PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Cocaine users enjoy social interactions less

2014-01-21
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Dr. Boris B. Quednow
quednow@bli.uzh.ch
41-443-842-777
University of Zurich
Cocaine users enjoy social interactions less In Europe as well as worldwide, cocaine is the second most frequently used drug after cannabis. Chronic cocaine users display worse memory performance, concentration difficulties, and attentional deficits but also their social skills are affected as previous studies at the Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Zurich suggested. These investigations also revealed that cocaine users have difficulties to take the mental perspective of others, show less emotional empathy, find it more difficult to recognize emotions from voices, behave in a less prosocial manner in social interactions, and they reported fewer social contacts. Moreover, worse emotional empathy was correlated with a smaller social network. The scientists now assume that social cognitive deficits contribute to the development and perpetuation of cocaine addiction. In their current investigation published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the psychologists Katrin Preller und Boris Quednow, Head of the Division of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacopsychology at the Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Zurich, conclude that impaired social interaction skills of cocaine users could be explained by a blunted response to social reward.

Social interaction is less rewarding

The research team demonstrated that cocaine users perceived joined attention – the shared attentional focus of two persons on an object after gaze contact – as less rewarding compared to drug-naive healthy controls. In a subsequent functional imaging experiment they showed that cocaine users showed a blunted activation of a crucial part of the reward system – the so called medial orbitofrontal cortex – during this basal kind of social interaction. Interestingly, a weaker activation of the medial orbitofrontal cortex during social gaze contact was also associated with fewer social contacts in the past weeks. Quednow explains: "Cocaine users perceive social exchange as less positive and rewarding compared to people who do not use this stimulant".

As proposed by Preller and Quednow, such changes in brain function might help to explain why dependent cocaine users often fail to stop using drugs despite the occurrence of severe social consequences such as familial problems, loss of friends or employment. Reduced reward during social interactions might also explain why many cocaine dependent individuals loose supportive social contacts during the course of their drug career, which probably further contributes to the maintenance of addiction. Given that social reward is important for successful psychotherapy, Preller and Quednow suggest: "Social skills, such as empathy, mental perspective taking, and prosocial behavior, should be trained during the treatment of cocaine dependence to enhance the efficacy and sustainability of the treatment".

###

Reference: Katrin H. Preller, Marcus Herdener, Leonhard Schilbach, Philipp Stämpfli, Lea M. Hulka, Matthias Vonmoos, Nina Ingold, Kai Vogeley, Philippe N. Tobler, Erich Seifritz and Boris B. Quednow. Functional changes of the reward system underlie blunted response to social gaze in cocaine users. PNAS. January 20, 2014. Doi: 10.1073/pnas.1317090111

Contact: Prof. Dr. Boris B. Quednow
Experimental and Clinical Pharmacopsychology
Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Zurich
Tel. +41 44 384 2777
E-Mail: quednow@bli.uzh.ch

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Depression higher than previously reported in people with severe rheumatoid arthritis

2014-01-21
Depression higher than previously reported in people with severe rheumatoid arthritis Levels of depression and anxiety in people with severe rheumatoid arthritis are higher than previously reported, according to new research Levels of depression ...

Researchers discover an epigenetic lesion in the hippocampus of Alzheimer's

2014-01-21
Researchers discover an epigenetic lesion in the hippocampus of Alzheimer's Alzheimer's disease can reach epidemic range in the coming decades, by the increasing average age of society. There are two key issues for Alzheimer's disease: ...

Large-scale HPV self-testing proves effective for screening cervical cancer

2014-01-21
Large-scale HPV self-testing proves effective for screening cervical cancer Self-testing for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) – the virus that causes cervical cancer – is as effective at detecting cancer as a conventional smear test (cytology screening) ...

The scientific explanation of why beer overflows

2014-01-21
The scientific explanation of why beer overflows This news release is available in Spanish. Scientists at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid reveal the physical phenomenon that explains beer's rapid transformation from a liquid to a foamy state as the result of an impact. ...

