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

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...

Science Highlight

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

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...

News Release

Marijuana use is associated with an increased risk of prescription opioid misuse and use disorders

September 26, 2017 | New research suggests that marijuana users may be more likely than nonusers to misuse prescription opioids and develop prescription opioid use disorder.

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...

Science Highlight

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...

News Release

Young adults’ daily use of marijuana a concern

September 8, 2017 | The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) announced that the latest Monitoring the Future (MTF) national survey results of drug use among full-time college students and their non-college peers are...

Science Highlight

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...

News Release

Collaborative care shows promise for opioid and alcohol use disorders

August 28, 2017 | A NIDA-funded randomized clinical trial found that primary care patients with opioid and alcohol use disorders (OAUD) who were offered a collaborative care intervention were more likely to receive evidence-based...

News Release

Women who inject drugs may be at greater risk of HCV than men

August 25, 2017 | A newly published analysis examining data from more than 1800 people suggests that women who inject drugs have a 38% higher risk of contracting HCV than their male counterparts.

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...

News Release

Event registration opens for National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week®

August 23, 2017 | 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 next National Drug & Alcohol...

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...

Science Highlight

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.

News Release

Grants awarded to address opioid crisis in rural regions

August 16, 2017 | NIDA in partnership with several other federal agencies, have issued nine grants to help communities develop approaches to prevent and treat consequences of opioid injection, including substance use disorder, overdose...

News Release

Energy drinks and risk to future substance use

August 8, 2017 | New research suggests that college students who regularly consume energy drinks are at a greater risk for future alcohol use disorder, cocaine use or nonmedical use (misuse) of prescription stimulants.

Science Highlight

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...

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.

News Release

Pain relief most reported reason for misuse of opioid pain relievers

July 31, 2017 | More than one third of adults nationwide reported prescription opioid use in 2015, with substantial numbers reporting misuse and use disorders, according to a report compiled to estimate the prevalence...

Science Highlight

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...

Science Highlight

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...

Science Highlight

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.

Science Highlight

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...

News Release

Intensive intervention increases clinical adherence to opioid prescribing guidelines in chronic care

July 17, 2017 | A NIDA-funded randomized controlled trial that compared two organizational strategies to improve adherence to guidelines suggests that a multi-component approach is more effective than electronic decision tools alone.

Science Highlight

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...

Testimony

Research on the Use and Misuse of Fentanyl and Other Synthetic Opioids

June 30, 2017 | Testimony by Wilson M. Compton, M.D., Deputy Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

Science Highlight

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.

Science Highlight

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.

News Release

Long-term anabolic steroid use linked to damage to heart and arteries

May 23, 2017 | New research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) found that long-term exposure to anabolic-androgenic steroids may be associated with substantial impairment of the heart, including a reduction...