Latest from NIDA | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Prenatal Cannabis Exposure Alters Brain Reward Circuitry in Male Rats

August 6, 2020 | Prenatal cannabis exposure (PCE) increased sensitivity to THC in male rats, but not female rats, during pre-adolescence. PCE increased dopamine release in response to THC and altered the properties of...

NIDA Notes

Two Different Brain Regions Are Linked With Nicotine Addiction Severity and Nicotine Withdrawal

July 21, 2020 | Activity in the striatum of people who smoke changed less in response to positive feedback/reward than in nonsmokers; this effect was more pronounced with greater addiction severity. Activity of the...

Science Highlight

Treating Substance Use Disorders Can Reduce HIV Burden in U.S. Cities

July 15, 2020 | Concerted efforts and substantial investments in HIV prevention and care in the United States have resulted in considerable reduction in new diagnoses and death since the mid-1990s. To identify best...

NIDA Notes

Parents’ Marijuana Use May Increase Children’s Risk of Marijuana Use and Favorable Views of Marijuana

June 30, 2020 | This study found that children’s risk of marijuana and alcohol use and attitudes toward marijuana were influenced by their parents’ marijuana use pattern over time.

Science Highlight

Clues to Regulating HIV-1 Viral Gene Expression

June 23, 2020 | People with substance use disorders (SUD) can be at high risk for contracting this virus, either through injection drug use, or risky behaviors prompted by impaired judgment.

NIDA Notes

Researchers Identify Rare Gene Variants Associated With Smoking and Alcohol Use

May 29, 2020 | International research teams analyzed several hundred thousand samples from 17 whole-exome sequencing studies to identify rare gene variants associated with smoking and alcohol use. They identified rare variants in 117...

Science Highlight

Shape shifters: The dynamic role of GCPRs in drug discovery

May 26, 2020 | A new computational analysis suggests certain dopamine receptors in the brain and body are more complex and dynamic than previously thought, existing in diverse inactive states that only allow the...

NIDA Notes

Expression of a Gene in the Brain Links Nicotine Addiction to Diabetes

May 12, 2020 | Rats with a disrupted transcription factor 7-like 2 (Tcf7l2) gene in the medial habenula showed markedly greater nicotine intake than control rats. Reduced Tcf7l2 expression in the medial habenula reduced...

Announcement

NIDA launches drug education booklet series for middle school students

May 1, 2020 | The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has launched a redesigned series of booklets geared towards educating middle school students about substance use. The Mind Matters series consists of nine...

Science Highlight

Learning how to disrupt cocaine’s effects on the brain

April 20, 2020 | Just published research by scientists at NIDA’s Intramural Research Program reveals that the drug cocaine causes neurons to synthesize endocannabinoids that are then enclosed within membrane-bound packages, known as extracellular...

News Release

Landmark study of adolescent brain development renews for additional seven years

April 15, 2020 | With nearly $290M of new funding for seven years to research institutions around the country, the National Institutes of Health renewed its commitment to the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD)...

Science Highlight

Dopamine found to play unexpected role in cocaine withdrawal

April 13, 2020 | This study has linked cocaine withdrawal to altered gene expression in a brain region affected by addiction.

NIDA Notes

Mu Opioid Receptors in One Brain Region Contribute to Naloxone Aversion

April 9, 2020 | Mice genetically engineered to lack mu opioid receptors in the medial habenula were less sensitive to the unpleasant effects of the opioid antagonist naloxone and showed fewer naloxone-induced withdrawal symptoms.

Science Highlight

Marijuana vaping and edible use increasing among high school seniors

April 6, 2020 | A new analysis suggests that among adolescent marijuana users, smoking has become less prevalent, eclipsed by vaping and edibles.

Announcement

NIDA Director outlines potential risks to people who smoke and use drugs during COVID-19 pandemic

April 2, 2020 | The precarious intersection of the COVID-19 national health emergency and the concurrent epidemic of drug overdose deaths is outlined in the Annals of Internal Medicine this week by Dr. Nora...

