Research Highlights | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Parents’ Marijuana Use May Increase Children’s Risk of Marijuana Use and Favorable Views of Marijuana

June 30, 2020 | This study found that children’s risk of marijuana and alcohol use and attitudes toward marijuana were influenced by their parents’ marijuana use pattern over time.

Science Highlight

Clues to Regulating HIV-1 Viral Gene Expression

June 23, 2020 | People with substance use disorders (SUD) can be at high risk for contracting this virus, either through injection drug use, or risky behaviors prompted by impaired judgment.

Nora's Blog

NIDA Researchers Adapt Their Projects to Study COVID-19

June 17, 2020 | The U.S. is now facing two intersecting health crises, the ongoing opioid overdose epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic. Regrettably, each has the potential to exacerbate the effects of the other.

Nora's Blog

A Message from the Director on Racially Motivated Violence

| En español

June 4, 2020 | We know that science itself is at its best when it is most inclusive, and humans are best when we embrace diversity. Conversations about systemic racial inequalities can be uncomfortable...

NIDA Notes

Researchers Identify Rare Gene Variants Associated With Smoking and Alcohol Use

May 29, 2020 | International research teams analyzed several hundred thousand samples from 17 whole-exome sequencing studies to identify rare gene variants associated with smoking and alcohol use. They identified rare variants in 117...

Science Highlight

Shape shifters: The dynamic role of GCPRs in drug discovery

May 26, 2020 | A new computational analysis suggests certain dopamine receptors in the brain and body are more complex and dynamic than previously thought, existing in diverse inactive states that only allow the...

NIDA Notes

Expression of a Gene in the Brain Links Nicotine Addiction to Diabetes

May 12, 2020 | Rats with a disrupted transcription factor 7-like 2 (Tcf7l2) gene in the medial habenula showed markedly greater nicotine intake than control rats. Reduced Tcf7l2 expression in the medial habenula reduced...

Nora's Blog

Addressing the Stigma that Surrounds Addiction

| En español

April 22, 2020 | Healthcare already has effective tools including medications for opioid and alcohol use disorder, but they are not being utilized widely enough. One important reason is the stigma that surrounds people...

Science Highlight

Learning how to disrupt cocaine’s effects on the brain

April 20, 2020 | Just published research by scientists at NIDA’s Intramural Research Program reveals that the drug cocaine causes neurons to synthesize endocannabinoids that are then enclosed within membrane-bound packages, known as extracellular...

Science Highlight

Dopamine found to play unexpected role in cocaine withdrawal

April 13, 2020 | This study has linked cocaine withdrawal to altered gene expression in a brain region affected by addiction.

NIDA Notes

Mu Opioid Receptors in One Brain Region Contribute to Naloxone Aversion

April 9, 2020 | Mice genetically engineered to lack mu opioid receptors in the medial habenula were less sensitive to the unpleasant effects of the opioid antagonist naloxone and showed fewer naloxone-induced withdrawal symptoms.

Nora's Blog

COVID-19: Potential Implications for Individuals with Substance Use Disorders

| En español

April 6, 2020 | As people across the U.S. and the rest of the world contend with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the research community should be alert to the possibility that it could hit...

Science Highlight

Marijuana vaping and edible use increasing among high school seniors

April 6, 2020 | A new analysis suggests that among adolescent marijuana users, smoking has become less prevalent, eclipsed by vaping and edibles.

NIDA Notes

Many People Treated for Opioid Overdose in Emergency Departments Die Within 1 Year

April 2, 2020 | About 1 in 20 patients treated for a nonfatal opioid overdose in an emergency department died within 1 year of their visit, many within 2 days. Two-thirds of these deaths...

Nora's Blog

National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week Celebrates Its 10th Year

March 28, 2020 | This week, March 30 through April 5, 2020, is the 10th National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week (NDAFW), a yearly observance organized by NIDA in partnership with the National Institute...

Science Highlight

Dopamine Neurons Signal Rich Information About Unexpected Events

March 27, 2020 | In this study, both rats and humans learned to predict differently flavored rewards in parallel choice tasks, showing that dopamine neurons are carrying much more information than previously thought.

NIDA Notes

Stronger Brain Circuit Connectivity May Predict Nicotine Dependence Severity

March 25, 2020 | The degree of connectivity of a neuronal network in the rat brain before nicotine exposure can help predict nicotine dependence severity after nicotine exposure as well as reversal of dependence...

Science Highlight

New biological clues linking social connectedness to reduced drug craving and relapse

March 24, 2020 | This rodent study offers the first mechanistic explanation for the protective effect of social interaction related to incubation of craving, showing for the first time the role of a specific...

Nora's Blog

Request for Information: Standard Unit Dose of THC

March 23, 2020 | Today, NIDA issued a Request for Information (RFI) from the research community and any other interested parties regarding the establishment of a standard unit dose of THC in order to...

NIDA Notes

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

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...

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.

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 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...