Search results for "Addiction"

Gambling: spreading among students in Palermo

2018

Adolescents represent a particularly high-risk group and they are also vulnerable to the development of gambling related problems. Thanks to technological advances in gaming industry (slot machines, video lottery terminals, casino-types games) new form of gambling are continuously appearing. With the purpose of having an idea about the spreading of gambling among the students of Palermo, a survey has been conducted through administration of questionnaires during the period from January to May 2017: this study involved 1622 students (686 boys and 936 girls) between the age of 14 and 19. In this survey it has been demonstrated that only 15% of students have never played; 36% declare they have…

Nitric Oxide Modulation of the Dopaminergic Nigrostriatal System: Focus on Nicotine Action

2009

Nitric oxide (NO) signalling plays an important role in the integration of information processed by the basal ganglia nuclei. Accordingly, considerable evidence has emerged indicating a role for NO in pathophysiological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease (PD), schizophrenia and drug addiction. To further investigate the NO modulation of dopaminergic function in the basal ganglia circuitry, in this study we used in vivo electrophysiology and microdialysis in freely-moving rats. Pharmacological manipulation of the NO system did not cause any significant changes either in the basal firing rate and bursting activity of the dopamine (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) or…

Enriched Environments for Rodents and their Interaction with Nicotine Administration

2012

An active lifestyle throughout the life cycle seems to delay cognitive aging and dementia and has also been evaluated as an intervention against addiction to cocaine and other drugs of abuse. In epidemiological studies with humans, it has proved difficult to separate the cognitive, social and physical components from other variables that influence lifestyle. Studies in animal models are useful for evaluating the impact of each of these factors and for uncovering the underlying mechanisms of the benefits of complex environments. Preclinical studies have employed the Environmental Enrichment paradigm (EE) which has been proposed as a preclinical model of positive life experiences in humans. E…

818 – The neuroscience of internet and computer game addiction - what do we know about what is going on inside our patients brains?

2013

Internet and Computer Game Addiction will in the future be included in the diagnostic manuals for mental disorders (Internet Use Disorder, www.dsm5.org ). During the past decades research in the epidemiology, risk factors and the clinical picture of IUD has emerged and convincingly contributed to the development of sound diagnostic criteria. However, there are two major areas where evidence of high quality is sparse. These are on the one hand the effectiveness and efficacy of tailored therapeutic interventions and on the other hand the neuroscientific underpinnings of Internet and Computer Game Addiction. The latter is strongly represented in the Asian Countries, where prevalence rates for …

Eating disorders: Considerations on nosology, etiology and treatment in the XXI century

2011

Amazing advances have been made in medical sciences since the first international conference on eating disorders (ED) was held in the 1970s, and there have been remarkable changes in the field of ED itself. Back then, virtually all that was talked about was anorexia nervosa; clinicians and researchers were mainly concerned about the possible hypothalamic and endocrine factors that seemed to be involved and there had been no epidemiological studies or controlled trials with psychiatric drugs or psychotherapy. Although the picture today is quite different, there are still significant gaps which even affect the classification of these disorders, as well as their neurobiological bases and both …

Nuove dipendenze ed intervento di comunità. Numero monografico della rivista Psicologia di comunità

2014

Oncogene Addiction in Solid Tumors

2015

The term “oncogenic addiction” refers to the phenomenon by which tumor cells become completely dependent on a single pathway, derived from the activation of a specific oncogene, for their survival and proliferation. The clinical relevance of oncogene addiction paradigm is highlighted by a growing number of examples that demonstrate the efficacy of several therapeutic agents that target specific oncogenes in various cancer types. This chapter aims to summarize the recent evidences concerning the concept of oncogene addiction and describes molecular mechanisms that could explain this phenomenon.

Are erlotinib and gefitinib interchangeable, opposite or complementary for non-small cell lung cancer treatment? Biological, pharmacological and clin…

2014

Abstract: Gefitinib and erlotinib are the two anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) approved for treatment of advanced NSCLC patients. These drugs target one of the most important pathways in lung carcinogenesis and are able to exploit the phenomenon of 'oncogene addiction', with different efficacy according to EGFR gene mutational status in tumor samples. Gefitinib has been approved only for EGFR mutation bearing patients regardless the line of treatment, while erlotinib is also indicated in patients without EGFR mutation who undergo second- or third-line treatment. Some studies evaluated the main differences between these drugs both for direct comp…

Functional Connectivity of Nucleus Accumbens and Medial Prefrontal Cortex With Other Brain Regions During Early-Abstinence Is Associated With Alcohol…

2021

Background: Alcohol dependence (AD) is a chronic recurrent brain disease that causes a heavy disease burden worldwide, partly due to high relapse rates after detoxification. Verified biomarkers are not available for AD and its relapse, although the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) may play important roles in the mechanism of addiction. This study investigated AD- and relapse-associated functional connectivity (FC) of the NAc and mPFC with other brain regions during early abstinence.Methods: Sixty-eight hospitalized early-abstinence AD male patients and 68 age- and education-matched healthy controls (HCs) underwent resting-functional magnetic resonance imaging (r-f…

Processes discriminating adaptive and maladaptive Internet use among European adolescents highly engaged online.

2015

Today adolescents are highly engaged online. Contrary to common concern, not all highly engaged adolescents develop maladaptive patterns of internet use. The present qualitative study explored the experiences, patterns and impact of use of 124 adolescents (M(age) = 16.0) reporting signs of internet addictive behaviors. The focus was to discern adaptive and maladaptive use patterns, which promote or interfere with adolescents' development, respectively. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted in seven European countries (Greece, Spain, Poland, Germany, Romania, Netherlands and Iceland) and qualitatively analyzed using grounded theory. Considerable variability emerged in the way …