This is Archived Content. This content is available for historical purposes only. It may not reflect the current state of science or language from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). View current news releases on nida.nih.gov.
Prevention of HIV Spread Focus of NIDA's 2012 Avant-Garde Awards
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The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, today announced the recipients of the 2012 Avant-Garde Award for HIV/AIDS Research. The three scientists, Drs...
Cocaine Hydrolase Encoded in Viral Vector Blocks the Reinstatement of Cocaine Seeking in Rats for 6 Months
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A potential approach to treating cocaine addiction (or overdose) involves a naturally occurring enzyme called butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), which has the ability to metabolize, or convert, cocaine into other compounds via...
Odds of quitting smoking affected by genetics
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Genetics can help determine whether a person is likely to quit smoking on his or her own or need medication to improve the chances of success, according to research published...
NIH selects 11 Centers of Excellence in Pain Education
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The National Institutes of Health Pain Consortium has selected 11 health professional schools as designated Centers of Excellence in Pain Education (CoEPEs). The CoEPEs will act as hubs for the...
Optogenetics project takes top NIDA Addiction Science Award
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A project that maps dopamine circuits in the prefrontal cortex through optogenetic manipulation was given top honors in this year’s annual Addiction Science Awards at the 2012 Intel International Science...
Study provides clues for designing new anti-addiction medications
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Scientists are now one step closer to developing anti-addiction medications, thanks to new research that provides a better understanding of the properties of the only member of the opioid receptor...
National Inhalant Prevention Coalition to highlight dangers of helium
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The National Inhalant Prevention Coalition, with support from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ( SAMHSA) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse ( NIDA), will hold a...
Novel Cocaine Vaccine Linked to a Disrupted Adenovirus Gene Transfer Vector Blocks Cocaine Psychostimulant and Reinforcing Effects
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A promising approach in the treatment of drug addiction is immunotherapy—using vaccines to provoke an immune response to a drug and thereby prevent it from entering the brain, where it...
Cocaine-induced cortical microischemia in the rodent brain: clinical implications
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One of the most serious medical risks of cocaine abuse is stroke due to the drug’s disruption of blood flow in the brain. However, until now, neuroimaging techniques to study...
Repressive LTR nucleosome positioning by the BAF complex is required for HIV latency
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A treatment called Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy, or HAART, has proven very effective at suppressing HIV. However, in a very small number of infected T-cells the virus remains latent and...
NIDA creates easy-to-read website on drug abuse
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A new, easy-to-read website on drug abuse designed for adults with a low reading literacy level (eighth grade or below) was launched today by the National Institute on Drug Abuse...
Self-Control Deficits Linked to Drug Abuse Precede Drug Exposure
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The results of a study just published in the journal Science indicate that people addicted to cocaine have abnormalities in areas of the brain involved in self-control that appear to...
New NIDA resource helps families navigate addiction treatment options
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A new resource, Seeking Drug Abuse Treatment: Know What to Ask, will help individuals and families struggling with addiction ask the right questions before choosing a drug treatment program. It...
Cigarette and alcohol use at historic low among teens
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Cigarette and alcohol use by eighth, 10th and 12th-graders are at their lowest point since the Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey began polling teenagers in 1975, according to this year's...
Painkiller Abuse Treated by Sustained Buprenorphine/Naloxone
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People addicted to prescription painkillers reduce their opioid abuse when given sustained treatment with the medication buprenorphine plus naloxone (Suboxone), according to research published in yesterday's Archives of General Psychiatry...
Teen musicians in drug treatment win 2012 GRAMMY® experience
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Two teens with powerful stories about their experience in drug treatment have been awarded the top distinction in the MusiCares® and GRAMMY Foundation's® Teen Substance Abuse Awareness through Music Contest...
NIH study examines nicotine as a gateway drug
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A landmark study in mice identifies a biological mechanism that could help explain how tobacco products could act as gateway drugs, increasing a person’s future likelihood of abusing cocaine and...
FDA and NIH announce joint study on tobacco use and risk perceptions
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health today announced a joint, large-scale, national study of tobacco users to monitor and assess the behavioral and health...
NIH to fund development of K-12 neuroscience education programs
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Eight investigators across the United States will receive funding over the next five years to develop innovative neuroscience education programs for K-12 students and their teachers. Activities described within some...
NIDA Avant-Garde-Medications Development Award winners announced
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Scientists proposing to develop vaccines against methamphetamine and nicotine have been selected to receive NIDA's second Avant-Garde Awards for Innovative Medication Development Research. The two scientists, Dr. Thomas Kosten, of...
