In the News

It’s been called “Ozempic for alcohol,” for its ability to reduce cravings, yet most people struggling with addiction have never heard of it. So why isn’t it being used? Smita Das, clinical associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, provides comment.

Social media apps can have the same effect on your brain as an addictive drug thanks to their algorithm-driven potency, their ever-present availability and their never-ending quantity. Anna Lembke, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, is interviewed on the subject.

Drugs that eliminate wakefulness, molecules in cannabis and wearable devices that modulate brain activity could help those with the condition. Emmanuel Mignot, the Craig Reynolds Professor of Sleep Medicine in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Professor, by courtesy, of Genetics and of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, provides comment.

A new collaborative project underscores the importance of sleep in overall health by taking further steps in proactive care, beginning with a pioneering study. Robson Capasso, Professor of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery, and, by courtesy, of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Clete Kushida, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, co-lead the project.

Stanford Medicine scientists have rebuilt, in laboratory glassware, the neural pathway that sends information from the body’s periphery to the brain, promising to aid research on pain disorders. Sergiu Pasca, the Kenneth T. Norris, Jr. Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and postdoctoral scholars Ji-il Kim and Kent Imaizumi, are featured in this news release.