Research Highlights

In Animals, Opioid Combination Shows Promise for Safer Pain Relief

June 19, 2018 | This study found that: In rats, co-administration with nalfurafine reduced the dose of oxycodone required to lower pain responses in models of human chronic pain. The combination treatment generated less...

NIDA Notes

Novel Compound Alleviates Hard-to-Treat Pain in Mice

June 14, 2018 | A novel compound called GAT211 alleviates inflammatory and neuropathic pain in mice without producing tolerance or signs of abuse liability.

NIDA Notes

A Gene Links Impulsivity and Drug Use Vulnerability

June 14, 2018 | This research: Identified a gene variant that promotes impulsive behavior and enhanced responses to heroin in rats. Linked the corresponding human gene variant to increased risk for impulsivity and drug...

Nora's Blog

An Ambitious Research Plan to Help Solve the Opioid Crisis

June 12, 2018 | In spring 2018, Congress added an additional $500 million to the NIH budget to invest in science to find solutions to the opioid crisis. The funding that NIDA is receiving...

Science Highlight

Too Hot And Too Cold: Dysregulation of key brain networks in people with addiction

June 8, 2018 | Study suggests that brain activity is not simply too high or low in people who are addicted to drugs, but behaves differently to drug and non-drug stimuli.

NIDA Notes

Cigarette Smoking Increases the Likelihood of Drug Use Relapse

May 31, 2018 | This research: Found that cigarette smoking increased the likelihood of relapse among people in recovery from substance use disorder (SUD). Suggests that helping patients quit and remain abstinent from smoking...

Science Highlight

Breathing under the influence of … fentanyl

May 30, 2018 | An animal study at NIDA's intramural research labs suggests fentanyl-induced respiratory depression affects the temperature of the brain, triggering brain hypoxia and hyperglycemia.

Nora's Blog

NIDA-Supported Science Leads to First FDA-Approved Medication for Opioid Withdrawal

May 16, 2018 | This week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved lofexidine, the first medication targeted specifically to treat the physical symptoms associated with opioid withdrawal.

Science Highlight

What science says about Tobacco + Marijuana + Pregnancy

May 11, 2018 | A NIDA-funded study suggests that pregnant women who smoke both marijuana and cigarettes have a higher likelihood of smaller babies and increased maternal stress and aggression.

Nora's Blog

Million-Participant NIH Study Could Yield Important Insights into Addiction and Pain

May 7, 2018 | New data-gathering and analytic capabilities are enabling the kinds of massive, long-term studies needed to investigate genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that contribute to disease.

NIDA Notes

Narrative of Discovery: The Quest for a Medication To Treat Methamphetamine Addiction, Part 3

May 4, 2018 | Dr. Linda Dwoskin feels just one small step away from success in her effort to develop the first-ever medication to treat methamphetamine addiction. She and colleagues at the Universities of...

Nora's Blog

The True, Deadly Scope of America’s Fentanyl Problem

May 1, 2018 | Today, a new analysis in JAMA by epidemiologists at NIDA and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reveals the scope of the crisis, and the rapidity with which...

NIDA Notes

Fear of Distress Signals Risk for Opioid Misuse in Chronic Pain Patients

April 24, 2018 | In this research: Among patients with chronic pain, those who reported less ability to tolerate physical or emotional distress were more likely to misuse opioid analgesics. Neither pain severity nor...

Science Highlight

Overdose drug shows promise as stroke treatment

April 17, 2018 | Preclinical research lays the groundwork for developing the first drug to promote recovery from ischemic stroke, a leading cause of adult disability.

Science Highlight

Communities That Care program shows success in reducing substance use and behavioral issues in adolescents

April 13, 2018 | The CTC is a prevention planning and implementation system that trains community coalition is to assess their community’s needs, then select and use evidence-based programs and policies to reduce risk...

Nora's Blog

Listening to Patients’ Voices in Developing New Opioid Addiction Treatments

April 5, 2018 | One of the pillars of the current federal initiatives to end the opioid crisis is the development of new medications to treat opioid addiction. The FDA Patient-Focused Drug Development Initiative...

Science Highlight

Study highlights how opioid receptors organize to block pain

March 27, 2018 | A NIDA-funded study explored how opioids such as morphine act within pain circuits in the brain and spinal cord, while attaching to receptors on the surface of nerve cells (neurons).

Nora's Blog

What Does It Mean When We Call Addiction a Brain Disorder?

March 23, 2018 | Informed Americans no longer view addiction as a moral failing, and more and more policymakers are recognizing that punishment is an ineffective and inappropriate tool for addressing a person’s drug...

Science Highlight

Gut-brain axis offers clues to treatments for addictive disorders

March 15, 2018 | Scientists have investigated how the stomach-derived hormone ghrelin affects alcohol-seeking behaviors, discovering for the first time in humans that administration of ghrelin intravenously significantly increased alcohol intake in heavy drinking...

Science Highlight

In Animals, Opioid Combination Shows Promise for Safer Pain Relief

Novel Compound Alleviates Hard-to-Treat Pain in Mice

A Gene Links Impulsivity and Drug Use Vulnerability

An Ambitious Research Plan to Help Solve the Opioid Crisis

Too Hot And Too Cold: Dysregulation of key brain networks in people with addiction

Cigarette Smoking Increases the Likelihood of Drug Use Relapse

Breathing under the influence of … fentanyl

NIDA-Supported Science Leads to First FDA-Approved Medication for Opioid Withdrawal

What science says about Tobacco + Marijuana + Pregnancy

Million-Participant NIH Study Could Yield Important Insights into Addiction and Pain

Narrative of Discovery: The Quest for a Medication To Treat Methamphetamine Addiction, Part 3

The True, Deadly Scope of America’s Fentanyl Problem

Fear of Distress Signals Risk for Opioid Misuse in Chronic Pain Patients

Overdose drug shows promise as stroke treatment

Communities That Care program shows success in reducing substance use and behavioral issues in adolescents

Listening to Patients’ Voices in Developing New Opioid Addiction Treatments

Study highlights how opioid receptors organize to block pain

What Does It Mean When We Call Addiction a Brain Disorder?

Gut-brain axis offers clues to treatments for addictive disorders

Stimulating news about brain glutamate

Why Marijuana Displeases

Teens, E-Cigs and Toxins?

Repurposed arthritis drug could become a non-opioid pain reliever

The brain's hyper-network uncovered

Neuronal ensembles take center stage

Could Naltrexone Be Used to Treat Pregnant Women with Opioid Addiction?

Long-Term Marijuana Use Is Associated With Health Problems Later in Life

Brain Structure Tracks Reward's Value and Steps to Obtain It

Stressful Experiences Affect Likelihood of Remission of Drug Dependence, Continued Drug Use, and Relapse

Study shows e-cigarettes affect brain similarly to other nicotine sources