Infectious diseases experts issue guidance on health-care personnel attire

2014-01-21
Infectious diseases experts issue guidance on health-care personnel attire Recommendations to help prevent health-care-associated infections transmitted through clothing New guidance from the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA) ...

Radiation before surgery more than doubles mesothelioma survival: UHN study

2014-01-21
Radiation before surgery more than doubles mesothelioma survival: UHN study (TORONTO, Canada – January 20, 2014) – Results of clinical research that treated mesothelioma with radiation before surgery show the three-year survival rate more than doubled for ...

Gay-straight alliances in schools reduce suicide risk for all students

2014-01-21
Gay-straight alliances in schools reduce suicide risk for all students Canadian schools with explicit anti-homophobia interventions such as gay-straight alliances (GSAs) may reduce the odds of suicidal thoughts and attempts among both sexual minority ...

Childhood obesity can only be tackled with broad public health interventions

2014-01-21
Childhood obesity can only be tackled with broad public health interventions Public health researchers from the University of Manchester have found single dietary interventions are not effective at increasing fruit and vegetable consumption among overweight ...

A 21st century adaptation of the Miller-Urey origin of life experiments

2014-01-21
A 21st century adaptation of the Miller-Urey origin of life experiments A safe approach to investigating how organic molecules could come about from inorganic compounds Today, January 21, JoVE, the Journal of Visualized Experiments, published a ...

Peekaboo... I see through!

2014-01-21
Peekaboo... I see through! MIT team develops a new, inexpensive transparent projection screen Picture the Louvre pyramid: the iconic glass pyramid that serves as main entrance and skylight to the landmark museum. The pyramid ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Graz University of Technology opens up new avenues in lung cancer research with digital cell twin

Exoplanets are not water worlds

Study shows increasing ‘healthy competition’ between menu options nudges patients towards greener, lower-fat hospital food choices

New insights into melanoma plasticity uncover a critical role of iron metabolism

A graphene sandwich — deposited or transferred?

New light-powered motor fits inside a strand of hair

Oil rig study reveals vital role of tiny hoverflies

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia researchers boost widespread use of dental varnish across pediatric network

iRECODE: A new computational method that brings clarity to single-cell analysis

New NUS-MOH study: Singapore’s healthcare sector carbon emissions 18% lower than expected, a milestone in the city-state’s net zero journey

QUT scientists create material to turn waste heat into clean power

Major new report sets out how to tackle the ‘profound and lasting impact’ of COVID-19 on cardiovascular health

Cosmic crime scene: White dwarf found devouring Pluto-like icy world

Major report tackles Covid’s cardiovascular crisis head-on

A third of licensed GPs in England not working in NHS general practice

ChatGPT “thought on the fly” when put through Ancient Greek maths puzzle

Engineers uncover why tiny particles form clusters in turbulent air

GLP-1RA drugs dramatically reduce death and cardiovascular risk in psoriasis patients

Psoriasis linked to increased risk of vision-threatening eye disease, study finds

Reprogramming obesity: New drug from Italian biotech aims to treat the underlying causes of obesity

Type 2 diabetes may accelerate development of multiple chronic diseases, particularly in the early stages, UK Biobank study suggests

Resistance training may improve nerve health, slow aging process, study shows

Common and inexpensive medicine halves the risk of recurrence in patients with colorectal cancer

SwRI-built instruments to monitor, provide advanced warning of space weather events

Breakthrough advances sodium-based battery design

New targeted radiation therapy shows near-complete response in rare sarcoma patients

Does physical frailty contribute to dementia?

Soccer headers and brain health: Study finds changes within folds of the brain

Decoding plants’ language of light

UNC Greensboro study finds ticks carrying Lyme disease moving into western NC

[Press-News.org] Cocaine users enjoy social interactions less