HIV/AIDS researcher David Ho wins NIDA's 2011 Avant-Garde Award
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Dr. David Ho The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, announced today that Dr. David Ho of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center...
Second annual National Drug Facts Week begins Oct. 31st
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Teens and drug experts will connect for the second annual National Drug Facts Week, held Oct. 31 through Nov. 6. This week-long observance will bring together teens and scientific experts...
Scientists show how gene variant linked to ADHD could operate
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A study using mice provides insight into how a specific receptor subtype in the brain could play a role in increasing a person's risk for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The...
Moderate levels of secondhand smoke deliver nicotine to the brain
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Exposure to secondhand smoke, such as a person can get by riding in an enclosed car while someone else smokes, has a direct, measurable impact on the brain—and the effect...
Potential new target for smoking cessation without weight gain
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A new study uncovers a brain mechanism that could be targeted for new medications designed to help people quit smoking without gaining weight. This research, funded by the National Institute...
Altruistic decision making focus of NIDA's Addiction Science Award
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A study of what influences decision making on issues whose consequences will only be felt by future generations won first prize in the annual Addiction Science Awards at this year's...
NIH, MusiCares®, GRAMMY Foundation® announce 2011 Teen contest
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Today marks the launch of the second annual MusiCares® and GRAMMY Foundation® Teen Substance Abuse Awareness through Music Contest. Announced by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of...
NIDA Raises the Curtain on Addiction
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The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) announced today the launch of its Addiction Performance Project, an innovative continued medical education program designed to help primary care providers break down...
New Warm Line Helps Clinicians Tackle Patients' Substance Abuse
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A free, nationwide service was launched today to help primary care providers seeking to identify and advise substance-abusing patients. The service, Physician Clinical Support System for Primary Care (PCSS-P), offers...
Actress Blythe Danner Raises the Curtain on Addiction
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Actress Blythe Danner leads an impressive cast in the Addiction Performance Project, an innovative continuing medical education (CME) program for doctors and other health providers, next Saturday, April 16th at...
Analysis of opioid prescription practices finds areas of concern
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An analysis of national prescribing patterns shows that more than half of patients who received an opioid prescription in 2009 had filled another opioid prescription within the previous 30 days...
Mind games! NIH teaches kids about the power of the human brain
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Inquisitive students and their teachers from the Washington, D.C., area will explore the fascinating and multifaceted human brain at the 12th annual Brain Awareness Week celebration at the National Museum...
NIH-funded study shows early brain effects of HIV in mouse model
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A new mouse model closely resembles how the human body reacts to early HIV infection and is shedding light on nerve cell damage related to the disease, according to researchers...
NIH-funded study uses new technology to peek deep into the brain
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Changes within deep regions of the brain can now be visualized at the cellular level, based on research on mice, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health. Published...
Teen marijuana use increases, especially among eighth-graders
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WASHINGTON -- Fueled by increases in marijuana use, the rate of eighth-graders saying they have used an illicit drug in the past year jumped to 16 percent, up from last...
Monitoring the Future Survey, Overview of Findings 2010
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This year's Monitoring the Future Survey raises concerns about increases in drug use among the Nation's teens, particularly the youngest. Text Description Daily Marijuana use increased among 8th, 10th, and...
Buprenorphine treatment in pregnancy: less distress to babies
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Babies born to women addicted to opioids fare better when their mothers are treated with either the addiction medication buprenorphine or methadone than babies whose mothers are not treated at...
National Institute on Drug Abuse to Announce Results of 2010 Monitoring the Future Survey
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The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) will hold a press conference on Tuesday, December 14, to announce the results of its 2010 Monitoring the Future survey. The survey, funded...
Teen musicians win GRAMMY® experience for songs about drug abuse
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Three original music compositions that focus on personal experience living around drugs were the winners of the MusiCares® and GRAMMY Foundation's Teen Substance Abuse Awareness through Music Contest. The contest...
NewsScan for November 2010 - Research News
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This special neuroscience issue of NIDA NewsScan was created to coincide with the Frontiers in Addiction Research: NIDA Mini-Convention, a satellite meeting on November 12 at the Society for Neuroscience 40th Annual Meeting.
Unprecedented effort to seek, test, and treat inmates with HIV
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Twelve scientific teams in more than a dozen states will receive National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants to study effective ways to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS among people in the...
First NIDA Avant-Garde Awards for Medications Development Research
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A potential immunotherapy, a new gene therapy, an enzyme inhibitor, and a compound originally isolated from a Chinese herb are among the latest approaches scientists are proposing to treat addiction...
