Author Archives: samweiss

This study found that female mice drank more alcohol and were more motivated to work for it than males, likely due in part to reduced sensitivity to alcohol’s sedative effects. Despite these behavioral differences, both sexes showed equal dependence on glutamate AMPA receptor activity for alcohol reinforcement, suggesting a shared...

This study found that voluntary alcohol drinking boosts the levels and activity of a specific glutamate receptor subunit (GluA2) in the brain’s reward center, the nucleus accumbens, strengthening the drug’s positive reinforcing effects. Blocking the function of these GluA2-containing receptors reduced alcohol-seeking behavior, suggesting a possible new target for treating...

Drugs of abuse, such as alcohol, can hijack the brain’s fundamental mechanisms for learning and memory to drive addiction. This study shows that a key protein in this process, TARP γ-8, is required for the rewarding effects of alcohol, identifying it as a promising new target for developing medications to...

The past decade has seen a 60% increase in the number of programs providing peer mental health support to college students and there is wide variation in availability, nature, and training requirements of these programs. This study aims to inform future development of peer mental health support for college students.

Telepsychiatry ”where doctors provide mental health consults remotely can effectively support emergency and inpatient care across rural hospitals. The program improved access, reduced wait times, and was well-received by both patients and providers.

This study explored how well the Patient Health Questionnaire-Adolescent (PHQ-A)—a common tool for detecting depression—works for adolescents in Malawi, especially those living with HIV. Through interviews, researchers found that while Malawian teens could answer the PHQ-A, some questions were confusing, highlighting the need to adapt depression screening tools to better...

Nasal esketamine is a rapid-acting intervention for depression. This study investigated the brain’s electrical activity following the receipt of nasal esketamine.

This trial investigated a single-session therapy session of behavioral activation for the treatment of mild and moderate alcohol use disorder. Behavioral activation is an action-oriented psychotherapy that uses reinforcement of client value-based, substance-free activities.

We analyzed longitudinal sleep/wake data from over 2,000 emergency department patients—both with and without GFAP-confirmed TBI—to determine how timing and duration of data collection impact classification performance. Using a deep learning model, we found that the first 7 days post-injury provided the most informative window for distinguishing TBI-positive (GFAP >...

We investigated associations between pre-trauma insomnia symptoms and post-trauma substance use among 2449 participants presenting to emergency departments after trauma exposure. Our results suggested that pre-trauma insomnia symptoms predicted post-trauma heavy alcohol and cannabis use, as well as binge drinking. For heavy alcohol and cannabis use, posttraumatic stress symptom severity...