Tag: Substance use

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QAIAx (AIhealth4U) – AI Public Health Central: Microcity-A (re Quantum AI Agency Aka AI City Hall Project, UPSTO App Nos. 64/074,526, 64/063,557, 63/903,181, 63/729,428

Conditions: Asperger’s Disorder; Asperger Disorder; Autism Disorder; Autism; ADHD – Attention Deficit Disorder With Hyperactivity; ADHD; ASD; Alcohol Abuse/Dependence; Alcohol Addiction; Alcohol and Other Drug Use Disorders; Alcohol and Other Substance Use Prevention; Gambling Addiction; Gambling Disorder; Sex Abuse; Sex Behavior; Sex Crimes; Sex Disorder; Sex Disorders; Gender Dysphoria, Adult; Eating Behavior Disorders; Narcotic-Related Disorders; Narcotic Addiction; Narcissism; Psychiatric Disorder; Psychedelic Effects in Healthy Volunteers; Psychedelic Experiences; Psychedelic Drug Dependence; Marijuana Use Disorder; Marijuana Abuse and Dependence; Smoking (Tobacco) Addiction; Smoking Among Youth; Smoking Abstinence; Abstinence, Sex; Opiate Substitution Treatment; Opioid Abuse (Disorder); Opioid Abuse and Addiction; Cocaine Abuse; MDMA (‘Ecstasy’); Addiction Disorders; Homeless and Low Incomes People, Refugees; Homelessness; Reliability and Validity; Anger Problems; Child Abuse, Sexual

Interventions: Behavioral: AI City Hall Project (AIhealth4u – Public Health Central); Behavioral: AI City Hall Project (QAIAx Microcity A – AI Public Health Central)

Sponsors: Veterans Recovery Network Inc.; U.S. Special Operations Command; Central Virginia VA Health Care System; AI-119 Vulcan Project Research & Educational Technology Company (fka Henry Nanpei Academy Project)

Not yet recruiting
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<![CDATA[Explore how circadian gene rhythms differ in schizophrenia, depression, and bipolar disorder—and why stable sleep timing may curb addiction risk.]]>
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Super-potent synthetic opioids called nitazenes are spreading across the U.S.

In high school, Ashley Delgado dreamed of becoming a doctor and one day buying her father a Rolls-Royce. “She wanted to heal people,” said her father, James Taylor. She had a high GPA, Taylor added, and did especially well in science and Latin.  

In her mid-20s, Ashley suffered a leg injury and was prescribed OxyContin. The painkiller marked the beginning of a yearslong descent through addiction — from prescription opioids to methamphetamine, then heroin, and finally, fentanyl.

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Strengthening evidence-based practices in assessment and treatment planning for substance use disorder: an evaluation of a Swedish training program for social services

Background and aimSocial workers regularly encounter clients affected by substance use disorders (SUD), yet training in evidence-based assessment and interventions remains limited. In Sweden, municipal social workers have statutory responsibility for SUD assessment, intervention planning and client follow-up which underscores the need for targeted professional education. This study aimed to: (i) describe social workers’ baseline self-assessed competence in evidence-based practices for SUD and its associations with demographic and professional characteristics, and; (ii) examine knowledge gains associated with completion of an evidence-based educational intervention.MethodsA non-randomized pre–post design included 173 municipal social workers recruited from 64 municipalities across five cohorts (2021–2023). Baseline self-assessed competence was analyzed using ordinal logistic regression, and knowledge gains were assessed using module-specific pre–post items with paired t-tests with Cohen’s d.ResultsBaseline competence was rated as low to moderate, with professional experience predicting higher perceived competence. Substantial baseline knowledge gaps were observed, particularly in evidence-based psychosocial interventions and use of digital technology in assessment and planning of treatment. Knowledge increased significantly across all modules after training completion (d = 0.26–1.41). The largest knowledge gains were for modules on use of technology in the assessment and treatment-planning, biopsychosocial interventions, research-informed use of the assessment tool Addiction Severity Index (ASI), and the professional role in assessment and care planning. Score variability decreased across several modules.ConclusionCompletion of an immersive, online, evidence-based training was associated with meaningful improvements in social workers’ knowledge related to substance use assessment, intervention planning, and use of technology. Although causal inference is limited by the non-randomized single-group pre–post design, the findings support the potential of scalable educational interventions to address competence gaps in substance use services even in organizations with high caseloads, workforce turnover, and limited training opportunities.
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RFK Jr. presents $700 million in mental health funding, but experts say grants aren’t new

