Addiction

The School of Medicine Basic Sciences’ Center for Addiction Research hosted a conversation featuring researchers and advocates about the intersection of incarceration, societal reentry and addiction for National Women Touched by Addiction Day, July 23. Read More

Exercise and movement may be a prescription to mitigate drug and alcohol seeking behavior due to its influence on the brain. Est. reading time: 3 mins. Read More

Research Snapshot: Neuroimaging research is the first to show an area of the brain’s role in early abstinence from alcohol, revealing key sex differences. Est. reading time 2.5 mins. Read More

Wide-ranging conversation addresses how creative culture and expectations of masculinity have shaped drug use, highlights the need to destigmatize addiction through science. Read More

In recognition of Alcohol Awareness Month, the School of Medicine Basic Sciences will host a conversation between Will Welch, global editorial director of "GQ" magazine, and the Vanderbilt Center for Addiction Research on Wednesday, April 21, from 11 a.m. to noon CT. Read More

Assistant Professor of Pharmacology Erin Calipari will share insight into how addiction has changed due to COVID-19 at fundraiser for local nonprofit Mending Hearts. Read More

Histamine — commonly associated with allergies — also has a signaling role in the brain’s reward center and may offer a novel target for treating addiction. Read More

Vanderbilt researchers have identified and characterized inhibitors of an enzyme that synthesizes lipid signaling molecules with roles in energy balance, inflammation and addiction. Read More

Danny Winder and colleagues are teasing apart the actions of neurotransmitter receptors in a brain region linked to anxiety and addiction, with a goal of finding treatments for substance use disorders. Read More

New study from neuroscientists at Vanderbilt provides initial answers to long-standing scientific questions on what causes the transition from moderate to compulsive alcohol consumption – and what makes some drinkers particularly vulnerable to developing alcohol use disorders. Read More

But long before female-specific medications are available, treatment centers could use the information in this study to educate women about their stronger mental connections to places and objects. Read More

There’s promise in specific immune system peptides—amino acid compounds that signal cells how to function. In this case, they may be affecting brain activity and, by extension, drug cravings. Read More

The discovery that high levels of bile acids appear to blunt cravings for cocaine could lead to new treatments for addiction. Read More

In areas of the country disproportionately affected by the opioid crisis, treatment programs are less likely to accept patients paying through insurance of any type or accept pregnant women, a new Vanderbilt study found. Read More

Opioid addicts and others battling compulsion around drugs or alcohol are using a new high-tech, low-risk method to practice saying no—through virtual reality. Read More

Former U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy advocated for better treatment of mental health issues and spoke candidly about his struggles during a Chancellor's Lecture Series discussion on Tuesday. Read More

The 2016 Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs and Health, “Facing Addiction in America,” leaves little question about the growing problem of addiction. Read More

Fatal drug overdoses in Davidson County more than doubled in the past four years and now exceed the death rates for homicides and motor vehicle accidents, yet few people with addiction can obtain the treatment they need, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry said Tuesday. Read More

Although drug addiction is classically studied in a neuron-centric way, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered that the immune system also plays a critical role. Read More

Complications related to opioid abuse occur in 54,000 pregnancies annually in the United States, and Tennessee ranks among the top 10 states in the number of opioid-dependent pregnant women. Read More