Addictions, Substance Use Category

Brain Interrupted

Early Life Traumatic Brain Injury and Addiction Vulnerability

1.5 CE Hour
221 members have taken this course
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About the Course

This is a research intensive course. Recent reports provide evidence for increased risk of substance use disorders (SUD) among patients with a history of early-life traumatic brain injury (TBI). Preclinical research utilizing animal models of TBI have identified injury-induced inflammation, blood-brain barrier permeability, and changes to synapses and neuronal networks within regions of the brain associated with the perception of reward. Importantly, these reward pathway networks are underdeveloped during childhood and adolescence, and early-life TBI pathology may interrupt ongoing maturation. This course will discuss these issues and how they can impact SUD.

This course is based on the reading online article, Brain Interrupted created by Lee Anne Cannella, Ph.D. et al in 2019.

Publication Details

Publication Date: Exp Neurol. 2019 July ; 317: 191–201. doi:10.1016/j.expneurol.2019.03.003. July, 2019

Course Material Authors

Course Material Authors authored the material only, and were not involved in creating this CE course. They are identified here for your own evaluation of the relevancy of the material this course is based on.

Lee Anne Cannella, Ph.D.

Lee Anne Cannella, Ph.D., is a Senior Medical Director for AdMed. Dr. Cannella has done research in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA; Center for Substance Abuse Research, The Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. Her work focuses on traumatic brain injuries and has been published in multiple peer reviewed journals.

Hannah McGary, MBA

Hannah McGary, MBA, is a Senior Medical Writer for AdMed. She received her Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Fox School of Business at Temple University in 2021, where she studied Strategic Management. Hanna’s expertise is in animal models for addiction-like behavior and experimental TBI. Her work has been published in peer reviewed journals.

Target Audience

Counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychologists and social workers. This course is appropriate for all levels of knowledge.

Learning Objectives

After taking this activity, you should be able to:

  1. 1 Discuss the incidence of early-life TBI.
  2. 2 List at least 1 finding from animal studies modeling TBI and SUD.
  3. 3 List at least 2 findings regarding neuropathology and neuroinflammation in the addiction pathway.
  4. 4 Summarize the findings about childhood or adolescent TBI and addiction in adulthood.

Disclosure to Learners

CE Learning Systems adheres to the ACCME's Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity – including faculty, planners, reviewers, or others ― are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (formerly known as commercial interests).

The following relevant financial relationships have been disclosed by this activity's planners, faculty, and the reviewer:

Planners and Reviewers

The planners of this activity have reported that they have no relevant financial relationships.

Material Authors

Any relevant financial disclosures for course material authors can be found in the article.

Commercial support

There is no commercial support for this distance-learning course.

Indiana State Psychology Board

1.5 CE credit hour
Eligible until Feb 1st, 2028
Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.
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Joint Accreditation (JA)

1.5 Psychologist CE credit hour
Eligible until Feb 1st, 2028
In support of improving patient care, CE Learning Systems, LLC, is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
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American Psychological Association (APA)

1.5 CE credit hour
Eligible until Feb 1st, 2028
Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.
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Logo: American Psychological Association

Course Material

References begin on page 18.

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