NIH study tests a comprehensive model intervention to reduce opioid overdose deaths in hard-hit communities
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COVID-19 brings challenges, learning opportunities
Latest from NIDA
NIH-funded study links adolescent brain differences to increased waist circumference
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Finding from ABCD Study elucidates neural mechanisms that may underlie early weight gain
Narrative of Discovery: The Quest for a Medication to Treat Methamphetamine Addiction, Part 5
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In the summer of 2019, Dr. Linda Dwoskin and her research team felt they were in a promising place in their decades-long search for a treatment for the 700,000 Americans...
Vaping, marijuana use in 2019 rose in college-age adults
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Increases are among the largest in history of national study
Gaps in substance use treatment services for HIV patients around the globe
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Substance use is common among people living with HIV and is associated with less successful HIV treatment outcomes. Integrating substance use services into HIV care is a promising strategy to...
Substance use disorders linked to COVID-19 susceptibility
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NIH research finds higher risk and worse outcomes for those with addiction
Cocaine Triggers Endocannabinoid Release Through a Novel Mechanism
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Cocaine can trigger release of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) in the ventral tegmental area of the midbrain in mice, and this may play a role in cocaine use disorder.
Prenatal Cannabis Exposure Alters Brain Reward Circuitry in Male Rats
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Prenatal cannabis exposure (PCE) increased sensitivity to THC in male rats, but not female rats, during pre-adolescence. PCE increased dopamine release in response to THC and altered the properties of...
Two Different Brain Regions Are Linked With Nicotine Addiction Severity and Nicotine Withdrawal
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Activity in the striatum of people who smoke changed less in response to positive feedback/reward than in nonsmokers; this effect was more pronounced with greater addiction severity. Activity of the...
Treating Substance Use Disorders Can Reduce HIV Burden in U.S. Cities
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Concerted efforts and substantial investments in HIV prevention and care in the United States have resulted in considerable reduction in new diagnoses and death since the mid-1990s. To identify best...
Parents’ Marijuana Use May Increase Children’s Risk of Marijuana Use and Favorable Views of Marijuana
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This study found that children’s risk of marijuana and alcohol use and attitudes toward marijuana were influenced by their parents’ marijuana use pattern over time.
Clues to Regulating HIV-1 Viral Gene Expression
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People with substance use disorders (SUD) can be at high risk for contracting this virus, either through injection drug use, or risky behaviors prompted by impaired judgment.
Researchers Identify Rare Gene Variants Associated With Smoking and Alcohol Use
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International research teams analyzed several hundred thousand samples from 17 whole-exome sequencing studies to identify rare gene variants associated with smoking and alcohol use. They identified rare variants in 117...
Shape shifters: The dynamic role of GCPRs in drug discovery
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A new computational analysis suggests certain dopamine receptors in the brain and body are more complex and dynamic than previously thought, existing in diverse inactive states that only allow the...
Expression of a Gene in the Brain Links Nicotine Addiction to Diabetes
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Rats with a disrupted transcription factor 7-like 2 (Tcf7l2) gene in the medial habenula showed markedly greater nicotine intake than control rats. Reduced Tcf7l2 expression in the medial habenula reduced...
NIDA launches drug education booklet series for middle school students
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The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has launched a redesigned series of booklets geared towards educating middle school students about substance use. The Mind Matters series consists of nine...
Learning how to disrupt cocaine’s effects on the brain
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Just published research by scientists at NIDA’s Intramural Research Program reveals that the drug cocaine causes neurons to synthesize endocannabinoids that are then enclosed within membrane-bound packages, known as extracellular...
Landmark study of adolescent brain development renews for additional seven years
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With nearly $290M of new funding for seven years to research institutions around the country, the National Institutes of Health renewed its commitment to the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD)...
Dopamine found to play unexpected role in cocaine withdrawal
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This study has linked cocaine withdrawal to altered gene expression in a brain region affected by addiction.
Mu Opioid Receptors in One Brain Region Contribute to Naloxone Aversion
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Mice genetically engineered to lack mu opioid receptors in the medial habenula were less sensitive to the unpleasant effects of the opioid antagonist naloxone and showed fewer naloxone-induced withdrawal symptoms.
Marijuana vaping and edible use increasing among high school seniors
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A new analysis suggests that among adolescent marijuana users, smoking has become less prevalent, eclipsed by vaping and edibles.
NIDA Director outlines potential risks to people who smoke and use drugs during COVID-19 pandemic
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The precarious intersection of the COVID-19 national health emergency and the concurrent epidemic of drug overdose deaths is outlined in the Annals of Internal Medicine this week by Dr. Nora...
Stigma and addiction addressed in New England Journal of Medicine
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In a perspective released today in The New England Journal of Medicine, NIDA Director Dr. Nora Volkow addresses how stigma against people who use drugs can sabotage effective treatment.
Many People Treated for Opioid Overdose in Emergency Departments Die Within 1 Year
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About 1 in 20 patients treated for a nonfatal opioid overdose in an emergency department died within 1 year of their visit, many within 2 days. Two-thirds of these deaths...
Dopamine Neurons Signal Rich Information About Unexpected Events
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In this study, both rats and humans learned to predict differently flavored rewards in parallel choice tasks, showing that dopamine neurons are carrying much more information than previously thought.
Stronger Brain Circuit Connectivity May Predict Nicotine Dependence Severity
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The degree of connectivity of a neuronal network in the rat brain before nicotine exposure can help predict nicotine dependence severity after nicotine exposure as well as reversal of dependence...
New biological clues linking social connectedness to reduced drug craving and relapse
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This rodent study offers the first mechanistic explanation for the protective effect of social interaction related to incubation of craving, showing for the first time the role of a specific...
National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week® celebrates 10 years
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NDAFW is an annual, week-long observance in which local educational events link teens with science-based facts about drugs and alcohol through live and online activities across the country.
COVID-19 is an Emerging, Rapidly Evolving Situation
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Links to the latest resources on COVID-19
Serotonin Receptor Agonist Lorcaserin Reduces Relapse to Drug Use in Monkeys
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The serotonin 2C receptor agonist lorcaserin reduced reinstatement of drug-seeking behavior in response to heroin or cocaine in a nonhuman primate model of relapse.