Current Drug Abuse Reviews - Volume 2, Issue 2, 2009

The effects of alcohol on driving ability have been thoroughly investigated during the past 50 years. Experimental studies have consistently shown that alcohol impairs cognitive and psychomotor performance in a dose-dependent manner including various driving related skills and abilities [1]. Driving simulator tests and driving tests in real traffic confirmed these findings. Epidemiological evidence and roadside studies revealed Read More

This review summarizes evidence on negative affect among drinking drivers. Elevations in negative affect, including depressed mood, anxiety and hostility, have long been noted in convicted drinking drivers, and recent evidence suggests an association between negative affect and driving after drinking in the general population. Previous efforts to understand the significance of this negative affective state have ranged from sugg Read More

A major focus of research in alcohol-related disorders is to identify the genes and pathways that modulate alcohol- seeking behavior. In light of this, animal models have been established to study various aspects of alcohol dependence. The selectively bred alcohol-preferring (P) and -nonpreferring (NP) lines were developed from Wistar rats to model high and low voluntary alcohol consumption, respectively. Using inbr Read More

Despite the availability of currently approved medications and various psychosocial therapies, alcohol abuse and dependence are increasingly prevalent in the United States, and carry a significant socioeconomic burden. Recently, the novel anti-epileptic topiramate has shown great promise as a new treatment for this disorder. The objective of this review is to discuss the limitations of the currently available options for treatin Read More

Neuropsychological dysfunction, ranging from mild cognitive symptoms to dementia has been a consistent part of the clinical picture of HIV/AIDS. However, advances in clinical management, particularly antiretroviral (ARV) treatment, have mitigated the neuropsychological effects of HIV and revised the pattern and nature of cognitive deficits, which are observed in HIV-infected individuals. The attendant improvements in mort Read More

Methylphenidate hydrochloride (MPH) is one of the most widely available prescription stimulants. In response to an increase in stimulant treatment for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, the prescription and production rates of MPH have increased dramatically in the past two decades. Given that college students and adolescents might be attracted to MPH for its attention-focusing, weight loss, or euphoric effects, there i Read More

The co-occurrence of drug addiction in adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is very common, but its etiology remains largely unknown. Therefore, animal models to study this kind of psychiatric comorbidity are needed. The Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat (SHR) strain shows neurochemical and behavioral characteristics which make it a suitable model of ADHD. Compared with their normotensive contro Read More

Understanding and preventing relapse to drug use is one of the most difficult challenges faced by clinicians and practitioners in the struggle to help people remain abstinent. In this paper, we review basic preclinical research on forced abstinence periods that identify the neural substrates involved and neural adaptations that occur after a drug-free period. Our attention focuses on forced abstinence after self-administration Read More

Although dopamine is implicated in the development of addiction, it is unclear how specific dopamine release patterns are involved with drug seeking. Addictive drugs increase tonic dopamine levels on the order of minutes, as well as phasic dopamine release events that occur on a subsecond time scale. Phasic dopamine release is associated with the initiation of goal-directed behaviors, and has been shown to prom Read More