Day 1 :
Keynote Forum
Xiu Liu
A professor at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, USA
Keynote: New Approach for Smoking Cessation Medication Development: Positive Allosteric Modulation of the α4β2-subtype of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors
Time : 10:00 AM to 10:45 AM
Biography:
Dr. Xiu Liu is a professor at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, USA. He has a more than two-decade track record of studying drug addiction, particularly nicotine and alcohol addictive behavior in animal models. His research has been funded by USA National Institute of Health and Food and Drug Administration grants as well as California State grants. He has published more than 60 research papers, 6 book chapters and 80 research abstracts. Dr. Liu has served on grant review panels for international and national research funding agencies and editorial boards of more than a dozen medical journals.
Abstract:
The α4β2-subtype of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) plays a central role in the reinforcement of nicotine derived from tobacco smoke. Positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) at the α4β2-nAChRs facilitate the intrinsic efficiency of these receptors and thus enhance receptor activities, although they on their own do not directly activate the receptors. Therefore, these PAMs, via enhancing α4β2-nAChR responses to the agonist nicotine, are hypothesized to reduce nicotine intake in the subjects who have already engaged in routine nicotine consumption. Our recent studies used animal models of nicotine self-administration to examine the effects of the α4β2 PAMs on nicotine intake. Rats were trained in daily sessions to intravenously self-administer nicotine as a model of nicotine consumption. After establishment of stable nicotine self-administration, the effects of a α4β2 PAM desformylflustrabromine (dFBr) were examined and compared to a α4β2-selective agonist 5-iodo-A-85380. The ability of dFBr and 5-iodo-A-85380 to substitute for nicotine in maintaining self-administration behavior was also tested. Pretreatment with dFBr and 5-iodo-A-85380 dose-dependently reduced the number of nicotine infusions rats self-administered, while did not change food self-administration, indicating the specificity of these agents for nicotine intake. Unlike 5-iodo-A-85380, dFBr failed to substitute for nicotine in supporting self-administration behavior. These results demonstrated the effectiveness of α4β2 PAMs in reducing nicotine intake in the subjects engaged in regular nicotine-taking behavior and the inability of PAMs themselves to support self-administration behavior, which indicates the PAMs do not have reinforcing actions on their own. These findings suggest that positive allosteric modulation of the a4β2-nAChRs may be a promising target for the treatment of nicotine addiction. Moreover, the a4β2-PAMs, in contrast to agonist medications, may have clinical advantages due to lack of abuse liability.
- Addiction Psychiatry and Mental Health | Drug Addiction | Child & Adolescent Substance Abuse | Addiction Therapy | Addiction Interventions
Session Introduction
Steven Sek-yum Ngai
The Chinese University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Hong Kong
Title: Relationships between drug use history, virtuous orientation, and the realization of drug harm among at-risk youth
Biography:
Dr. Steven Sek-yum Ngai is a Professor at the Department of Social Work, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). His current research interests are in the areas of social exclusion and youth citizenship, mutual aid and youth empowerment, and service-learning and leadership development. In total, he has published over 140 articles on these areas. Since 2000, he has conducted 29 research projects funded by the Hong Kong Research Grants Council as well as government bureaus and NGOs in Hong Kong or Macau. Dr. Ngai received CUHK Research Excellence Award in 2011 and CUHK University Education Award in 2014.
Abstract:
Illicit drug use by youth has been a major concern in many societies because of its great health and social risks. As such, identification of key factors that enhance young people's realization of drug harm represents an important research direction for developing innovative and effective measures to reduce adolescent drug use. Given this consideration, the present study seeks to investigate the role of drug use history in moderating the effect of virtuous orientation on the realization of drug harm among youth. Available literature has indicated that strengthening virtuous orientation, including morally good traits that are learnable, will likely enhance young people's realization of drug harm. Moreover, previous research has shown that drug use history may trigger a cascading effect from cognitive impairment, decreased virtuous orientation to reduced realization of drug harm. This study recruited 169 at-risk youths who were drug users through two youth service agencies in Hong Kong, with a two-wave panel survey. The time interval between an initial and a follow-up survey was 6.6 months. Results show that Wave 2 virtuous orientation fostered Wave 2 realization of drug harm, controlling for Wave 1 realization of drug harm and demographic characteristics. Additionally, drug use history moderated the effect of virtuous orientation on realization of drug harm. For the youth with shorter drug use history, virtuous orientation significantly increased realization of drug harm. However, for those with longer drug use history, this positive effect was non-significant. These results encourage strengthening virtuous orientation to increase young people's realization of drug harm, particularly among those with shorter drug use history.
Jack Perkins
Founder of Psuche Education, Counseling & Coaching Services, USA
Title: The Heart of Addiction: An Emerging Paradigm for Understanding Addiction Proposal Application
Biography:
Jack is the founder of Psuche Education, Counseling & Coaching Services. He has served as a clinical counselor at MONARCH, the Executive Director at Clay Crossing, a faith-based co-occurring residential facility for men, Admissions Director at Rose Rock Recovery Center, a 48-bed residential facility serving women with co-occurring issues—a trauma specific model utilizing the Sanctuary Model. In his doctoral dissertation/project he integrated spirituality, human development theories and psychotherapy. Jack is creating The Together We Thrive program for the Ft. Gibson School District, a K-12 program designed to identify at risk children and develop initiatives to assist them. He has 30 plus years of professional experience from a broad range of experiences.
