West Los Angeles College Addiction Studies

11/09/2023

NIH study suggests the brain’s “salience network” is important for understanding substance use disorder, could be a future therapeutic target.

07/09/2023

NIAAA has launched an exciting new resource: the Alcohol and Your Brain Virtual Reality (VR) Experience. Take an immersive rollercoaster ride through the brain and discover how key regions are affected by alcohol.

Anyone age 13+ with Quest, Quest 2, or Meta Quest Pro VR headsets can download the free app at the App Lab: https://fal.cn/3zECK

Or view NIAAA’s non-VR version on YouTube: https://fal.cn/3zECJ

03/30/2023

🆕 research: In a cross-sectional study of 29,000 community-dwelling adults, those with lifetime psychosis had a higher past-month prevalence of any to***co use, including ci******es, e-ci******es, and other to***co products, and higher ni****ne dependence than those without psychosis.

Among adults with past-month cigarette smoking, those with lifetime psychosis were more likely to make a quit attempt and were 2.3 times more likely to use counseling, a quitline, or support group for to***co cessation than those without psychosis. With data collected primarily in 2019, findings suggest that to***co cessation interventions tailored to adults with psychosis are urgently needed. Read more in JAMA Network Open: https://loom.ly/NEAoFL0

11/02/2022

Co***ne use supports the growth of γ-proteobacteria, a common gut bacteria that consume glycine. As glycine levels become depleted mouse models exhibit a higher response to co***ne with abnormal behaviors including increased drug-induced locomotion and drug-seeking behaviors.

10/27/2022

Great overview!

07/06/2022

Explore NIMH resources on mental health topics, statistics, brochures and fact sheets, clinical trials, and how to find help for mental illnesses.

05/31/2022

04/26/2022

Significant reductions in cigarette use were found among U.S. adults with major depression, substance use disorder, or both from 2006-2019, according to 🆕 NIDA-analysis. Findings suggest that groups at higher risk of cigarette smoking can be reached by and may have benefitted from to***co use prevention and cessation efforts that have led to significant declines in to***co use in the general population. Disparities remain as the study documented higher smoking rates in people with psychiatric disorders than in those without. Published today in JAMA: https://loom.ly/TLvBLbs

03/28/2022

The state of Oregon is channeling millions of dollars into addiction recovery programs due to a law that passed in 2020. But the state is having trouble finding the workforce to fill these jobs.

03/14/2022