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

Making Addiction Treatment More Realistic and Pragmatic: The Perfect Should Not be the Enemy of the Good

| En español

January 4, 2022 | Last year saw drug overdose deaths in the U.S. surpass an unthinkable milestone: 100,000 deaths in a year

Nora's Blog

A Year-End Message from Dr. Nora Volkow

December 23, 2021 | NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow offers a year-end message of hope during the holiday season

NIDA Notes

Hallucination-Like Perceptions Are Associated with Elevated Dopamine in the Striatum in Mice

December 20, 2021 | This study reported that hallucination-like perceptions in mice were associated with elevated dopamine levels in the striatum. Blocking dopamine with haloperidol reversed these hallucination-like perceptions in mice.

News Release

Percentage of adolescents reporting drug use decreased significantly in 2021 as the COVID-19 pandemic endured

| En español

December 15, 2021 | Results from the 2021 Monitoring the Future Survey report substance use behaviors and related attitudes

NIDA Notes

Black People Who Smoke Cigarettes Are Exposed to Higher Levels of Toxic Compounds Than Whites

December 13, 2021 | A recent NIDA-funded study provides a potential explanation for the increased vulnerability to smoking-related health effects among Black people.

Testimony

The Overdose Crisis: Interagency Proposal to Combat Illicit Fentanyl-Related Substances

December 2, 2021 | Dr. Nora Volkow testifies about the importance of advancing research on fentanyl-related substances

Nora's Blog

This World AIDS Day, Finding Inspiration at the Intersection of HIV and Substance Use

December 1, 2021 | NIDA presents a new web video series on research, compassion, and HIV services for people who use drugs

NIDA Notes

People Living With HIV in New York State Faced Increased Burdens From COVID 19 in 2020

November 30, 2021 | This study found that in New York State, people living with HIV were more likely to be diagnosed with, hospitalized for, and die in hospital from COVID-19 than were people...

Nora's Blog

Remembering Paul Bowman, Beloved Peer Recovery Coach and Advocate

| En español

November 29, 2021 | Paul was a coach, advocate, and one of the leading voices for the HEALing Communities Study

NIDA Notes

Cooperation Between Physicians and Pharmacists May Improve Treatment for Patients with Opioid Use Disorder

November 18, 2021 | This study found that collaborations between physicians with buprenorphine waivers and community pharmacists in the treatment of patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) are feasible and acceptable to both providers...

Nora's Blog

To End the Drug Crisis, Bring Addiction Out of the Shadows

| En español

November 8, 2021 | Dr. Volkow writes about her personal experience with stigma and the need for intervention to change attitudes

NIDA Notes

Asymmetry in the Nucleus Accumbens May Be Linked with Substance Dependence

November 8, 2021 | A NIDA-funded study found that people with some types of substance dependence exhibited less rightward asymmetry of the nucleus accumbens than did people without dependence. Additionally it found that reduced...

News Release

Media Briefing: NIH Leaders to speak at the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting about NIH COVID-19 research and the neurological implications of COVID-19

November 1, 2021 | Leaders from across the NIH will brief reporters about on research efforts related to COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2

NIDA Notes

Treating Hepatis C Virus and Opioid Use Disorder Together Benefits Patients

October 25, 2021 | This study found that people with hepatitis C virus (HCV) who inject drugs, offering buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder at the same location as HCV treatment resulted in high...

NIDA Notes

Opioid Use May Increase Susceptibility to Infection

October 19, 2021 | Opioid drugs affect not only the brain and, consequently, behavior, but also numerous other body systems whose cells carry opioid receptors, including the peripheral immune system.

News Release

Researchers identify brain circuitry in rodents that may be responsible for negative emotional aspects of pain

| En español

October 18, 2021 | Changing the activity of this circuit restored levels of motivation in a pre-clinical model of pain

News Release

Buprenorphine misuse decreased among U.S. adults with opioid use disorder from 2015-2019

| En español

October 15, 2021 | NIH study highlights the need to expand buprenorphine-based treatment while monitoring and reducing misuse

Nora's Blog

Longitudinal Studies of Children Will Provide Needed Insight about the Developmental Impact of the Pandemic

| En español

October 8, 2021 | The HEALthy Brain and Child Development study will answer longstanding early development questions

News Release

The Hidden U.S. COVID-19 Pandemic: Orphaned Children – More than 140,000 U.S. children lost a primary or secondary caregiver due to the COVID-19 pandemic

| En español

October 7, 2021 | Study highlights stark disparities in caregiver deaths by race and ethnicity, calls for urgent public health response

News Release

People with substance use disorders may be at higher risk for SARS-CoV-2 breakthrough infections

| En español

October 6, 2021 | Co-occurring health disorders appear to contribute to increased risk, NIH study suggests

Nora's Blog

NIDA’s HIV Research Program: A Longstanding Institute Priority Continues Under a New Name

| En español

September 30, 2021 | To help combat the stigma that still attaches to HIV, we decided to rename our program the HIV Research Program.

NIDA Notes

Developmental Nicotine Exposure in Mice Affects Epigenetic Factors in the Brain Across Multiple Generations

September 22, 2021 | Epigenetic changes that can persist for generations after nicotine exposure may predispose children and grandchildren of people who smoke to develop neurological and behavioral disorders.

News Release

Methamphetamine-involved overdose deaths nearly tripled between 2015 to 2019, NIH study finds

| En español

September 22, 2021 | Patterns of methamphetamine use have become riskier, diversified across U.S. population

Emerging Trend

CDC Health Advisory: Increases in Availability of Cannabis Products Containing Delta-8 THC and Reported Cases of Adverse Events

September 20, 2021 | CDC Alert on the Increased availability of cannabis products containing delta-8 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and the potential for adverse events

NIDA Notes

The ABCD Study Uncovers Relationships Between Socioeconomic Factors, Cognitive Abilities, and Brain Development

September 15, 2021 | Children with greater access to resources, better social support, and better perinatal health had larger brain surface areas and higher cognitive scores, regardless of family income.

News Release

Disparities in opioid overdose deaths continue to worsen for Black people, study suggests

| En español

September 9, 2021 | NIH-supported study underscores the need for racially inclusive approach to address the opioid crisis in hard-hit areas

News Release

Marijuana use at historic high among college-aged adults in 2020

| En español

September 8, 2021 | Annual NIH-supported study reports changing substance use trends among college students and college-aged adults

Nora's Blog

Drug overdose deaths in 2020 were horrifying. Radical change is needed to address the drug crisis.

| En español

August 31, 2021 | More people died of overdoses in the U.S. in 2020 than in any other one-year period. These data are shouting for change.

News Release

NIH HEAL Initiative: Research Meets the Moment to Address the Opioid Public Health Crisis

August 26, 2021 | Directors highlight research results from NIH-funded science and community partnerships

NIDA Notes

Chronic Cocaine Use Changes Brain Structure and Cognitive Function in Rhesus Monkeys

August 25, 2021 | Specific cocaine-induced decreases in gray matter density were associated with reduced performance on tests of memory and cognition.