Announcement

Stigma and addiction addressed in New England Journal of Medicine

April 2, 2020 | In a perspective released today in The New England Journal of Medicine, NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow addresses how stigma against people who use drugs can sabotage effective treatment.

NIDA Notes

Many People Treated for Opioid Overdose in Emergency Departments Die Within 1 Year

April 2, 2020 | About 1 in 20 patients treated for a nonfatal opioid overdose in an emergency department died within 1 year of their visit, many within 2 days. Two-thirds of these deaths...

Science Highlight

Dopamine Neurons Signal Rich Information About Unexpected Events

March 27, 2020 | In this study, both rats and humans learned to predict differently flavored rewards in parallel choice tasks, showing that dopamine neurons are carrying much more information than previously thought.

NIDA Notes

Stronger Brain Circuit Connectivity May Predict Nicotine Dependence Severity

March 25, 2020 | The degree of connectivity of a neuronal network in the rat brain before nicotine exposure can help predict nicotine dependence severity after nicotine exposure as well as reversal of dependence...

Science Highlight

New biological clues linking social connectedness to reduced drug craving and relapse

March 24, 2020 | This rodent study offers the first mechanistic explanation for the protective effect of social interaction related to incubation of craving, showing for the first time the role of a specific...

News Release

National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week® celebrates 10 years

March 23, 2020 | NDAFW is an annual, week-long observance in which local educational events link teens with science-based facts about drugs and alcohol through live and online activities across the country.

Emerging Trend

COVID-19 is an Emerging, Rapidly Evolving Situation

March 18, 2020 | Links to the latest resources on COVID-19

NIDA Notes

Serotonin Receptor Agonist Lorcaserin Reduces Relapse to Drug Use in Monkeys

March 10, 2020 | The serotonin 2C receptor agonist lorcaserin reduced reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior in response to heroin or cocaine in a nonhuman primate model of relapse.

NIDA Notes

E-Cigarette Characteristics May Influence Use and Are Potential Targets for Regulatory Policy

March 2, 2020 | People's decisions to use e-cigarettes, as well as perceptions about associated risks, are influenced by the e-cigarettes' nicotine levels and available flavors. The influence of these characteristics on decision-making and...

Science Highlight

Study highlights effectiveness of methadone and buprenorphine

February 28, 2020 | In a comparative effectiveness study of 6 approaches to treatment for opioid use disorders, only treatment with buprenorphine or methadone was associated with reduced risk of overdose and serious opioid-related...

Science Highlight

NIDA scientists: Blocking adenosine receptors should counteract adverse effects of cannabinoids

February 21, 2020 | Computational modeling by NIDA scientists suggests the possible use of adenosine A2A receptor antagonists to counteract the adverse effects of cannabinoids.

Science Highlight

Babies exposed to HCV not adequately tested

February 18, 2020 | NIDA-funded science has found that HCV exposed infants might not be commonly or adequately tested.

NIDA Notes

Antiretroviral Therapy Combined With CRISPR Gene Editing Can Eliminate HIV Infection in Mice

February 14, 2020 | This study found that HIV-1 could be eliminated in mice using a combination of two antiviral technologies—long-acting viral reservoir—targeted antiretroviral therapy and CRISPR/Cas-9 gene editing. HIV was undetectable in 9...

Science Highlight

Many teens who overdose on opioids do not get effective follow-up

February 5, 2020 | An analysis of Medicaid records shows that less than one-third of youths treated for a nonfatal opioid overdose received timely follow-up treatment, and only 1 in 54 youths received recommended...

NIDA Notes

Part 2: Immunotherapies—A New Tool To Treat Methamphetamine Addiction?

February 5, 2020 | Researchers move their monoclonal antibody (mAb) into clinical trials to see if it can be an effective treatment for methamphetamine use.