Latest from NIDA | National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

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...

NIDA Notes

AOUD Treatment in Primary Care Settings—Is it Feasible?

January 21, 2020 | Treatment for alcohol and opioid use disorders (AOUD) is feasible in primary care settings, but ongoing funding to support organizational capacity is critical for sustaining such programs.

Testimony

Hearing on Cannabis Policies for the New Decade

January 15, 2020 | Chairwoman Eshoo, Ranking Member Burgess, and members of the Subcommittee, thank you for inviting the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)...

NIDA Notes

A New Era at NIDA Notes

January 14, 2020 | As we enter a new year, we would like to honor and thank NIDA Notes Editor David Anderson, who recently retired after 20 years at the helm of NIDA’s signature...

NIDA Notes

Novel Dopamine D3 Receptor Antagonist Reduces Opioid Addiction-Like Behaviors in Rats

January 13, 2020 | The dopamine D3 receptor antagonist VK4-116 reduced oxycodone self-administration in rats, as well as drug-seeking behaviors after oxycodone reinstatement following withdrawal. VK4-116 did not interfere with oxycodone’s pain-relieving effects

Science Highlight

Changing the way we view opioid receptors

January 9, 2020 | Newly published research from NIDA funded scientists offers new insight into how opioid receptors work to regulate chemical communication in the brain. The researchers discover unexpected receptor mobility and diffusion...

NIDA Notes

The Strong African American Families Program Improves Lives of Rural African American Youth

December 20, 2019 | This video highlights the Strong African American Families Program, a prevention program targeted at 10- to 14-year-old rural African American youths and their families. Numerous studies have shown that the...

News Release

Vaping of marijuana on the rise among teens

December 18, 2019 | Findings from the 2019 Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey demonstrate the appeal of vaping to teens, as seen in the increased prevalence of marijuana use as well as nicotine vaping.

NIDA Notes

α2δ-1–NMDA Receptor Interactions Are Responsible for Increases in Pain Sensitivity Caused by Opioids

December 12, 2019 | In animal studies, α2δ-1 and its interactions with NMDA receptors in the spinal cord triggered the pain sensitivity and analgesic tolerance that occurs with chronic morphine treatment. Blocking the α2δ-1–NMDA...

Media Advisory

National Institute on Drug Abuse to hold teleconference discussing key findings of 2019 Monitoring the Future Survey on teen drug use

December 9, 2019 | The National Institute on Drug Abuse will hold a teleconference discussing key findings of 2019 Monitoring the Future Survey on teen drug use.

Science Highlight

Measuring the complex path to a prescription opioid use disorder

December 4, 2019 | NIDA scientists examine an accepted model of the causes of depression to determine its usefulness as a foundation to predict the probability of prescription opioid use disorder.

Science Highlight

New discovery on the brain’s reward pathway

November 27, 2019 | Scientists at NIDA’s Intramural Research Program (IRP) have identified a population of neurons engaged in the compulsive nature of food seeking, which, like substance use, engage the brain’s reward circuit...

NIDA Notes

Nerve-Cell Growth During Abstinence From Methamphetamine May Promote Reinstatement of Drug Use in Rats

November 20, 2019 | Neurogenesis that occurs during abstinence from methamphetamine in a brain region related to memory and learning may promote relapse-like behavior.

News Release

Event registration opens for 10th anniversary of National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week®

November 7, 2019 | The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) announced that event registration begins today for the 10th annual National Drug and...

Science Spotlight

NIH-funded study finds teens prefer mint and mango vaping flavors

November 5, 2019 | A new analysis suggests that teens prefer mint and mango as their vaping flavors of choice for e-cigarettes

NIDA Notes

Mindful Awareness in Body-Oriented Therapy Proves Useful in Women Treated for Substance Use Disorder

October 31, 2019 | Mindful Awareness in Body-Oriented Therapy (MABT) improved emotion regulation, reduced craving, and promoted abstinence in women with a history of trauma and emotional problems receiving outpatient treatment for substance use...

Science Highlight

Healing the altered brains of smokers

October 31, 2019 | A study from NIDA’s Intramural Research Program illuminates the roles of the brain’s striatum and habenula in nicotine withdrawal and reward, suggesting that current medications for smoking cessation are not...

Science Highlight

Who is most likely to become addicted to nicotine?

October 25, 2019 | NIDA scientists discover that connectivity between insular regions of the brain before using nicotine can predict severity of addiction.

NIDA Notes

Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Tobacco Smoke Exposure Persist Among U.S. Children

October 24, 2019 | The number of children (ages 3 to 11 years) in the United States who are exposed to tobacco smoke decreased steadily from 1999 to 2014. However, childhood tobacco smoke exposure...

Testimony

Marijuana and America’s Health: Questions and Issues for Policy Makers

October 23, 2019 | Go to the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control site Chairman Cornyn, Co-Chairwoman Feinstein and members of the Caucus on International Narcotics Control, we appreciate the opportunity to share the...

News Release

Nicotine addiction linked to diabetes through a DNA-regulating gene in animal models

October 16, 2019 | Researchers have discovered a mechanism in rats that links cigarette smoking and the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

NIDA Notes

Machine Learning Applied to Brain Imaging Data Predicts Response to Cocaine Use Disorder Treatment

October 14, 2019 | This study demonstrated that functional connectivity among a large number of brain regions predicts patients’ chances of achieving abstinence in treatment for cocaine use disorder.

News Release

NIDA-NIAAA 2019 Mini-Convention: Frontiers in Addiction Research

October 10, 2019 | The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), both part of the National Institutes of Health, will host a one-day mini-convention...

Science Highlight

Measuring sleep challenges in opioid use disorder patients

September 25, 2019 | A new study at NIDA’s Intramural Research Center measured sleep patterns in opioid use disorder patients and found that clinic appointment hours make a difference in sleep quality. They also...

News Release

Teen e-cigarette use doubles since 2017

September 18, 2019 | Data from the 2019 Monitoring the Future Survey of eighth, 10th and 12th graders show alarmingly high rates of e-cigarette use compared to just a year ago, with rates doubling...

News Release

Marijuana use at historic highs among college-age adults

September 13, 2019 | Newly released Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey data on drug use in college-age adults ages 19-22 shows an increase in marijuana use in the past five years, including vaping with...

Emerging Trend

CDC and FDA Issue Updates on Vaping-Related Health Issues

September 12, 2019 | The CDC ans FDA have posted important information for consumers related to recent deaths and illnesses that could be linked to vaping.

Science Highlight

NASEM releases National Agenda on Children’s Behavioral Health

September 11, 2019 | The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine has released a national scientific agenda on Fostering Healthy Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Development in Children and Youth, recommending a comprehensive approach...

Science Highlight

Unraveling the mystery of the glutamate-dopamine connection

September 3, 2019 | Investigators identify a subpopulation of calbindin neurons with the capability to co-release glutamate and dopamine in the nucleus accumbens shell.

Emerging Trend

U.S. Surgeon General Warning on Marijuana Use in Adolescence and During Pregnancy

August 30, 2019 | The U.S. Surgeon General has issued a warning about the potential health risks of marijuana use in adolescence and during pregnancy.