Sunday, January 20, 2013
Researchers Say MRI Could Help Predict Success of Drug Addiction Treatment
Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania say MRI scans
may be able to predict which patients will succeed with certain
addiction treatments, and which ones will relapse, according to the Philadelphia Daily News.
Researchers at the university’s Center for Studies of Addiction are
watching how regions of the brain react to drug-related photos, such as
pictures of a heroin needle or a crushed pill. They hope to use this
research to develop more effective treatments. One day, they hope that
treatment could be tailored to a person’s mental strengths and
vulnerabilities. These factors are influenced by genetics, life
experiences and drug use, they say.
“We’re interested in seeing if, among the people that do better,
their brains are different now,” Teresa Franklin, who directs nicotine
and marijuana MRI studies at the university, told the newspaper. “This
is not something that gets better in 12 weeks of treatment. This is a
lifelong process where the brain has to be retrained. Just as if you
have diabetes or high blood pressure or a heart condition, you have to
change your lifestyle and you may need medication.”
She said her group thinks if a person’s “stop” regions of the brain,
which deal with consequences, are not working well, and are not
communicating well with regions that say “go” and drive the motivation
for rewards, then it is likely that person is going to do poorly in
treatment.
The group’s research show that in a person who is addicted to drugs,
the brain’s reward region will light up in an MRI scan, even in response
to subliminal cues, such as an image of crack rocks that flash
on-screen for a few milliseconds while the person looks at a photo of a
neutral object, such as a stapler.
“If we can manipulate that response with medication or behavioral therapy, that’s our goal,” Franklin said.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Access to Health Care Services for Addiction Will Improve Dramatically: Faces & Voices of Recovery
Once the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is fully implemented in
2014, access to effective health care services for addiction will
improve dramatically, according to Faces & Voices of Recovery. In an issue brief,
the advocacy group describes how the new legislation will make it
possible for many in or seeking recovery to be included in the health
care system for the first time.
Those who will benefit from the new law include people who were
previously enrolled in Medicaid, and then were disenrolled; those who
are coming out of the criminal justice system; and people who have not
been able to afford insurance.
Under the ACA, a single enrollment application will determine if you
are eligible for either Medicaid or the state insurance exchange, based
on your reported annual income. People who do not qualify for Medicaid
will be able to buy affordable health insurance through state health
insurance exchanges. These are marketplaces that will be available to
people who are not covered through their employer’s health plan, and
those who work for small employers who provide employees with multiple
health plan options.
The law guarantees that insurance companies will not be allowed to
deny someone coverage or place a lifetime cap on what is deemed
reimbursable because of a pre-existing condition. According to the
brief, “The new policy regarding pre-existing conditions, already in
place for children, has direct applications to the recovery community.
Addiction to alcohol and other drugs (or a substance use disorder, as it
is sometimes called) has been considered a pre-existing condition by
many insurers, and used as a means to deny claims and a disqualifier for
coverage. That will no longer be legal.”
Read the entire issue brief for more information on addiction treatment and the ACA.
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