Psychology professor Joshua Gulley, left, graduate student Shuo Kang and their colleagues found that amphetamine abuse in young rats led to changes in dopamine signaling in the brain that persisted into adulthood.   Photo by L. Brian Stauffer   The study, reported in the journal Neuroscience, found that amphetamine leads to changes in dopamine signaling. [...]

Teenagers and young adults who use marijuana may be messing with their heads in ways they don’t intend. Evidence is mounting that regular marijuana use increases the chance that a teenager will develop psychosis, a pattern of unusual thoughts or perceptions, such as believing the television is transmitting secret messages. It also increases the risk of [...]

Research we’re watching A nationwide survey conducted by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health indicates that prescription drug use rose from 51% of U.S. adults in the 1999–2000 calendar year to 59% in 2011–2012. […]