Latent HIV infection focus of NIDA's 2010 Avant-Garde Award
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The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, announced today that Dr. Eric M. Verdin of the J. David Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco...
NewsScan for September 2010 - Research News
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Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been associated with cannabis use disorders (CUD). In fact, adults diagnosed with PTSD are three times more likely to exhibit CUD compared to those without PTSD. However, while the onset of CUD typically occurs during adolescence, limited research has been conducted on the relationship between PTSD and CUD in youth. NIDA-funded researchers recently evaluated the relationship between PTSD and CUD among high-risk adolescents.
Studies on Combat Related Substance Use and Abuse to be Funded by NIH and VA
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Eleven research institutions in 11 states will receive more than $6 million in federal funding from fiscal year 2010 to support research on substance abuse and associated problems among U.S...
NIDA and Federal Partners to Launch National Drug Facts Week
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Expanding on its online Drug Facts Chat Day, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) today announced it is launching National Drug Facts Week, a new national awareness week to...
In NIH-Funded Study, Researchers Uncover Early Step in the Cascade of Brain Events Leading up to Addiction
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A regulatory protein best known for its role in a rare genetic brain disorder also may play a critical role in cocaine addiction, according to a recent study in rats...
Leading Addiction Researcher Antonello Bonci joins NIDA to lead Intramural Research Program
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Antonello Bonci, M.D., one of the world's leading researchers in neuropsychopharmacology, has been appointed the Scientific Director of National Institute on Drug Abuse's (NIDA) Intramural Research Program (IRP) in Baltimore...
HIV/AIDS Treatment Curbs Spread of HIV Among Drug Users, According to NIH Supported Study
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Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), currently known for its therapeutic benefits against HIV, also reduced the spread of the virus among people with a history of injection drug use, according...
NIH, MusiCares and the GRAMMY Foundation announce teen music contest
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The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, along with MusiCares and the GRAMMY Foundation—the two nonprofit organizations of The Recording Academy—today announced the...
NIH-Supported Finding on Cocaine Addiction: Tiny Molecule, Big Promise
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A specific and remarkably small fragment of RNA appears to protect rats against cocaine addiction - and may also protect humans, according to a recent study funded by the National...
NewsScan for July 2010 - Special AIDS Issue
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Since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, drug abuse and addiction have been closely linked with HIV/AIDS. Over the past 30 years, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has led research efforts to learn more about the critical role of drug abuse in the spread of HIV/AIDS to inform HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment (e.g., drug abuse treatment has been shown to be an effective HIV prevention modality).
Neurobiological Circuits of Addiction: Significance for Psychiatric Practice
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WHAT: The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health, will present a special research track at the American Psychiatric Association's (APA's) 163rd annual...
Computer Modeling to Identify New Medications for Nicotine Addiction Wins First Place NIDA Addiction Science Award at 2010 Intel ISEF
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A project using cutting edge computer modeling to identify potential new medications for nicotine addiction won first place distinction at the annual Addiction Science Awards at this year's Intel International...
NewsScan for May 2010 - Research News
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New approaches to HIV prevention are urgently needed to stem the estimated 2.7 million new HIV infections that occur worldwide each year. One promising approach being explored is pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) - the use of HIV treatment medications to protect uninfected individuals from HIV infection.
NIDA Blending Conference Launches New Training Approach for Young Adults Addicted to Opioids
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A multi-faceted treatment program for young adults addicted to opioid drugs was unveiled today at the National Institute on Drug Abuse's (NIDA) Blending Conference in Albuquerque, N.M. This eighth meeting...
From Theory into Practice: NIDA's Blending Conference Highlights the Latest in Drug Abuse Treatment
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The newest drug addiction treatment approaches will be on display at the National Institute on Drug Abuse's eighth Blending Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico on April 22-23. The event is...
Common Mechanisms of Drug Abuse and Obesity
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Some of the same brain mechanisms that fuel drug addiction in humans accompany the emergence of compulsive eating behaviors and the development of obesity in animals, according to research funded...
Impulsive-Antisocial Personality Traits Linked to a Hypersensitive Brain Reward System
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Normal individuals who scored high on a measure of impulsive/antisocial traits display a hypersensitive brain reward system, according to a brain imaging study by researchers at Vanderbilt University. The findings...
Leading Medication Development Researcher Phil Skolnick joins NIDA to lead Drug Discovery Efforts
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The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a component of the National Institutes of Health, today announced that Phil Skolnick, Ph.D., D.Sc. (hon.), a leader in the worlds of corporate...
NIDA Researchers Honored With Presidential Early Career Award
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Dr. Bruce J. Hinds, III Two researchers from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, have been awarded the White House Office of...
