Publications by authors named "A M Baldacchino"
Introduction: Tobacco smoking is the leading preventable cause of death, causing more than six million deaths annually worldwide, mainly due to cardiovascular disease and cancer. Many habitual smokers try to stop smoking but only about 7% are successful, despite widespread knowledge of the risks. Development of addiction to a range of substances is associated with progressive blunting of brain reward responses and sensitisation of stress responses, as described by the allostasis theory of addiction.
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- A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to investigate the link between chronic tobacco smoking and neurocognitive impairments in adolescents and young adults, using studies published from 1980 to 2023.
- Six studies were included, comparing neurocognitive performances of chronic tobacco smokers with non-smokers across three domains, revealing significant impairments in two domains, but not in others.
- The findings underline the necessity for more research on additional neurocognitive factors like motor impulsivity, intelligence, and working memory, as well as the socioeconomic influences and effects of new nicotine delivery methods on this age group.
Addiction medicine is a dynamic field that encompasses clinical practice and research in the context of societal, economic, and cultural factors at the local, national, regional, and global levels. This field has evolved profoundly during the past decades in terms of scopes and activities with the contribution of addiction medicine scientists and professionals globally. The dynamic nature of drug addiction at the global level has resulted in a crucial need for developing an international collaborative network of addiction societies, treatment programs and experts to monitor emerging national, regional, and global concerns.
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- Neuroscience has identified key mechanisms involved in substance use disorders (SUD), aiming to use this knowledge to improve prevention and treatment strategies.
- Ongoing research using large-scale studies from early childhood is generating valuable neuroscience data, but there's a lack of frameworks to effectively implement this information into prevention efforts.
- The Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) offers a promising multi-system approach to link neurobiological insights with behavioral interventions, leading to the identification of 22 unique preventive strategies targeting specific neurocognitive risk factors for SUDs.