For 30 years, NIDA Notes provided in-depth coverage of research findings on drug misuse and addiction. NIDA Notes was discontinued in 2021.
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). For current information, please visit nida.nih.gov.
Hallucination-Like Perceptions Are Associated with Elevated Dopamine in the Striatum in Mice
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This study reported that hallucination-like perceptions in mice were associated with elevated dopamine levels in the striatum. Blocking dopamine with haloperidol reversed these hallucination-like perceptions in mice.
Black People Who Smoke Cigarettes Are Exposed to Higher Levels of Toxic Compounds Than Whites
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A recent NIDA-funded study provides a potential explanation for the increased vulnerability to smoking-related health effects among Black people.
People Living With HIV in New York State Faced Increased Burdens From COVID 19 in 2020
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This study found that in New York State, people living with HIV were more likely to be diagnosed with, hospitalized for, and die in hospital from COVID-19 than were people...
Cooperation Between Physicians and Pharmacists May Improve Treatment for Patients with Opioid Use Disorder
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This study found that collaborations between physicians with buprenorphine waivers and community pharmacists in the treatment of patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) are feasible and acceptable to both providers...
Asymmetry in the Nucleus Accumbens May Be Linked with Substance Dependence
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A NIDA-funded study found that people with some types of substance dependence exhibited less rightward asymmetry of the nucleus accumbens than did people without dependence. Additionally it found that reduced...
Treating Hepatis C Virus and Opioid Use Disorder Together Benefits Patients
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This study found that people with hepatitis C virus (HCV) who inject drugs, offering buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder at the same location as HCV treatment resulted in high...
Opioid Use May Increase Susceptibility to Infection
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Opioid drugs affect not only the brain and, consequently, behavior, but also numerous other body systems whose cells carry opioid receptors, including the peripheral immune system.
Developmental Nicotine Exposure in Mice Affects Epigenetic Factors in the Brain Across Multiple Generations
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Epigenetic changes that can persist for generations after nicotine exposure may predispose children and grandchildren of people who smoke to develop neurological and behavioral disorders.
The ABCD Study Uncovers Relationships Between Socioeconomic Factors, Cognitive Abilities, and Brain Development
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Children with greater access to resources, better social support, and better perinatal health had larger brain surface areas and higher cognitive scores, regardless of family income.
Chronic Cocaine Use Changes Brain Structure and Cognitive Function in Rhesus Monkeys
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Specific cocaine-induced decreases in gray matter density were associated with reduced performance on tests of memory and cognition.
Reduced Activity in One Brain Region Links Childhood Adversity to Aggression/Delinquency and Substance Use in Adolescence
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People who experienced more childhood adversity had higher rates of substance use in late adolescence.
Preventive Interventions Delivered in Childhood May Reduce Substance Use Over Two Generations
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Children of intervention recipients showed improved developmental functioning before age 5, as well as fewer problem behaviors; better academic, cognitive, and emotional skills; and less risk behavior from ages 6...
La toma de decisiones en situaciones ambiguas repercute en el riesgo de recaída de los pacientes con trastorno por consumo de opioides
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Los pacientes en tratamiento para el trastorno por consumo de opioides que se sentían más cómodos tomando decisiones cuando no conocían la probabilidad de resultado tenían un mayor riesgo de...
Using Alcohol and Marijuana Together Exacerbates Negative Consequences in Young Adults
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Simultaneous alcohol and marijuana use is associated with both increased alcohol consumption and greater negative consequences.
Economic Modeling Shows Optimal HIV-Reduction Interventions Depend on the Location
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Researchers identified optimal intervention combinations for six cities (one-quarter of all people with HIV in the U.S.).
Medication Treatment of Opioid Use Disorder Can Protect Against Overdose Death
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Fewer overdose deaths occurred among adults treated with opioid agonist medications than among those not treated with medication.
Childhood Caffeine Exposure May Negatively Affect Cognitive Functioning
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For most assessed cognitive functions, the negative correlation remained after controlling for age, gender, socioeconomic status, and sleep.
Targeting the Kappa Opioid Receptor to Reduce Drug Use and Relapse
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Inhibition of KORs using a short-acting selective antagonist significantly prevented escalation of cocaine intake in rats during chronic exposure and during re-exposure after withdrawal.
Awareness and Use of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV Rise in At-Risk Groups, But Not Enough
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Use of pre-exposure prophylaxis to prevent contracting HIV increased among men who have sex with men from 2013 to 2017.
Cómo el cerebro hace que el dolor sea molesto
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Un conjunto específico de neuronas en la amígdala basolateral se activaba cuando los ratones experimentaban dolor.
Disrupting Cocaine Memories Prevents Return to Cocaine Use in Rats
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Preventing cocaine memories from re-strengthening in an unstable period following retrieval attenuates cocaine seeking.
Human Opioid Exposure Can Be Measured Using Wastewater
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Using robotic technology, local levels of opioid metabolites can be measured in wastewater from individual manholes
Skewed Opioid Prescribing Patterns in the United States—A Few Providers Prescribe a Large Proportion of Opioids
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Only 1 percent of the providers who prescribe opioids account for almost half of all opioid doses prescribed and one-quarter of opioid prescriptions written.