NIDA Researchers Discover A New Mechanism Underlying Cocaine Addiction
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Researchers have identified a key epigenetic mechanism in the brain that helps explain cocaine's addictiveness, according to research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the...
NewsScan for January 2010 - Research News
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Genome-wide association studies (GWAS), which scan the entire genome to find genetic variations (called SNPs) that are associated with particular diseases, have revolutionized the way scientists search for genetic causes of diseases, including drug and alcohol addiction.
Monitoring the Future Survey
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The Good News In 2009, cigarette smoking continues at its lowest point in the history of the survey on all measures for 8th, 10th, and 12th graders. Between 2004 and...
NIDA Director Honored By French Government With Top Science Award For Addiction Research
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Dr. Nora D. Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, has been awarded the International Prize from the French Institute...
Teen Methamphetamine Use, Cigarette Smoking at Lowest Levels in NIDA's 2009 Monitoring the Future Survey
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WASHINGTON - Methamphetamine use among teens appears to have dropped significantly in recent years, according to NIDA's annual Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey, released today at a news conference at...
NewsScan for December 11, 2009 - Research News
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Imaging Study Correlates Areas of Brain Activity with Sensation Seeking Sensation seeking is a personality trait that includes the tendency to pursue thrill and adventure, the willingness to take risks...
National Institute on Drug Abuse to Announce Results of 2009 Monitoring the Future Survey
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The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) will hold a press conference on Monday, December 14, to announce the results of its 2009 Monitoring the Future survey. The survey, funded...
Monitoring the Future Survey, Overview of Findings 2009
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The Good News Source: The 2009 Monitoring the Future study, the University of Michigan In 2009, cigarette smoking continues at its lowest point in the history of the survey on...
NIDA Stimulus Grant to Assess the Benefits of Counseling with HIV Screening
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Public health experts encourage everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 to be HIV tested. Researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and the San Francisco...
NIDA Launches New Substance Abuse Resources to Help Fill Gaps in Medical Education
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The rigors of medical training sharpen a doctor's ability to diagnose and treat a wide variety of human afflictions. However, drug abuse and addiction are often insufficiently covered in medical...
Federal Stimulus Grant Supports Crucial Study of Anti-Nicotine Vaccine
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Efforts to develop a vaccine capable of preventing tobacco addiction got a $10-million shot in the arm in the form of an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant. The award...
Cocaine Vaccine Shows Promise for Treating Addiction
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Listen to teleconference on study results. Immunization with an experimental anti-cocaine vaccine resulted in a substantial reduction in cocaine use in 38 percent of vaccinated patients in a clinical trial...
Teleconference Discussion of Results from Cocaine Vaccine Study
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Doctors Volkow and Kosten will discuss the findings of a study in the October issue of Archives of General Psychiatry evaluating the safety and efficacy of a vaccine to treat...
NIDA's 2009 Avant-Garde Awards for Innovative HIV/AIDS Research Announced
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Four scientists have been selected as this year's winners of the Avant-Garde Award for HIV/AIDS research, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health, announced...
NewsScan for September 11, 2009 - Research News
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Disparities, Variability Found in Methadone Maintenance Dosing Patterns Methadone maintenance therapy has been the primary treatment for heroin abuse in the United States for over 30 years. Methadone treatment prevents...
Drug Prevention Specialists Meet Community Leaders in NIDA-Sponsored Virtual Town Hall Event
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To celebrate recent advances in drug prevention science, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), sponsored its first virtual town hall...
Innovative Community-Based Prevention Reduces Risky Behavior in 10-14 Year Olds
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A randomized trial of Communities That Care (CTC), an evidence-based substance-use community-focused prevention system, showed significant reductions in the initiation of alcohol use, tobacco use, binge drinking, and delinquent behavior...
Drug Czar, Top Federal Experts Use Virtual Town Hall to Announce Success of Major Community Based Drug Prevention Effort
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To promote community-wide involvement in drug abuse prevention efforts, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, will host a live virtual town hall...
NIH and VA Announce $7 Million Partnership for Substance Abuse Research among Military Personnel, Veterans and their Families
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Washington, D.C. - Two federal departments have joined forces to create a first-time collaborative funding project to support research on substance abuse and associated problems among U.S. military personnel, veterans...
NewsScan for July 8, 2009 - Research News
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Time to Hepatitis C Infection in Injection Drug Users Lengthening in Developed Countries Hepatitis C (HCV), a blood-borne infection that can cause liver damage and death, is very common among...