The Trump administration on Wednesday said it was announcing $700 million in “new funding” for mental health and addiction programs, with an emphasis on combating homelessness resulting from severe, untreated mental illness. 

But behavioral health experts instantly cast doubt on the claim, identifying the $700 million not as new funding but as the long-awaited release of existing grants that Congress had previously authorized and that the federal government already planned to spend. 

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CEST MRI reveals nicotine-induced alterations in glutamate-associated molecular connectivity in the mouse brain

IntroductionUnderstanding how neurotransmitter systems organize into large-scale networks is essential for elucidating the mechanisms through which drugs, diseases, and behavioral states alter brain function. Existing imaging modalities such as functional MRI (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) provide measures of hemodynamic and metabolic connectivity, but cannot noninvasively map neurotransmitter-associated networks with high spatial resolution. Herein, we introduce a chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) MRI-based framework for mapping glutamate-associated molecular connectivity and apply it to characterize nicotine-induced network reorganization in the mouse brain.MethodsMale C57BL/6 mice underwent dynamic glutamate-weighted CEST (gluCEST) MRI before and after seven days of nicotine exposure. Regional glutamate-weighted CEST time series were extracted from 51 brain regions, and connectivity was evaluated using within-subject temporal correlation and inter-subject covariance analyses.ResultsGraph theory analyses identified four baseline glutamate-associated modules involving frontal-sensorimotor, cortico-hippocampal, intra-hippocampal, and cortico-striatal circuits. Nicotine exposure attenuated these baseline networks in analyses performed without global signal regression (GSR) and with conditional GSR, whereas full GSR reduced the apparent magnitude of these effects. Nicotine also reduced nodal strength in the CA1 and insular cortex. In contrast, nicotine selectively strengthened a thalamo-striato-motor circuit involving the motor cortex, mediodorsal and ventral thalamic nuclei, and caudoputamen. This pattern remained evident even under full GSR. Subject-level covariance analysis confirmed widespread nicotine-induced attenuation of glutamate-associated connectivity and revealed a distinct sensory-limbic module involving the lateral geniculate nucleus, amygdala, and piriform cortex that was selectively disrupted following nicotine exposure.DiscussionThese results demonstrate the feasibility of dynamic gluCEST MRI for mapping glutamate-associated molecular connectivity in vivo and detecting pharmacologically induced network remodeling. This approach provides a noninvasive platform for investigating glutamatergic dysregulation in addiction, neuropsychiatric disorders, and therapeutic response.
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Focused Ultrasound Neuromodulation for Substance Use Disorder

Given the prevalence of substance use disorder (SUD), elevated overdose death rates, and limited approved pharmacotherapies for SUD, new treatment approaches are necessary. Neuromodulation is a potential adjunctive treatment for SUD to reduce substance use and risk factors associated with drug use recurrence, such as craving. One form of neuromodulation, focused ultrasound (FUS), has significant potential given that it is non-invasive and capable of targeting subcortical structures implicated in the brain’s reward circuity with great precision.

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Targeting Mu opioid receptor neurons of the habenula to limit naloxone aversion

Opioid use disorder is a chronic, relapsing condition that continues to rise worldwide. Naloxone (Narcan®), an opioid antagonist, reverses overdose but triggers strong negative affect. The neuronal circuits underlying these aversive effects remain unclear. We previously identified mu opioid receptor–expressing habenular neurons (Hb-MOR) as key encoders of negative emotional states and hypothesized that they also mediate naloxone aversion.