News Releases | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Opioid Overdose Reversal News: FDA-approved naloxone devices produce substantially higher blood levels of naloxone than improvised nasal spray

March 15, 2019 | A new study looked at how well the FDA-approved nasal spray and autoinjector compared to the improvised nasal devices, which are not FDA-approved.

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Serotonin Unexpectedly Regulates Expression of Brain Genes

March 13, 2019 | The brain chemical serotonin can regulate expression of genes within neurons in a very unexpected way, as described in a NIDA-funded paper just published in the journal Nature.

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Monthly buprenorphine injections effective for opioid use disorders

February 19, 2019 | A newly published study suggests the long-acting buprenorphine formulation BUP-XR is more effective than placebo in helping patients struggling with addiction to opioids. BUP-XR is a monthly extended-release injection.

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New toolkit for genomic editing holds promise for addiction research

February 19, 2019 | The scientific world has advanced immeasurably by the science of DNA and genetics. Manipulating gene expression to change the way that cells such as neurons function has helped scientists create...

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Higher rates of NAS linked with economic conditions

January 29, 2019 | A NIDA-funded analysis of eight states showed a significant association between rates of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) and poor economic conditions.

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Cascade of Care model recommended for opioid crisis

January 25, 2019 | A team of NIDA-funded scientists has offered a critical look at how to build an improved framework of care for the identification and treatment of people with opioid use disorder...

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A whole new view of CB2

January 25, 2019 | NIDA-funded scientists have recently identified the crystal structure of the CB1 receptor and have some understanding of how it modulates the system.

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Scientists closer to finding inherited traits in addiction

January 14, 2019 | Scientists have concluded that the risk of addiction is a complex combination of both genes and environmental influences.

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Teens using vaping devices in record numbers

December 17, 2018 | America’s teens report a dramatic increase in their use of vaping devices in just a single year, with 37.3 percent of 12th graders reporting “any vaping” in the past 12...

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National Institute on Drug Abuse to hold teleconference discussing key findings of 2018 Monitoring the Future Survey on teen drug use

December 6, 2018 | The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) will hold a teleconference on Monday, December 17, to discuss the results of the 2018 Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey.

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ABCD study completes enrollment, announces opportunities for scientific engagement

December 3, 2018 | The National Institutes of Health announced today that enrollment for the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study is now complete and, in early 2019, scientists will have access to baseline...

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NIDA-NIAAA 2018 Mini-Convention: Frontiers in Addiction Research

October 25, 2018 | The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), both part of the National Institutes of Health, will host a one-day mini...

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Study shows impact of social interactions on addictive behavior

October 15, 2018 | A new study published in Nature Neuroscience finds that social interactions can have a profound effect on behaviors related to addiction, and on the brain’s response to drug-associated cues.

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New opioid treatment resources for emergency department clinicians

October 3, 2018 | The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) today announced the availability of informational resources for clinicians interested in initiating buprenorphine treatment in emergency department settings.

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Daily use of marijuana among non-college young adults at all time high

September 5, 2018 | The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) announced that the latest Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey results on substance use trends as teens transition to adulthood are now available online...

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Journal commentary addresses role of dentists in opioid crisis

July 25, 2018 | The commentary, authored by Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and Dr. Martha Somerman, director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, both...

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Study casts doubt on effectiveness of e-cigs for smoking cessation

July 9, 2018 | A study found no evidence that smokers who used e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) in the United States were more likely to quit smoking cigarettes than smokers...

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2018 Avenir award recipient to study how social networks affect people who use drugs

July 2, 2018 | A proposal to study how drug users who are part of social networks influence their own communities has been given the 2018 Avenir award for HIV/AIDS research by the National...

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New clinician screening tool available for substance use

June 28, 2018 | The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Clinical Trials Network has unveiled a new scientifically validated, online screening tool designed to assess a patient’s risk for substance misuse and substance...

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Training module now available for acute pain management in hospitalized adults

June 27, 2018 | A case-based clinician training module designed for the evaluation of acute pain and opioid management for adults is now available through the Centers of Excellence in Pain Education (CoEPE) program...

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Analysis of insurance coverage for back pain shows missed opportunities to prescribe non-opioid medications

June 22, 2018 | A comprehensive analysis of health insurance coverage of non-opioid and opioid medications to treat chronic low back pain concluded that some insurance plans have missed important opportunities to steer patients...

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Methadone and buprenorphine reduce risk of death after opioid overdose

June 19, 2018 | A National Institutes of Health-funded study found that treatment of opioid use disorder with either methadone or buprenorphine following a nonfatal opioid overdose is associated with significant reductions in opioid...

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Special journal issue highlights ABCD brain study

June 11, 2018 | The special issue is an overview of the ABCD Study and includes articles about the rationale for the study, its design and recruitment strategy, assessment protocols and neuroimaging parameters, the...

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Full survey of annual teen drug use now available with additional data

June 1, 2018 | The complete volume of the 2017 Monitoring the Future Survey (MTF) teen drug use and behavior survey results is now available online with never before seen highlights about drug use...

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Higher rate of substance use among Native American youth on reservations

May 31, 2018 | A survey comparing drug use among Native American youth living on or near reservations to a national sample of American youth found that Native American youth report substantially higher use...

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Method to identify undetected drug suicides wins top NIDA Addiction Science Award

May 18, 2018 | A project that identified and tested a bioinformatics program that can help identify underreported suicides linked to drug overdoses was awarded the first-place distinction at the 2018 Intel International Science...

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FDA approves first medication to reduce opioid withdrawal symptoms

May 16, 2018 | Lofexidine, the first medication for use in reducing symptoms associated with opioid withdrawal in adults, has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

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Study upends conventional view of opioid mechanism of action

May 10, 2018 | A new discovery shows that opioids used to treat pain, such as morphine and oxycodone, produce their effects by binding to receptors inside neurons, contrary to conventional wisdom that they...

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Nearly half of opioid-related overdose deaths involve fentanyl

May 1, 2018 | An analysis of opioid-related overdose deaths found that synthetic opioids, such as illicit fentanyl, have surpassed prescription opioids as the most common drug involved in overdose deaths in the U.S.

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Dr. Kurt Rasmussen to lead NIDA’s therapeutics and medical consequences division

April 30, 2018 | The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health, welcomed Dr. Kurt Rasmussen today as the Director of the Division of Therapeutics and Medical...