NIDA Notes

Women and Sex/Gender Differences Research Program (April 2012)

NIDA’s Women and Sex/Gender Differences Research Program focuses on gender-specific addiction risk factors and treatment needs.

Antiretroviral Treatment Reduces Spread of HIV Among Injection Drug Users (April 2012)

Expanded use of antiretroviral therapy in British Columbia reduced the spread of HIV among injection drug users and others in the province.

Home Visits by Nurses to Low-Income First-Time Mothers Yield Enduring Benefits (April 2012)

A program involving home visits by nurses to low-income first-time mothers, starting during pregnancy and extending into the second year of their children’s lives, has a positive and long-lasting impact on families. Children who participated in the program were less likely than others to report having used alcohol, cigarettes, or marijuana at age 12.

Alleviation of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder May Improve Addiction Treatment (April 2012)

Women with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who abused drugs responded better to substance abuse treatment after their PTSD symptoms improved, according to a recent study, which also found that reductions in substance abuse did not ease PTSD severity

Cognitive Strategy Reduces Craving by Altering Brain Activity (April 2012)

While viewing images of cigarettes, smokers reported milder cravings when they shifted their focus from the pleasures of smoking to its harmful effects. Brain imaging showed a correlation between the reductions in craving and altered activity levels in regions associated with emotional regulation and reward.

Vouchers Improve Mothers’ Smoking Abstinence and Newborns’ Weight (April 2012)

Pregnant women who received financial incentives to refrain from smoking during late pregnancy were more successful at remaining abstinent and less likely to have babies with low birth weight, according to data from three trials.

Desire to Smoke Subsides, But Cigarette Cues Retain Power (April 2012)

During early abstinence, smokers’ cravings triggered by cigarette cues intensified over time, providing evidence that people can experience a phenomenon previously observed in experiments with animals

Well-Known Mechanism Underlies Benzodiazepines' Addictive Properties (April 2012)

New research establishes that benzodiazepines cause addiction in a way similar to that of opioids, cannabinoids, and the club drug GHB. The discovery opens the door to designing new benzodiazepines that counteract anxiety but are not addictive.

Tobacco Smokers Have High Probability of Transition to Dependence (April 2012)

First-time smokers have a much higher chance of eventually becoming dependent than first-time users alcohol, cannabis, and cocaine.

New Method Uncovers How Internal States Influence the Living Brain to Change Behavior (March 2012)

In an innovative NIDA-funded study, published in Cell, scientists introduced a modified dopamine receptor gene into the brain of a living vinegar fly

Pages

Attention

Due to the lapse in government funding, the information on this web site may not be up to date, transactions submitted via the web site may not be processed, and the agency may not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted. Updates regarding government operating status and resumption of normal operations can be found at

USA.gov

Menu

Early, Regular Cannabis Use Linked to IQ Decline

Cognitive Deficits Due to Cocaine May Be Temporary

12th Graders Report Nonmedical Use of Rx Opioids

Ex-Inmates' Friends Key to Avoiding Drug Use

In This Section