Extended-Release Mixed Amphetamine Salts for Comorbid Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Cannabis Use Disorder: A Pilot, Randomized Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Objective: To determine if treatment of co-occurring adult ADHD and Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD) with extended-release mixed amphetamine salts (MAS-ER) would be effective at improving ADHD symptoms and promoting abstinence.

Method: A 12-week randomized, double-blind, two-arm pilot feasibility trial of adults with comorbid ADHD and CUD ( = 28) comparing MAS-ER (80 mg) to placebo. Main outcomes: ADHD: ≥30% symptom reduction, measured by the Adult ADHD Investigator Symptom Rating Scale (AISRS).

Open Label Pilot of Lorcaserin (a serotonin 2C-receptor agonist) for Cannabis Use Disorder.

Background And Objective: Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD) has no FDA approved treatment. Serotonin-2c (5HT2c) agonists have preclinical and human laboratory evidence for potential efficacy for CUD. We assessed the tolerability and effects of lorcaserin (5HT2c agonist) on CUD.

Opioid-induced hypogonadism in opioid use disorder, its role in negative reinforcement, and implications for treatment and retention.

Hypogonadism is a highly prevalent complication of chronic opioid use associated with a constellation of affective, algesic, and cognitive symptoms as well as decreased quality of life. Given that the mainstays of pharmacologic opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment - methadone and buprenorphine - are themselves agonists or partial agonists at the mu opioid receptor, opioid-induced hypogonadism (OIH) remains an underappreciated clinical concern throughout the course of OUD treatment. Prominent theoretical frameworks for OUD emphasize the importance of negative reinforcement and hyperkatifeia, defined as the heightened salience of negative emotional and motivational states brought on by chronic opioid use.

Applications of technology in the assessment and treatment of cannabis use disorder.

Cannabis use and Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD) have been increasing. There are no FDA approved medications and evidence-based psychotherapy is limited by insufficient providers, serving very few patients effectively. The lack of resources for prevention and treatment of CUD has resulted in a significant gap between the need for services and access to treatment.

The Rise of Prescription Digital Therapeutics in Behavioral Health.

Medicine is evolving to incorporate digital technologies of all kinds-technologies that may improve patient health, reduce clinician workload, lower costs, reduce health disparities, and expand access to needed treatments. Prescription digital therapeutics (PDTs) are an emerging technology with particular potential. These are software-based treatments delivered on mobile devices that address the behavioral dimensions of many diseases and conditions.

Non-abstinent treatment outcomes for cannabis use disorder.

Background: Abstinence remains a standard outcome for potential treatment interventions for Cannabis Use Disorder (CUD). However, there needs to be validation of non-abstinent outcomes. This study explores reductions in self-reported days of use as another viable outcome measure using data from three completed randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials of pharmacological interventions for CUD.

Digital Clinical Trials for Substance Use Disorders in the Age of Covid-19.

: As a result of the coronavirus 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, clinical research for substance use disorders (SUDs) has been impeded due to widespread stay-at-home mandates limiting the operations of "non-essential" work. Although appropriate to proceed with an abundance of caution to prevent viral spread, there will be detrimental consequences for patients with SUDs if clinical trials research cannot adapt and continue uninterrupted. The field of digital health has strong evidence for its feasibility and effectiveness and offers tools that can facilitate the continuation of SUD clinical trials research remotely in accordance with Covid-19 precautions.

Abstinence and reduced frequency of use are associated with improvements in quality of life among treatment-seekers with cannabis use disorder.

Background And Objective: Many patients with cannabis use disorder (CUD) do not achieve or do not have abstinence as a goal of treatment, rather they reduce their use. Assessing outcome measures as they relate to functioning and reductions in cannabis use is an important area of study. Quality of life (QoL) shows promise as one such measure.

The Current State of Pharmacological Treatments for Cannabis Use Disorder and Withdrawal.

Cannabis use disorder (CUD) commonly occurs and carries a notable economic and functional burden at both individual and societal levels. While there are no clearly efficacious medication treatments for CUD, 20 years of committed and high-quality research in the human laboratory and clinical settings have resulted in medications with demonstrated effectiveness in the treatment of cannabis withdrawal, the ability to reduce cannabis use, and results that point to promising future work. The current state of pharmacology research for CUD highlights the need to consider particular characteristics of patients, such as gender, impulsivity, and severity of cannabis use, when selecting a medication in the off-label treatment of CUD or cannabis withdrawal.

Calpain and caspase proteolytic markers co-localize with rat cortical neurons after exposure to methamphetamine and MDMA.

Abuse of the club drugs Methamphetamine (Meth) and Ecstasy (MDMA) is an international problem. The seriousness of this problem is the result of what appears to be programmed cell death (PCD) occurring within the brain following their use. This follow up study focused on determining which cell types, neurons and/or glial cells, were affected in the brains of drug-injected rats.