Sports participation and alcohol use among adolescents: the impact of measurement and other research design elements.
CONCLUSIONS: Sports participation has been defined and measured in various ways, most of which do not differentiate between interscholastic and community-based contexts, confounding this relationship. Stronger measures of both sports participation and alcohol use need to be applied in future studies to advance our understanding of this relationship among youths.
PMID: 21696347 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Current Drug Abuse Reviews)
Source: Current Drug Abuse Reviews - November 14, 2014 Category: Addiction Tags: Curr Drug Abuse Rev Source Type: research
"Legal highs" - new players in the old drama.
Authors: Zawilska JB
Abstract
Recently, a new class of "designer drugs" has emerged on the drug use market, known as "legal highs" or "herbal highs". They include a wide range of products, from natural plant-originated substances to synthetic compounds, that can be purchased both online and from high street retailers. "Legal highs" mimic psychoactive effects of illicit drugs of abuse. However, they are claimed to consist of compounds that are legal to sell, possess and use. Based on the spectrum of their actions on the cognitive processes, mood, and behavior "legal highs" can be classified into three basic...
Source: Current Drug Abuse Reviews - November 14, 2014 Category: Addiction Tags: Curr Drug Abuse Rev Source Type: research
The 2D:4D digit ratio: a biomarker of alcohol and drug abuse?
Authors: Verster JC, de Haan L
PMID: 21711230 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] (Source: Current Drug Abuse Reviews)
Source: Current Drug Abuse Reviews - November 14, 2014 Category: Addiction Tags: Curr Drug Abuse Rev Source Type: research
Dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area: drug-induced synaptic plasticity and its role in relapse to drug-seeking behavior.
Authors: Sun W
Abstract
Relapse is a hallmark of drug addiction and a daunting challenge facing the clinical treatment of the disease. Although the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the rewarding effects of addictive drugs, thought to play a critical role in initiating drug use, have been extensively studied for the past half century, recent research has begun to focus on the neural mechanisms underlying relapse. For the past decade, accumulating evidence indicates that glutamate and dopamine (DA) neurotransmissions in the mesocorticolimbic system are critically involved in this process. This review fo...
Source: Current Drug Abuse Reviews - November 14, 2014 Category: Addiction Tags: Curr Drug Abuse Rev Source Type: research
Drug-related death following release from prison: a brief review of the literature with recommendations for practice.
Authors: Leach D, Oliver P
Abstract
Mortality from drug-related death is a significant contributor to the loss of life of young people in the UK. Despite attention, the high death rate from this cause continues to persist. One of the most frequently cited factors involved in drug-related death (DRD) is release from prison. This review aims to examine the published literature with a view to quantifying the risk associated with recent prison release and identifying risk factors and prevention strategies. Most deaths following release from prison are caused by overdose, usually from opioid use. The risk of de...
Source: Current Drug Abuse Reviews - November 14, 2014 Category: Addiction Tags: Curr Drug Abuse Rev Source Type: research
Overlaps in the nosology of substance abuse and overeating: the translational implications of "food addiction".
Authors: Avena NM, Bocarsly ME, Hoebel BG, Gold MS
Abstract
The obesity epidemic has led to the postulation that highly palatable foods may be "addictive" for some individuals. This idea is supported by the fact that there are overlaps in brain circuitry that underlie addictive behavior as well as overeating. In this paper, we discuss the utility of the concept of "food addiction" as it may relate to treating certain disordered eating behaviors. Using criteria set forth in the DSM-IV for substance-use disorders, we review data that have emerged from animal models suggesting that overeating, in the form of ...
Source: Current Drug Abuse Reviews - November 14, 2014 Category: Addiction Tags: Curr Drug Abuse Rev Source Type: research
The addiction potential of hyperpalatable foods.
Authors: Gearhardt AN, Davis C, Kuschner R, Brownell KD
Abstract
Scientific interest in "food addiction" continues to grow due both to neurobiological and behavioral similarities between substance dependence and excessive food consumption. An important next step is to examine the addictive potential of highly processed foods. In this paper, we explore addiction-related changes in the modern food environment (e.g., increased potency, elevated speed of absorption), examine the historical and modern understanding of addictive substances as applied to hyperpalatable foods, and outline shared factors that incre...
Source: Current Drug Abuse Reviews - November 14, 2014 Category: Addiction Tags: Curr Drug Abuse Rev Source Type: research
Is fast food addictive?
Authors: Garber AK, Lustig RH
Abstract
Studies of food addiction have focused on highly palatable foods. While fast food falls squarely into that category, it has several other attributes that may increase its salience. This review examines whether the nutrients present in fast food, the characteristics of fast food consumers or the presentation and packaging of fast food may encourage substance dependence, as defined by the American Psychiatric Association. The majority of fast food meals are accompanied by a soda, which increases the sugar content 10-fold. Sugar addiction, including tolerance and withdra...