NIDA Study Shows School-Based Prevention Program Reduces Problem Behaviors in Fifth Graders By Half
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A study suggests that school-based prevention programs begun in elementary school can significantly reduce problem behaviors in students. Fifth graders who previously participated in a comprehensive interactive school prevention program...
NewsScan for June 2, 2009 - Research News
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Persistent Brain Changes in Response to Cocaine Depend on Expectation of Reward Drug addiction dramatically shifts a person’s attention, priorities, and behaviors toward a focus almost entirely on seeking out...
NIDA Study Suggests Low-Key Anti-Smoking Ads are More Likely to be Remembered than Attention-Grabbing Messages
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For the first time, preliminary research using brain-imaging technology has shown that low-key and attention-grabbing anti-smoking public service announcements stimulate different patterns of activity in smokers' brains and that smokers...
The Impact of Third Hand Smoke on Risk for Genetic Mutations Wins First Place Addiction Science Award at 2009 Intel ISEF Competition
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2009 Science Fair Award Winners with Dr. Lucinda Miner, Deputy Director, NIDA Office of Science Policy and Communications. A resourceful study into the effect of third hand smoke upon the...
NIDA Study Reveals Widespread Effects of Cocaine on Genome Structure and Function
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Repeated use of addictive drugs such as cocaine causes long-lasting changes in parts of the brain involved in motivation and reward, among others, yet the precise mechanisms by which these...
NIDA Launches Drug Use Screening Tools for Physicians
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Washington, D.C. - The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, today unveiled its first comprehensive Physicians' Outreach Initiative, NIDAMED, which gives medical professionals...
National Institute on Drug Abuse to Unveil NIDAMED, Physicians' Outreach Initiative
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Washington, D.C. - The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, will unveil its Physicians' Outreach Initiative, NIDAMED, on Monday, April 20, 2009. NIDA...
NewsScan for March 24, 2009 - Research News
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Hepatitis C Virus Can Be Transmitted by Drug Use Through the Nose In most cases of hepatitis C virus (HCV), the virus is transmitted through contact with infected blood, usually...
Study Helps Unravel Mysteries of Brain's Endocannabinoid System
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New research funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, has identified a new mechanism for the processing of endocannabinoids, natural brain...
Combination of Genes and Prenatal Exposure to Smoking Increases Teens' Risk of Disruptive Behavior
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A study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a component of the National Institutes of Health, shows that prenatal exposure to smoking combined with a specific genetic variant...
NewsScan for February 27, 2009 - Special College Issue - Research News
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First-Year College Students Show High Rate of Cannabis Use Disorders In the first study to measure the prevalence of cannabis use disorders (CUD) among young adults attending college, researchers funded...
NIDA Study Shows That Methylphenidate (Ritalin) Causes Neuronal Changes in Brain Reward Areas
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Investigators funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse have shown that the medication methylphenidate (Ritalin), which is commonly prescribed to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), can cause physical changes...
Drug Abusing Offenders Not Getting Treatment They Need in Criminal Justice System
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The vast majority of prisoners who could benefit from drug abuse treatment do not receive it, despite two decades of research that demonstrate its effectiveness, according to researchers at the...
NewsScan for January 12, 2009 - Research News
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Contingency Management Helps Pregnant Women Abstain From Smoking Voucher-based reinforcement therapy (VBRT), in which participants may earn vouchers redeemable for retail goods and services for sustained abstinence from drug use...
NIDA Releases a New Research Report on Comorbidity of Addiction and Other Mental Illnesses
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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, today released a research report, Comorbidity: Addiction and Other Mental Illnesses, summarizing the...
Addressing Substance Abuse and Comorbidities Among Military Personnel, Veterans, and Their Families: A Research Agenda
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There is growing concern that military personnel returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are experiencing a range of difficulties, including traumatic brain injury (TBI), post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety...
Monitoring the Future Survey, Overview of Findings 2008
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The Good News From 2007 to 2008, the percentage of 10th graders reporting lifetime, past year, and past month use of any illicit drug other than marijuana declined significantly. Lifetime...
NIDA Announces Call for Submissions for 2009 Avant-Garde Award for Innovative Research in the Treatment of HIV/AIDS in Drug Abusers
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As many as three scientists will receive up to $500,000 each year for five years for potentially groundbreaking approaches to the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS in drug abusers. The...
Downward Trend in Teen Marijuana Use Slows; Prescription Drug Abuse Remains High
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WASHINGTON -- There are signs that the ongoing decline in teen marijuana use in recent years has stalled; however the downward trend in cigarette and alcohol use continues, according to...