Addiction Medicine

Research

Dual disorders are a particular challenge to psychiatry. An individual grappling with addiction may not follow the treatment regimen for a co-existing disorder like bipolar or schizophrenia; An individual with untreated depression or anxiety may employ substance abuse in attempt to avoid uncomfortable emotions. Each disorder exacerbates the other and makes it harder to treat. While we conduct many research projects in addiction medicine, we are proud to have demonstrated leadership in the investigation of treatments for dual disorders. Our group recently completed a first-of-its-kind study of people with both alcoholism and bipolar disorder, which demonstrated that a pharmacologic agent can help decrease alcohol use in this population. Other studies of various populations, dual disorders, and medications are underway. In addition, we conduct clinical research on the causes, course, and treatment of addiction throughout the lifespan, from the prenatal period, through childhood and adulthood, to old age.

We are a regional research and training center for the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Clinical Trials Network. This is a partnership with treatment providers in western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, and West Virginia; NIDA; and 16 other centers and more than 150 other treatment providers throughout the United States.

Recent research projects include:

  • Adolescent Alcohol Use Disorders: Nosology, Comorbidity, and Course
  • Adolescent Psychopathology and Alcohol Use Disorders
  • Adult Neurobehavioral Outcomes of Adolescent Drug Abuse
  • Alcoholism Susceptibility Genes in High-Density Families
  • Biological Risk Factors in Relatives of Alcoholic Women
  • Child Abuse, Violence, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Early Substance Use
  • Cognitive/Personality Factors in Relatives of Alcoholics
  • Combined Pharmacotherapy in Depressed Alcoholics
  • Course of Alcohol and Drug Problems in Treated Teens
  • Diagnostic Criteria for Adolescent Alcohol Use Disorders
  • Drug Addiction Transitions from Adolescence to Adulthood
  • Effects of Prenatal Cocaine Use: 15-Year Follow-Up
  • Fluoxetine for Major Depressive Disorder/Cannabis Disorder in Young People
  • Fluoxetine-Treated Alcohol Use Disorder-Major Depressive Disorder Teens: Long-Term Outcomes
  • Fluoxetine in Depressed Adolescent Alcohol Abusers
  • Individual Drug Counseling and Buprenorphine along with Standard Medical Management for Prescription Opioid Dependence in Adults
  • OROS Methylphenidate in Adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder  and Substance Use Disorder
  • Predicting Alcoholics’ Treatment Responses to a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor
  • Prenatal Alcohol Exposure: Cognitive and Brain Function
  • Prenatal Marijuana Exposure: Long-Term Outcomes
  • Psychopathology in Pharmacotherapy of Alcohol Use Disorder-Major Depressive Disorder Teens
  • Quantitative Methods and Phenotyping in Alcohol Research
  • Teen Tobacco Use in a Birth Cohort and Prenatal Effects
  • Valproate Efficacy in Cocaine-Bipolar Comorbidity
  • Welfare-to-Work: Substance Abuse and Neuropsychiatric Function

 

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