Individuals in groups must often choose between acting selfishly and cooperating for the common good. The choices they make are based on their beliefs on how they expect their actions to affect others. We show that for a broad set of beliefs and group characteristics cooperation can appear spontaneously in non-cooperative groups after very long periods of time. When delays in information are un...

Modern imaging techniques enable researchers to observe drug actions and consequences as they occur and persist in the brains of abusing and addicted individuals. This article presents the five most commonly used techniques, explains how each produces images, and describes how researchers interpret them. The authors give examples of key findings illustrating how each technique has extended and ...

The link between treatment techniques and long-term treatment outcome was examined in an empirically supported family-based treatment for adolescent drug abuse. Observational ratings of therapist interventions were used to predict outcomes at 6 and 12 months posttreatment for 63 families receiving multidimensional family therapy. Greater use of in-session family-focused techniques predicted red...

Individual differences in impulsive and risky choice are key risk factors for a variety of maladaptive behaviors such as drug abuse, gambling, and obesity. In our rat model, ordered individual differences are stable across choice parameters, months of testing, and span a broad spectrum, suggesting that rats, like humans, exhibit trait-level impulsive and risky choice behaviors. In addition, imp...

AIM To evaluate the effects of prenatal marijuana exposure (PME) on the age of onset and frequency of marijuana use while controlling for identified confounds of early marijuana use among 14-year-olds. DESIGN In this longitudinal cohort study, women were recruited in their fourth prenatal month. Women and children were followed throughout pregnancy and at multiple time-points into adolescence...

In this third of a four-article series on religion and medicine, I describe a theoretical model to illustrate the complex pathways by which religion may influence physical health. Genetic factors, childhood training, psychological and social influences, health behaviors, and healthcare practices are discussed as part of this model. Considerable space is given to recent advances in psychoneuroim...

Social networks and daily activities of children and adolescents living and/or working on the streets of a large Brazilian city were examined. Drawing on data collected through structured surveys, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and field observations, we described street youths' family situation, social resources, institutional experiences, survival activities, and problem behavi...

This study was undertaken to evaluate the reasons for lapse, relapse and the coping behaviors in a group of recently abstinent subjects with opioid dependence. Retrospective qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the reasons for lapse, relapse and coping behaviors were done using structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Eighty-four subjects from inpatient and outpatient set...

Family-based therapy is one of the most thoroughly studied treatments for adolescent drug abuse. Considerable empirical support exists for the efficacy of family-based therapy in curtailing adolescent drug use and cooccurring behavior problems. This article extends knowledge of the effects of family-based therapy for adolescent drug abuse by reviewing 16 controlled trials and 4 therapy process ...

Objective Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention or hyperactivity. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between ADHD and drug dependence. Methods The presence and severity of ADHD and substance use were evaluated through questionnaires in 80 adult patients in therapeutic communities. Results No difference in drug u...