Research Highlights | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

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.

Nora's Blog

Connections between Sleep and Substance Use Disorders

| En español

March 9, 2020 | Most common mental disorders, from depression and anxiety to PTSD, are associated with disturbed sleep, and substance use disorders are no exception. The relationship may be complex and bidirectional: Substance...

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?

| En español

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

NIDA Notes

Part 1: Immunotherapies—A New Tool To Treat Methamphetamine Addiction?

| En español

January 30, 2020 | Researchers have created a monoclonal antibody (mAb) that is intended to interact with methamphetamine and decrease its ability to enter the brain.

Science Highlight

Coaxing the brain to pay attention to healthier choices

January 30, 2020 | Neuroscience research from NIDA’s Intramural Research Program suggests that cortical mechanisms, especially in the orbitofrontal cortex, are likely involved in attentional bias to cocaine associated environmental cues and offer a...

Nora's Blog

Reviewing NIDA’s 2019 Achievements and Looking to the Future

January 24, 2020 | As NIDA sets its sights on new goals and objectives for 2020 and beyond, I like to reflect on how far we have come in our research efforts, especially as...

NIDA Notes

AOUD Treatment in Primary Care Settings—Is it Feasible?

January 21, 2020 | Treatment for alcohol and opioid use disorders (AOUD) is feasible in primary care settings, but ongoing funding to support organizational capacity is critical for sustaining such programs.

NIDA Notes

A New Era at NIDA Notes

January 14, 2020 | As we enter a new year, we would like to honor and thank NIDA Notes Editor David Anderson, who recently retired after 20 years at the helm of NIDA’s signature...

NIDA Notes

Novel Dopamine D3 Receptor Antagonist Reduces Opioid Addiction-Like Behaviors in Rats

| En español

January 13, 2020 | The dopamine D3 receptor antagonist VK4-116 reduced oxycodone self-administration in rats, as well as drug-seeking behaviors after oxycodone reinstatement following withdrawal. VK4-116 did not interfere with oxycodone’s pain-relieving effects

Science Highlight

Changing the way we view opioid receptors

January 9, 2020 | Newly published research from NIDA funded scientists offers new insight into how opioid receptors work to regulate chemical communication in the brain. The researchers discover unexpected receptor mobility and diffusion...

NIDA Notes

The Strong African American Families Program Improves Lives of Rural African American Youth

December 20, 2019 | This video highlights the Strong African American Families Program, a prevention program targeted at 10- to 14-year-old rural African American youths and their families. Numerous studies have shown that the...

Nora's Blog

2019 Monitoring the Future Survey Raises Worries about Teen Marijuana Vaping

December 18, 2019 | For the second year in a row, rapid rises in vaping among adolescents are the top story from the Monitoring the Future survey of drug use and attitudes among the...

NIDA Notes

α2δ-1–NMDA Receptor Interactions Are Responsible for Increases in Pain Sensitivity Caused by Opioids

December 12, 2019 | In animal studies, α2δ-1 and its interactions with NMDA receptors in the spinal cord triggered the pain sensitivity and analgesic tolerance that occurs with chronic morphine treatment. Blocking the α2δ-1–NMDA...

Science Highlight

Measuring the complex path to a prescription opioid use disorder

December 4, 2019 | NIDA scientists examine an accepted model of the causes of depression to determine its usefulness as a foundation to predict the probability of prescription opioid use disorder.

Science Highlight

New discovery on the brain’s reward pathway

November 27, 2019 | Scientists at NIDA’s Intramural Research Program (IRP) have identified a population of neurons engaged in the compulsive nature of food seeking, which, like substance use, engage the brain’s reward circuit...

NIDA Notes

Nerve-Cell Growth During Abstinence From Methamphetamine May Promote Reinstatement of Drug Use in Rats

November 20, 2019 | Neurogenesis that occurs during abstinence from methamphetamine in a brain region related to memory and learning may promote relapse-like behavior.

Science Highlight

Healing the altered brains of smokers

October 31, 2019 | A study from NIDA’s Intramural Research Program illuminates the roles of the brain’s striatum and habenula in nicotine withdrawal and reward, suggesting that current medications for smoking cessation are not...

NIDA Notes

Mindful Awareness in Body-Oriented Therapy Proves Useful in Women Treated for Substance Use Disorder

October 31, 2019 | Mindful Awareness in Body-Oriented Therapy (MABT) improved emotion regulation, reduced craving, and promoted abstinence in women with a history of trauma and emotional problems receiving outpatient treatment for substance use...

Nora's Blog

Addressing the Socioeconomic Complexities of Addiction—Lessons from the Kensington Neighborhood in Philadelphia

| En español

October 29, 2019 | This September, I was invited by Thomas Farley, the Health Commissioner of Philadelphia, to see firsthand how that city is responding to the opioid crisis. We toured Prevention Point, a...

Science Highlight

Who is most likely to become addicted to nicotine?

October 25, 2019 | NIDA scientists discover that connectivity between insular regions of the brain before using nicotine can predict severity of addiction.

NIDA Notes

Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Tobacco Smoke Exposure Persist Among U.S. Children

October 24, 2019 | The number of children (ages 3 to 11 years) in the United States who are exposed to tobacco smoke decreased steadily from 1999 to 2014. However, childhood tobacco smoke exposure...

Nora's Blog

New Discovery Illuminates Brain Link Between Nicotine and Diabetes

| En español

October 17, 2019 | Until recently, nicotine’s link to diabetes has been thought to involve inflammation and oxidative stress caused by chemicals in cigarette smoke, but a group of researchers have discovered an unexpected...

NIDA Notes

Machine Learning Applied to Brain Imaging Data Predicts Response to Cocaine Use Disorder Treatment

October 14, 2019 | This study demonstrated that functional connectivity among a large number of brain regions predicts patients’ chances of achieving abstinence in treatment for cocaine use disorder.

Nora's Blog

With NIDA’s Help, Startups Translate Addiction Science into New Technologies

| En español

October 9, 2019 | NIDA’s Office of Translational Initiatives and Program Innovations (OTIPI) has used funding mechanisms to help startups develop incredibly innovative technologies