Source: Current Drug Abuse Reviews - November 14, 2014 Category: Addiction Tags: Curr Drug Abuse Rev Source Type: research
Regulation of drug and palatable food overconsumption by similar peptide systems.
Authors: Morganstern I, Barson JR, Leibowitz SF
Abstract
This review is aimed at understanding some of the common neurochemical, behavioral and physiological determinants of drug and food overconsumption. Much current work has been devoted to determining the similarities between the brain circuits controlling excessive use of addictive drugs and the overconsumption of palatable foods. The brain systems involved likely include peptides of both mesolimbic and hypothalamic origin. Evidence gathered from expression and injection studies suggests that the consumption of drugs, such as ethanol and nicotine, and ...
Source: Current Drug Abuse Reviews - November 14, 2014 Category: Addiction Tags: Curr Drug Abuse Rev Source Type: research
The face of uncertainty eats.
Authors: Corwin RL
Abstract
The idea that foods rich in fat and sugar may be addictive has generated much interest, as well as controversy, among both scientific and lay communities. Recent research indicates that fatty and sugary food in-and-of itself is not addictive. Rather, the food and the context in which it is consumed interact to produce an addiction-like state. One of the contexts that appears to be important is the intermittent opportunity to consume foods rich in fat and sugar in environments where food is plentiful. Animal research indicates that, under these conditions, intake of the fatty sug...
Source: Current Drug Abuse Reviews - November 14, 2014 Category: Addiction Tags: Curr Drug Abuse Rev Source Type: research
Variability in reward responsivity and obesity: evidence from brain imaging studies.
Authors: Burger KS, Stice E
Abstract
Advances in neuroimaging techniques have provided insight into the role of the brain in the regulation of food intake and weight. Growing evidence demonstrate that energy dense, palatable foods elicit similar responses in reward-related brain regions that mimic those of addictive substances. Currently, various models of obesity's relation to reward from food have been theorized. There is evidence to support a theory of hypo-responsivity of reward regions to food, where individuals consume excess amounts to overcome this reward deficit. There is also data to support a th...
Source: Current Drug Abuse Reviews - November 14, 2014 Category: Addiction Tags: Curr Drug Abuse Rev Source Type: research
Reinforcement pathology and obesity.
Authors: Carr KA, Daniel TO, Lin H, Epstein LH
Abstract
Obesity is, in part, a result of positive energy balance or energy intake exceeding physiological needs. Excess energy intake is determined by a series of food choices over time. These choices involve both motivational and executive function processes. Problems arise when there is excessive motivation to eat and low impulse control, a situation we have termed reinforcement pathology. Motivational and executive function processes have also been implicated in the development of drug dependence and addiction. In this review we discuss the application of ...
Source: Current Drug Abuse Reviews - November 14, 2014 Category: Addiction Tags: Curr Drug Abuse Rev Source Type: research
Does anorexia nervosa resemble an addiction?
Authors: Barbarich-Marsteller NC, Foltin RW, Walsh BT
Abstract
Anorexia nervosa is a severe psychiatric disorder characterized by unrelenting self-starvation and life-threatening weight loss. The relentlessness with which individuals with anorexia nervosa pursue starvation and in some cases exercise despite the negative physical, emotional, and social consequences parallels features of addictive disorders. From a clinical perspective, individuals with anorexia nervosa behave similarly to individuals with substance abuse by narrowing their behavioral repertoire so that weight loss, restricting food intake, ...
Source: Current Drug Abuse Reviews - November 14, 2014 Category: Addiction Tags: Curr Drug Abuse Rev Source Type: research
Binge eating disorder and food addiction.
Authors: Gearhardt AN, White MA, Potenza MN
Abstract
Binge eating disorder (BED) shares many characteristics with addictive behaviors (e.g., diminished control, continued use despite negative consequences), and a body of scientific literature is building to support addiction conceptualizations of problematic eating. Despite similarities, BED and "food addiction" may represent unique yet overlapping conditions. Although the exploration of food addiction is relatively new, understanding the relationship between food addiction and BED may be informative in understanding the mechanisms underlying the developme...
Source: Current Drug Abuse Reviews - November 14, 2014 Category: Addiction Tags: Curr Drug Abuse Rev Source Type: research
Screening American Indian/Alaska natives for alcohol abuse and dependence in medical settings.
Authors: Abbott PJ
Abstract
As a result of the lethal effect that alcohol has had on the American Indian and Alaska Native population, it is vital to aggressively screen for hazardous/harmful use, alcohol abuse and dependence among American Indian/Alaska Natives entering medical settings. This is especially true in primary care settings where individuals may come in for a host of medical problems and may not be directly seeking help in reducing their use of alcohol. There are a number of strategies to screen for hazardous/harmful use and abuse of alcohol in primary care settings. These strategies include: ...
Source: Current Drug Abuse Reviews - November 14, 2014 Category: Addiction Tags: Curr Drug Abuse Rev Source Type: research