Abstract:
Statement of the Problem
Adverse childhood experiences contribute to insecure attachments and difficulty regulating emotions, and a high-risk factor for addiction. Emerging research, especially brain research and human development research, is advancing co-occurring counseling to a place where clients will have a better opportunity to thrive. Based upon my studies and experience, I have come to believe we must address the underlying issues of addiction, often attachment disorders.
Methodology & Theoretical Orientation
When considering what has been learned about the brain and “what works”, a new way of looking at addiction and recovery is needed. Engaging clients from the perspective of loss, to include the absence of having personal/emotional needs met, and relationships is based upon the belief that a key to resetting the brain involves processing the impact of poor relationships.
Findings
I work in a female residential facility for those struggling with co-occurring issues. Invariably, at least 95% of those served present with abandonment issues, family systems void of emotional bonding, trauma that has destroyed trust, major losses, and a host of other issues that often result in self-medication. The Detailed Assessment of Posttraumatic Stress was administered. It, along with the interview, was consistent in demonstrating the issues previously outlined.
Conclusion & Significance
It is this author’s opinion, along with many others, that more work is needed to help clinicians understand the problem, to develop evidence-based treatment models that have a strong sensitivity to the correlation of attachment disorders to substance misuse, and intentional early intervention models. Too often, persons with addiction issues are not provided appropriate treatment and insurance coverage, compared to treatment for other diseases.
Counselors, educators, department leaders, and political leaders have an obligation to bring addiction out of the darkness and treat those struggling with addiction with respect, affirm their personhood, and give them a hand up.
Lisa Jordan McLennan
Workforce Development Manager - Health and Well-being Workforce, New Zealand
Title: How the wellbeing of healthcare personel is impacted by their professional practice.
Biography:
Lisa Phillips is a researcher who has been practicing in the Health and Education sectors for over 15 years. As a registered educator and addiction practitioner, she began her career working alongside clients experiencing advanced dementia. This sparked an interest in the relationship between substance use and cognitive changes. Her experience includes speaking internationally on the impact of trauma on youth and young adults, as well as leading clinical and educational teams both nationally and regionally. With a special interest in ensuring the client remains at the center of practice, she supports the empowerment of people accessing healthcare support to be the core designers in their healthcare.
Abstract:
It is not a new concept for staff working in health fields to ‘care themselves into the ground’, however there is very limited information on the health outcomes for addiction practitioners specifically. Addiction practitioners often speak about feeling overworked, stressed and undervalued. At the same time, practitioners in these services speak about feeling rewarded by the meaning they glean from their work. This sense of meaning often does not provide the adhesive to be able to maintain a career in these fields. Delegates will learn the relationship between employment in addiction services and changes in health outcomes for practitioners. This presentation explains how addiction practitioners are impacted by their work – in terms of impacts on their connections with Whanau, culture, spirituality, self-identity and physical/mental wellbeing.
The audience will be presented with some striking data in terms of the coping mechanisms that practitioners develop to manage the mental load of their work. Recommendations to ensure their professional practice is sustainable, powerful and healthy will be provided, and the challenging data
will be balanced with inspiring opportunities for staff and services to support clients more effectively
Narcie Faith Amista
Sahmyook University Graduate School, South Korea
Title: Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Culturally Relevant Community-Based Drug Recovery Program in a Rural Area in the Philippines
Biography:
Narcie Faith Amista is currently a PhD Candidate in Public Health Department of Addiction Science Sahmyook University Graduate School. Interest Areas: Addiction Counseling & Rehabilitation for Substance Use Disorders, Virtual Reality Therapy for Addiction Recovery, and Positive Psychology for Addiction Recovery. She has published 2 papers in reputed journals.
Abstract:
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has issued the guidelines for the implementation of a Community-Based Drug Rehabilitation Program (CBDRP) to address the needs of the Tokhang (a Visayan word “Toktok-Hangyo” meaning “knock and plead” where police officers make a polite request to affirmed drug users and pushers to surrender to the authorities, and be checked for further assessment) responders regarding treatment and rehabilitation in the Philippines.
Using a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest with a control group design, this study evaluated the effectiveness of the CBDRP in regards to the impact on self-satisfaction with life, positive and negative effects, Stress Response, self-control and self-management, and recovery capital. Tokhang responders (N=60) participated in the study from June to August 2018, enrolled in the CBDRP (n=30; experimental group) with those of another group who had received no intervention (n= 30; control group).
Post-test results exhibited that the intervention group was more highly satisfied with life, increased positive effects and decreased negative effects, improved stress coping skills, increased self-control and self-management ability, and fostered substance addiction recovery than the control group. Overall, the CBDRP greatly affect the lives of the Tokhang responders. It is also about saving and improving the lives of the Tokhang responders as well as their affected loved ones. Recommendations for future research are discussed.