News by Subject Medicine & Health

Current policies that include restrictions on the sale of menthol flavored tobacco and nicotine products are less likely to reach those that would benefit from them the most, according to new research from the University of Kentucky's College of Medicine.

Interoception is the awareness of our physiological states. But precisely how the brain calculates and reacts to this information remains unclear. In a paper published in the journal Neuron, neuroscientists at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) demonstrate how the insular cortex orchestrates the process. The work represents the first steps toward understanding the neural basis of interoception, which could allow researchers to address key questions in eating disorders, obesity, drug addiction, and a host of other diseases.

Researchers in Brazil evaluated cocaine and crack addicts undergoing rehabilitation for six months and observed a higher relapse rate and worse cognitive impairment among patients who smoked cannabis to try to mitigate their craving for cocaine.

A new study has shown that, among online gamblers, setting voluntary monetary limits can help players stay in control of their gambling and the most significant effects were seen among intense gamblers.

La Trobe University researchers have found introducing a minimum unit price (MUP) of $1.30 per standard drink across Australia could dramatically reduce alcohol consumption.

Drug-related deaths in US are likely twice as many as previously thought, according to research from Samuel Preston of the University of Pennsylvania and Dana Glei of Georgetown University. They also found that drug use decreases life expectancy by 1.4 years for males and 0.7 years for females, figures that more than double for West Virginia, the hardest-hit state and opioid crisis epicenter.

A new study, published in Science Advances, identifies genes associated with high alcohol intake.

A new study published in the scientific journal Addiction estimates that in Australia between 2007 and 2016, 81% to 85% of all cannabis was consumed by the 16% of all Australian cannabis users who used daily. Weekly users and daily users together accounted for an estimated 98% of all cannabis consumed in Australia between 2007 and 2016.