The Prescription Opioid Addiction Treatment Study (POATS), carried out as part of the NIDA Clinical Trials…

• Summary: Emergency departments (EDs) are a key point of access to medical care for patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). This paper describes a quality improvement framework for EDs that could help standardize care, reduce care inequities, and improve outcomes for patients with OUD.…

• In 1994, the Food and Drug Administration approved naltrexone for the treatment of alcoholism
• It has since proven to be highly effective for many in recovery, but it does not work for everyone
• A recent study has found that individual metabolism may be a factor in…

• The first step in the metabolism of alcohol is its conversion to acetaldehyde (AcHO)
• AcHO is a highly reactive and toxic chemical that can damage the cells of all living things
• In adults, AcHO is blocked from entering the brain
• The prenatal brain may metabolize…

• The brain is a critical organ system through which alcohol’s effects can lead to intoxication, tolerance and dependence
• Scientists have found a new means to measure directly alcohol concentrations throughout the brain
• The technology is called proton (¹H)…

• Most health campaigns recommend abstinence from alcohol during pregnancy
• Some women nonetheless continue to drink at relatively high levels while pregnant
• This study examines two groups considered most at-risk: American Indians and African Americans
• …

• Adolescence is a time when many begin experimenting with alcohol
• Some adolescents binge drink, that is, drink heavily during a short period of time
• Adolescent brains may be particularly vulnerable to the neurotoxic effects of alcohol
• Binge drinking during…

• A tiny protein called metallothionein (MT) may protect against alcohol’s neurotoxic effects
• The brain can make more of these proteins in response to alcohol consumption
• One of an individual’s different responses to alcohol may be related to his or her MT levels
…

• Alcoholics have reduced levels of serotonin, a brain chemical
• Alcohol increases serotonin levels, as do carbohydrates
• Those alcoholics with high cravings for carbohydrates have a unique response to specific diets
• Carbohydrate craving may be an important clue in…

• Excessive alcohol consumption clearly has a deleterious effect on brain structure and function
• Gait and balance, followed by visuospatial abilities, show the greatest alcohol-related deficits
• Two principal neural systems, the cerebellar-frontal and the corticocortical…