Research Highlights | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Intervening Early to Prevent Substance Use Disorders

March 9, 2016 | The brain is an organ that adapts in both short- and long-term ways to its environment, and prevention science over the past few decades has shown clearly that a person’s...

Science Highlight

Marijuana Use Raises SUD Risk

February 24, 2016 | The health impacts of marijuana are currently the subject of significant public debate. Past data have suggested a link to numerous mental health outcomes including substance use disorders (SUDs), mood...

NIDA Notes

Protein Diminishes Cocaine Reward and Cocaine-Related Learning in Animals

February 5, 2016 | A protein that is naturally present in the brain reduces laboratory animals' attraction to environments in which they have experienced cocaine's effects. The recent finding could point the way to...

Science Highlight

Factors Predicting the Transition from Prescription Opioids to Heroin

February 2, 2016 | Prescription opioid misuse remains one of America’s biggest drug problems. In recent years the numbers of people misusing prescription pain relievers has leveled off, however, the number of people dying...

Nora's Blog

NIDA's 2016-2020 Strategic Plan

February 2, 2016 | Over the last four decades, NIDA-supported research has revolutionized our understanding of drug use and addiction, driving a new understanding of the neurobiological, genetic, epigenetic, social, and environmental factors that...

Nora's Blog

Saving a “Lost Generation”: The Need to Prevent Drug and Alcohol Abuse in Midlife

January 28, 2016 | By Dr. Nora Volkow (NIDA) and Dr. George Koob (NIAAA)- We have long expcted to see increasing substance use in middle and later life with the aging of baby boomers—a...

NIDA Notes

ED-Initiated Buprenorphine Outperforms Referral or SBIRT for ED Patients With Opioid Addiction

January 22, 2016 | Emergency department (ED) visits present prime opportunities to identify people with opioid addiction and start them on the way to recovery. That’s one conclusion supported by a recent NIDA-supported study...

Nora's Blog

Listening to the Dead

January 19, 2016 | Guest blog by Bill Williams - a reminder of the devastating and incomprehensible experiences faced by families who are fighting the disease of addiction.

NIDA Notes

Gene Transfer Therapy for Cocaine Addiction Passes Tests in Animals

January 14, 2016 | NIDA-supported researchers have shown that giving mice a modified version of a naturally occurring gene blocks cocaine’s stimulant effects without affecting the animals’ physiological or metabolic health.

Science Highlight

E-cigarette use associated with risk of relapse among former cigarette smokers

June 5, 2020 | This study has shown that among former smokers, use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), including e-cigarettes and other e-products, is associated with increased chance of cigarette smoking relapse.