Journal of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence

Alcohol use is the leading substance use in the United States. Persons with alcohol use disorder (AUD) face enormous health consequences and family problems. Analysis of Medicaid enrollee data is critical to understand different aspects of AUD and the treatment utilization for patients with AUD. Yearly patient-level data were constructed from the Kentucky 2012-2019 Medicaid claims data. ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM codes were used to identify patients with AUD and their comorbid conditions, the 11-digit National Drug Codes were used to identify medication treatments, and procedure codes were used to identify psychosocial and behavioral therapies...

OBJECTIVES: Contingency management is a promising intervention for Methamphetamine Use Disorder (MUD).Impaired executive function may decrease adherence to such treatment, but there are few data on whether impairment in executive function predicts treatment outcomes. We therefore evaluated whether baseline performance on tests of executive function predicted treatment response in a trial of contingency management for MUD. METHODS: Thirty participants with MUD and 23 healthy controls performed the Connors Continuous Performance Task (CPT) and the Trail Making Task...

Objective: The objective of this study was to understand whether histone deacetylase (HDACs) inhibitor Trichostatin A or TSA can block and/or reverse chronic alcohol exposure-induced ROS in human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MDDCs). Additionally, since nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) is a known regulator of antioxidant responses, we studied the effects of alcohol and TSA on ROS production and modulation of Nrf2 by MDDCs. Methods: Intra-cellular, extra-cellular, and total ROS levels were measured in MDDCs treated chronically with alcohol (0...

Nicotine, the main addictive component of tobacco smoke, has both rewarding and aversive properties. Recent studies have suggested that GABAergic neurons, one of the main neurochemical components of the reward-addiction circuitry, may also play a role in the aversive responses to nicotine. In the present study of transgenic mice expressing Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) in Glutamate Decarboxylase 67 (GAD67) neurons, we hypothesized that a subpopulation of GABAergic neurons in the Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA) are the targets of aversive doses of nicotine in the CNS...

Orexin/hypocretin-containing neurons in lateral hypothalamus (LH) are implicated in the neurobiology of nicotine addiction. However, the neuroanatomical relationships between orexin-neurons/nerve fibers and nicotine-activated cells within the reward-addiction neurocircuitry is not known. In the present study in mice, we first used c-Fos immunohistochemistry to identify CNS cells stimulated by an acute single injection of nicotine (NIC, 2 mg/kg, IP). Sequential double-labelling was then performed to identify the location of orexin-containing neurons and nerve fibers with respect to NIC-induced c-Fos activated cells and/or tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) immunoreactive (IR) cells of the mesocorticolimbic reward-addiction pathways...

OBJECTIVE: While effective connectivity (EC, causal interaction) between brain areas has been investigated in chronic users of cocaine as they view cocaine pictures cues, no study has examined EC while they take part in a resting-state scan. This resting-state fMRI study aims to investigate the causal interaction among brain areas in the mesocorticolimbic system (MCLS), which is involved in reward and motivation, in cocaine users (vs. controls). METHOD: Twenty cocaine users and 17 healthy controls finished a structural and a resting-state scan...

The rate of opioid overdose continues to rise, necessitating improved treatment options. Current therapeutic approaches rely on administration of either a blocking agent, such as naloxone, or chronic treatment with replacement drugs, including methadone and/or buprenorphine. Recent findings suggest that males and females respond to these treatments uniquely. In an effort to better understand this sex-specific variation in treatment efficacy, we investigated the effects of acute opioid withdrawal in male and female rats using 18FDG and microPET...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Epigenetic studies have led to a more profound understanding of the mechanisms involved in chronic conditions. In the case of alcohol addiction, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, 16 million adults suffer from Alcohol Use Disorders (AUDs). Even though therapeutic interventions like behavioral therapy and medications to prevent relapse are currently available, no robust cure exists, which stems from the lack of understanding the mechanisms of action of alcohol and the lack of development of precision medicine approaches to treat AUDs...

Alcohol has always been present in human life, and currently it is estimated that 50% of women of childbearing age consume alcohol. It has become increasingly clear over the last years that alcohol exposure during fetal development can have detrimental effects on various organ systems, and these effects are exerted by alcohol through multiple means, including effects on free radical formation, cellular apoptosis, as well as gene expression. Fetal alcohol exposure can lead to a spectrum of short term as well as long-term problems, with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome being on the more severe end of that spectrum...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

African Americans are the most affected by HIV/AIDS. Both males and females continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. They are often drug users or participate in street/drug subculture. Recent weather disasters have required identification of knowledge, beliefs, conduct norms and behavior patterns that are HIV/AIDS risk factors for disaster survivors. This paper examines patterns of behavior and common practices related to HIV among disaster survivors. STUDY BACKGROUND: Data for this paper come from a three year renewal project which focused upon the processes by which illicit drug markets were reformulated after disasters and practices of risk behaviors for HIV/AIDS...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Little is known of sexual risk behaviors among truant youths across gender. This study utilized latent class analysis to examined heterogeneity of sexual risk behaviors across gender among a sample of 300 truant adolescents. Results revealed two latent subgroups within gender: low vs. high sexual risk behaviors. There were gender differences in baseline covariates of sexual risk behaviors, with male truants in higher risk group experiencing ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) problems, and female truants in higher risk group experienced marijuana use and depression symptoms...

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the contributions of teen alcohol use to the formation and continuation of new and existing friendships while in turn estimating the influence of friend drinking on individuals' regular use and heavy drinking. METHOD: Longitudinal network analysis was used to assess the mutual influences between teen drinking and social networks among adolescents in two large Add Health schools where full network data was collected three times. Friendship processes were disaggregated into the formation of new friendships and the continuation of existing friendships in a joint model isolating friendship selection and friend influences...