Browsing by Subject "drug abuse"
Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item A Study and Comparison of Drug Offenders and the Correlation to Property Crimes(Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT), 2004) Roach, James Francis IIIItem Drug courts: an alternative to incarceration(Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas (LEMIT), 2014) Garza Jr., RogelioItem A grounded theory study of substance use patterns among homeless youth(2009-07-13) Philisie Starling Washington; Carolyn A. Phillips, RN, PhD; Lynn Rew, EdD, RN, AHN-BC, FAAN; Judith C. Drew, PhD, RN; Jason E. Glenn, PhD; Elnora P. (\"Nonie\") Mendias, RN, PhDA Grounded Theory Study of Substance Use Patterns among Homeless Youth\r\n\r\nPublication No.______________\r\nPhilisie Starling Washington, PhD\r\nThe University of Texas Medical Branch, 2009\r\n\r\nSupervisor: Carolyn Phillips, PhD\r\n\r\nThere are an estimated 1.6 to 2.8 million homeless youth living on the streets of the U.S. each day. Regardless of their reasons for leaving home, youth on the streets are confronted with physical, mental and substance use problems. There are a limited number of studies on homeless youth. Few, if any have specifically explored the subjective viewpoints of homeless youth about substance use patterns including entering and exiting the world of substance use. The grounded theory methodology used in this dissertation guided the researcher to 1) identify previous experiences influencing homeless youth in their decision to use or not to use substances; 2) examine life situations of homeless youth through narratives and 3) discover a theory which explains the basic social process of substance use in homeless youth. Study participants were thirteen homeless youth ages 18 and 21 years old living in a shelter of a large metropolitan area in the southwest United States. The findings revealed the core category, Using, which consisted of three phases and five categories that described the experiences of homeless youth and substance use and ultimately, The Washington Theory of Substance Use among Homeless Youth The results of this dissertation will provide a foundation for further studies of substance use in homeless youth and contribute to the knowledge base of nursing, social science and medicine for prevention and treatment of substance use in homeless youth.\r\nItem Individual sensitivity to novelty and (+)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine: Roles for serotonin and GABA neurotransmission(2005-01-27) Julie Danielle Ross; Kathryn A. Cunningham; Thomas A. Kent; Terry E. Robinson; Mary L. Thomas; Cheryl S. WatsonDrug addiction continues to be a problem in our society, and better understanding of the neuroanatomical and neurochemical alterations that delineate the switch between causal drug use and compulsive drug addiction is needed. Characterizing what makes one individual more vulnerable to the development of compulsive drug-taking behaviors may hold the key to this complex phenomenon. Because individual differences in humans exist to the subjective effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and these differences are rooted, in part, in individual sensitivity to the drug effects, we utilized two animal models of increased sensitivity in the current studies. First, in a sensitization animal model we examined the mechanisms of increased sensitivity to (+)-MDMA and found a critical role for serotonin (5-HT) neurotransmission, in particular the 5-HT2A receptor (5-HT2AR) in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and prefrontal cortex (PFC). We then carried this finding into a model of individual difference in which animals are separated based on their differential locomotor response to a novel environment into high responder rats (HR) and low responder rats (LR). In addition to an increased sensitivity to (+)-MDMA, we uncovered basal differences in the 5-HT system between HR and LR rats, an increased level of expression of the 5-HT2AR in the NAc of HR rats in particular. Additionally, we examined the brain structures activated secondary to novelty in HR vs. LR rats and the phenotype-specific behavioral changes after repeated exposure to the environment. Our findings revealed a strong influence of GABA neurotransmission that may underlie the differences between HR vs. LR behavioral phenotypes. These findings lend support to the idea that the neural systems underlying drug-induced and stress-induced behaviors overlap and may help to understand how individual sensitivity to both (+)-MDMA and novelty may confer an increased vulnerability to the development of compulsive drug-taking behavior.Item Social environment modulates morphine sensitivity: A partial role of vasopressin V1b receptor(2012-08-31) Hofford, Rebecca 1983-Social factors influence drug abuse in adolescents; this is partially attributed to peer pressure in humans. Similarly, using rodent models, some research suggests that social housing condition can influence rodents' drug taking behavior. Despite this, few studies have examined the role that intoxicated peers have on drug-naive cage-mates. This dissertation examined how social environment affects opioid sensitivity and hormone production. This was accomplished by comparing the opioid sensitivity of mice housed in mixed cages (some animals received opioids and some were drug-naive) to cages where all the mice were treated with the same drug (all saline or all morphine). These studies identified an adolescent-specific vulnerability to social environment-induced alteration of morphine sensitivity. Interaction with drug-intoxicated cage-mates enhanced locomotor sensitivity in previously drug-naive males and altered their production of testosterone. Conversely, interaction of morphine experienced mice with drug-naive cage-mates afforded protection from the rewarding properties of morphine. In other words, morphine-treated mice housed with drug-naive cage-mates demonstrated attenuated reward compared to morphine-treated mice housed with other morphine-treated mice. In addition, part of the neurobiological basis of the social-environment effect was identified. Antagonism of V1b receptors decreased morphine reward in morphine-treated mice housed only with other morphine-treated mice. These results suggest a role of vasopressin in the peer influence on drug sensitivity observed in adolescents. This body of work further elucidates the role of peer influence on opioid sensitivity. Future studies should further reveal the role of healthy peer relationships and should aid in combating drug abuse in this at-risk demographic.