October 2010 Describes research results reporting that people who favor novelty have lower-than-average availability of a receptor that inhibits dopamine's release from neurons, which likely stimulates the activity of reward circuits.
October 2010 Announces the recipient of a 2009 award for innovation in research on drug addiction and alcoholism and with a focus on the changes that occur in the brain after exposure to drugs.
October 2010 Reports on two studies that demonstrate the promise of treating addiction with medications that alleviate drug-induced alterations in signaling by the neurotransmitter glutamate.
October 2010 Announces the 2009 International Prize, awarded by the French Institute of Health and Medical Research, to NIDA Director Dr. Nora D. Volkow.
October 2010 Describes study findings revealing that cocaine abusers who maintain high levels of a certain receptor in their brain during early abstinence relapse sooner than abusers whose levels drop.
April 2010 Describes an animal study reporting that peer interaction enhances adolescent rats’ drug reward and discusses the impact of these findings to future research on drug reward in social context.
April 2010 Describes a literature analysis reporting on the prevalence of people with bipolar disorder who also have a substance use disorder and discusses the genetic link that may contribute to this comorbidity.