Marijuana drug use increasing during pregnancy
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Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug during pregnancy, and its use is rising.
Research Highlights
Hospital best practices linked to modest changes in prescription opioid dispensing
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The authors of this study assessed whether the Washington state hospital mandates had any impact on Medicaid beneficiary opioid dispensing rates after an ED visit.
A Family-Oriented Intervention May Reduce the Effects of Poverty on Brain Development
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This study found that: Childhood poverty was associated with reduced volumes of limbic brain regions in adulthood. The reduced limbic volumes were associated with depression and smoking in adulthood. Participation...
A “New Vista” for Treating Cocaine Addiction
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Two recent studies suggest that medications that activate a pair of opioid receptors may weaken cocaine users’ drive to take the stimulant.
Available Soon: NIDA’s Research E-Cigarette
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NIDA and NJOY, LLC, have developed a Standard Research E-Cigarette. The device will help researchers resolve many outstanding questions about how e-cigarettes affect health.
NIDA’s Past-Year Achievements Point the Way Toward Future Advances
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2017 brought exciting new basic science findings, including some striking new insights into the structure and functioning of receptors that play important roles in substance use, addiction, and pain.
Oxytocin protocol appears workable and safe for methadone patients who use cocaine
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Researchers supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse have developed a protocol for adjunctive oxytocin treatment, and a pilot study has indicated that it is workable and safe for...
Monitoring the Future Results Show Reduced Opioid Misuse but Popularity of Vaping Among Youth
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Today the results of the 2017 Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey were released by NIDA-funded researchers at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and overall the news is encouraging.
NIDA’S Avant-Garde Award Competition Continues to Foster Transformative HIV/AIDS Research
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NIH-funded science continues to make great strides in the fight against HIV. To foster such research, 10 years ago NIDA created its Avant-Garde Award competition to fund bold projects that...
Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids May Damage the Heart and Arteries
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This research: Demonstrated that use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) is associated with compromised heart pumping and atherosclerotic plaque. Suggests that clinicians should inquire about AAS use when young or middle-aged...
Mobilizing Citizen Science to Address the Overdose Epidemic
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Social media and crowdsourcing apps could be particularly useful for gathering and sharing information in real time about overdoses and using that information to prevent overdose deaths, thereby translating “citizen...
Endocannabinoid system as potential target for opioid withdrawal treatment
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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...
How the Brain Grows Up
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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).
Addressing the Opioid Crisis Means Confronting Socioeconomic Disparities
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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.
Substance Use Disorders Are Associated With Major Medical Illnesses and Mortality Risk in a Large Integrated Health Care System
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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...
Menthol Boosts Nicotine’s Effects
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A study supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse bolsters evidence that it may also make cigarettes more addictive.
NIDA scientists review impact of smoking among adolescents with ADHD
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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...
Deep Brain Stimulation Attenuates Rats’ Responses to Heroin
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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...
Behavioral treatments increase brain activity related to cognitive control
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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...
Brain circuit connectivity predicts relapse to cocaine use
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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.
EEG Indicates That Cocaine Relapse Vulnerability Peaks 1 to 6 Months Into Abstinence
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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...
After Showing Promise for Cannabis-Using Adolescents, N-Acetylcysteine Falters in Adult Study
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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 study suggests safety of breastfeeding by new mothers being treated with buprenorphine
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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.
Blocking Protein Complex May Lock Down HIV Reservoirs
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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...
Stronger Relief for Neuropathic Pain
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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...
NIDA scientists identify a potential drug for cocaine use disorder
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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...
Variation in the Gene for the μ-Opioid Receptor May Influence Responses to Methadone
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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...
Opioid Agonist Treatment Reduces Societal Costs of Crime
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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...
New Medication Formulations Could Quickly Make a Difference for Treating Opioid Addiction
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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...
Post deployment behavioral health screens show promise
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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.