Research Highlights | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Endocannabinoid system as potential target for opioid withdrawal treatment

November 9, 2017 | Scientists supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse conducted a proof-of-concept study examining the potential efficacy of a cannabinoid receptor (CB1) partial agonist, dronabinol, in relieving signs and symptoms...

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How the Brain Grows Up

November 7, 2017 | This study demonstrated that the new axons arrive via a pathway that originates in the VTA and passes through the part of the forebrain called the nucleus accumbens (NAC).

Nora's Blog

Addressing the Opioid Crisis Means Confronting Socioeconomic Disparities

October 25, 2017 | When we speak of addiction as a chronic disorder of the brain, it thus includes an understanding that some individuals are more susceptible to drug use and addiction than others.

NIDA Notes

Substance Use Disorders Are Associated With Major Medical Illnesses and Mortality Risk in a Large Integrated Health Care System

October 24, 2017 | This study: Showed strong associations between substance use disorder diagnoses and 19 major medical illnesses among patients in a large, integrated health care system. Indicates that these associations may persist...

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Menthol Boosts Nicotine’s Effects

October 20, 2017 | A study supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse bolsters evidence that it may also make cigarettes more addictive.

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NIDA scientists review impact of smoking among adolescents with ADHD

October 18, 2017 | A team from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, examined the effects of childhood ADHD symptoms on the development of smoking in male and...

NIDA Notes

Deep Brain Stimulation Attenuates Rats’ Responses to Heroin

October 6, 2017 | This research: Showed that high-frequency electrical stimulation of neurons deep in the brain can reduce rats’ relapse-like behavior and motivation to take heroin. Strengthens hope that deep brain stimulation might...

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Behavioral treatments increase brain activity related to cognitive control

October 5, 2017 | In a recent study supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and contingency management (CM) increased brain efficiency in regions that coordinate cognitive control—the ability...

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Brain circuit connectivity predicts relapse to cocaine use

October 3, 2017 | Investigators at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Intramural Research Program (IRP) have identified a resting-state brain circuit whose functional connectivity predicts the likelihood of relapse to cocaine use.

NIDA Notes

After Showing Promise for Cannabis-Using Adolescents, N-Acetylcysteine Falters in Adult Study

September 28, 2017 | Researchers found that: N-acetylcysteine did not help adults reduce their cannabis use, despite having been effective for adolescents in a previous trial. If adults are able to benefit from the...

NIDA Notes

EEG Indicates That Cocaine Relapse Vulnerability Peaks 1 to 6 Months Into Abstinence

September 28, 2017 | This research: Suggests that electroencephalography (EEG) may provide an objective measure of cocaine-addicted participants’ vulnerability to cue-induced relapse. Indicates that the period from 1 to 6 months of abstinence is...

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NIDA study suggests safety of breastfeeding by new mothers being treated with buprenorphine

September 28, 2017 | Scientists from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) sought to determine the concentrations of buprenorphine in human milk, maternal plasma, and infant plasma of buprenorphine-maintained women and their infants.

NIDA Notes

Blocking Protein Complex May Lock Down HIV Reservoirs

September 22, 2017 | This research: Identified hundreds of genes that promote or inhibit reactivation of latent HIV. Showed that inhibiting mTOR, a regulatory protein complex, can prevent reactivation of latent HIV. Suggested that...

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Stronger Relief for Neuropathic Pain

September 22, 2017 | Opioid medications are highly effective against many types of pain, but not neuropathic pain, which arises from damaged or diseased nerves. Research from the National Institute on Drug Abuse suggests...

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NIDA scientists identify a potential drug for cocaine use disorder

August 29, 2017 | Modafinil, a FDA-approved medication used to treat narcolepsy, has been investigated for its potential as a treatment of cocaine use disorders. Scientists supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse...

NIDA Notes

Variation in the Gene for the μ-Opioid Receptor May Influence Responses to Methadone

August 23, 2017 | This study found that: A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the messenger RNA of the µ-opioid receptor gene was associated with patients’ responses to methadone treatment for opioid dependence. The...

NIDA Notes

Opioid Agonist Treatment Reduces Societal Costs of Crime

August 23, 2017 | Researchers found that: Patients with opioid use disorder generated crime-related costs to society at a lower rate while they were in treatment compared with after they left treatment. Patients who...

Nora's Blog

New Medication Formulations Could Quickly Make a Difference for Treating Opioid Addiction

August 22, 2017 | As Francis Collins and I wrote in May, NIH and NIDA are committed to an “all scientific hands on deck” effort to end the opioid crisis in America by halving...

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Post deployment behavioral health screens show promise

August 21, 2017 | This study is the first multivariate analysis of the Department of Defense and VHA data to assess treatment linkage for veterans with possible behavioral health needs.

NIDA Notes

Why Females Are More Sensitive to Cocaine

August 3, 2017 | New research demonstrates that the hormone estradiol is responsible for females’ increased sensitivity to stimulant drugs.

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NIDA scientists advance DREADD technology

August 3, 2017 | Scientists at the Intramural Research Program at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) have discovered new clues to the successful use of the DREADD technology. It has been thought...

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Study identifies quality measures linked to better outcomes in patients with opioid use disorders

July 27, 2017 | A NIDA funded study has identified certain process measures that are linked to lower mortality rates in people with opioid use disorders, and others that do not appear to affect...

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Two D3R selective antagonists provide new leads towards novel drug development

July 26, 2017 | Scientists supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse synthesized a series of molecules to investigate structure-activity relationships at the D3R. Their research resulted in the identification of two noncompetitive...

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Activated Structures of Cannabinoid Receptor Revealed

July 21, 2017 | Science supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has revealed three-dimensional crystal structures of the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) in its activated state.

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Glutamate Receptor’s Role in Cocaine Reward and Relapse

July 19, 2017 | Scientists supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) found that rats lacking mGluR2 self-administered more cocaine than wild-type rats when little work was needed to obtain the drug...

Nora's Blog

The Concerning Link Between Inadequate Sleep and Adolescent Substance Use

July 10, 2017 | Children and adolescents require more sleep than adults. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) defines a sufficient night’s sleep for an adolescent as 8.5-9.5 hours per night. But according to...

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Microglia Revealed

July 6, 2017 | Neuroscientists at the NIDA Intramural Research Program, with colleagues from the Johns Hopkins University, conducted the most extensive analysis to date of microglia in the midbrain of healthy mice. They...

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Scientists explore brain region’s role in compulsive drug seeking

June 15, 2017 | A new report suggests that impairment of the lateral habenula contributes to the transition from controlled drug use to the compulsive use seen in addiction.

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Strategies needed to reduce treatment dropout rate for veterans with PTSD and Substance Use Disorders

June 9, 2017 | Research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Department of Veterans Affairs looked for predictors of dropout from one such empirically proven treatment, integrated prolonged exposure therapy.

NIDA Notes

Researchers Speak: The ABCD Study

June 5, 2017 | In this video, Dr. Terry Jernigan describes the purpose and goals of the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study.