor. Thu, 07 Dec 2006 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/12/061207160628.htm