Drug Facts in Media

Researchers used single-nucleus RNA sequencing to compare transcriptional responses to acute cocaine in 16 unique cell populations from the brain nucleus accumbens. The atlas is part of a major study that used multiple cutting-edge technologies to describe a dopamine-induced gene expression signature that regulates the brain's response to cocaine. The study shows neurobiological processes that control drug-related adaptations and reveals new information about how transcriptional mechanisms regulate activity-dependent processes within the central nervous system.

Researchers find that the benefits of inhalers for asthma sufferers outweigh the risks of contracting coronavirus, following concerns raised after WHO warned that steroids could reduce immunity.

As many as 7% of moms-to-be use marijuana while pregnant, and that number is rising fast as more use it to quell morning sickness. But new research suggests such use could have a lasting impact on the fetal brain, influencing children's sleep for as much as a decade.

In a sign that designer drugs are becoming more prevalent in Australia, synthetic cathinones -- commonly known as 'bath salts' -- have been detected in the nation's wastewater in the largest study of its kind in the country.

A study of 121 regular users of legal market cannabis found that higher potency does not necessarily mean greater intoxication. It also found that while balance and memory are impaired immediately after use, that impairment fades within in an hour.

People suffering from post-traumatic distress disorder report that cannabis reduces the severity of their symptoms by more than half, at least in the short term, according to a recent study.

Researchers have discovered that dopamine D2 receptors (DRD2s) in cholinergic interneurons (ChINs) play a crucial role in cocaine addiction.

Researchers have developed a synthetic molecule that selectively controls the physiological rewards of cocaine in mice. It also may represent a new class of small-molecule drugs that are more specific and have fewer side effects. The molecule selectively activates beta-arrestin without activating the G protein, making its signal to the cell much more specific.

Researchers examine the effectiveness of consuming hemp oil extracted from the whole cannabis plant using a chronic neuropathic pain animal model. Researchers showed that legal cannabis hemp oil reduced mechanical pain sensitivity 10-fold for several hours in mice with chronic post-operative neuropathic pain.

The optimal minimum legal age for non-medical cannabis use is 19 years of age, according to a new study.

Taking antibiotics alongside opioids may increase the risk of opioid abuse, according to research in rats.

Health practitioners are constantly developing new ways to help those with drug and alcohol addictions wean themselves from their substance of choice. Most such programs have limited success, however. A new study finds that interventions that take a multidimensional approach -- tackling the biological, social, environmental and mental health obstacles to overcome while also addressing a person's substance use -- work best for those hoping to stop using drugs.

A new study explains how cocaine modifies functions in the brain revealing a potential target for therapies aimed at treating cocaine addiction.

Cannabis use makes young brains more sensitive to the first exposure to cocaine, according to a new study on rodents. By monitoring the brains of both adolescent and adult rats after giving them synthetic psychoactive cannabinoids followed by cocaine, the research team identified key molecular and epigenetic changes that occurred in the brains of adolescents -- but not adults.

Scientists have discovered a new role for the brain chemical dopamine that is independent of classic neurotransmission. The new role appears to be critical to changes in gene expression related to chronic exposure to, or abuse of, cocaine.

Medical marijuana users who say they have high levels of pain are more likely than those with low pain to say they use cannabis three or more times a day, a new study finds. However, daily marijuana users with severe pain also reported their health had become worse in the past year.

Female eggs exposed to THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, have an impaired ability to produce viable embryos, and are significantly less likely to result in a viable pregnancy, according to an animal study.

Those who consume alcohol and drive are often subjected to roadside stops, breathalyzer tests and stiff penalties if their blood alcohol content exceeds certain limits. Currently, no such test exists for cannabis intoxication, although the substance can impair driving. Now, scientists report a convenient saliva test for cannabis levels that might someday be used at roadside stops.

Coughing fits, anxiety and paranoia are three of the most common adverse reactions to cannabis, according to a recent study.

More than 90% of the legal marijuana products offered in medical dispensaries are much stronger than what clinical studies have shown that doctors recommend for chronic pain relief, according to a new study.