People With SUDs Have Increased Risk for COVID-19 and Worse Outcomes
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People with a substance use disorder (SUD) at any time in their lives are 1.5 times more likely to contract COVID-19 than those without an SUD, and those with a...
Decision-Making in Ambiguous Situations Influences OUD Patients’ Relapse Risk
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Patients in treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) who were more comfortable making decisions when they did not know the probability of outcome had a higher risk of using opioids...
How the Brain Makes Pain Unpleasant
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A specific collection of neurons in the basolateral amygdala, a brain region crucial for affect, was active when mice experienced pain. Deactivating this collection of neurons resulted in a loss...
Un novedoso antagonista del receptor de dopamina D3 reduce comportamientos similares a la adicción a los opioides en las ratas
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El antagonista VK4-116 del receptor de dopamina D3 redujo la autoadministración de oxicodona en las ratas, así como los comportamientos de búsqueda de drogas tras la reanudación del uso de...
Parte 2: Inmunoterapias: ¿Una nueva herramienta para tratar la adicción a la metanfetamina?
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Los investigadores trasladan su anticuerpo monoclonal a ensayos clínicos para ver si puede ser un tratamiento eficaz para el uso de metanfetamina.
Parte 1: Inmunoterapias: ¿Una nueva herramienta para tratar la adicción a la metanfetamina?
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Los investigadores tienen creado un anticuerpo monoclonal destinado a interactuar con la metanfetamina y disminuir su capacidad de ingresar al cerebro.
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...
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.
Las ratas prefieren la interacción social a la heroína o la metanfetamina
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Un estudio reciente publicado en Nature Neuroscience muestra que las interacciones sociales pueden generar un profundo efecto en la autoadministración y la recaída en el consumo de drogas y en...
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...
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.
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...
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...
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.
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...
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...
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.
E-Cigarette Characteristics May Influence Use and Are Potential Targets for Regulatory Policy
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People's decisions to use e-cigarettes, as well as perceptions about associated risks, are influenced by the e-cigarettes' nicotine levels and available flavors. The influence of these characteristics on decision-making and...
Antiretroviral Therapy Combined With CRISPR Gene Editing Can Eliminate HIV Infection in Mice
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This study found that HIV-1 could be eliminated in mice using a combination of two antiviral technologies—long-acting viral reservoir—targeted antiretroviral therapy and CRISPR/Cas-9 gene editing. HIV was undetectable in 9...
Part 2: Immunotherapies—A New Tool To Treat Methamphetamine Addiction?
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Researchers move their monoclonal antibody (mAb) into clinical trials to see if it can be an effective treatment for methamphetamine use.
Part 1: Immunotherapies—A New Tool To Treat Methamphetamine Addiction?
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Researchers have created a monoclonal antibody (mAb) that is intended to interact with methamphetamine and decrease its ability to enter the brain.
AOUD Treatment in Primary Care Settings—Is it Feasible?
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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.
A New Era at NIDA Notes
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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...
Novel Dopamine D3 Receptor Antagonist Reduces Opioid Addiction-Like Behaviors in Rats
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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
The Strong African American Families Program Improves Lives of Rural African American Youth
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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...
α2δ-1–NMDA Receptor Interactions Are Responsible for Increases in Pain Sensitivity Caused by Opioids
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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...
Nerve-Cell Growth During Abstinence From Methamphetamine May Promote Reinstatement of Drug Use in Rats
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Neurogenesis that occurs during abstinence from methamphetamine in a brain region related to memory and learning may promote relapse-like behavior.
Mindful Awareness in Body-Oriented Therapy Proves Useful in Women Treated for Substance Use Disorder
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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...
Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Tobacco Smoke Exposure Persist Among U.S. Children
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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...
Machine Learning Applied to Brain Imaging Data Predicts Response to Cocaine Use Disorder Treatment
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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.
Rats Prefer Social Interaction to Heroin or Methamphetamine
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This study showed that rats will forgo heroin and methamphetamine in favor of spending time with another rat. It also highlights the importance of incorporating voluntary choice between drugs and...
Por qué las mujeres son más sensibles a la cocaína
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Una nueva investigación demuestra que la hormona estradiol es responsable de la mayor sensibilidad de las mujeres a las drogas estimulantes.
THC Exposure in Adolescence Disrupts Brain Maturation in Animals
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A NIDA-supported study may help explain observed links between adolescent marijuana use and vulnerability to psychiatric disorders.
Una alternativa prometedora a los analgésicos opioides
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Un compuesto novedoso representa un posible avance para lograr el objetivo de contar con analgésicos que no sean adictivos y que sean al menos tan eficaces como los opioides, pero...
Drug Use and Its Consequences Increase Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults
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Studies found: The spread of marijuana use and the opioid epidemic over the past 10 years have affected middle-aged and older Americans. Prescription opioid and benzodiazepine misuse increased older adults’...
El consumo de marihuana en la adolescencia está vinculado a alteraciones en el circuito neural y en los síntomas del estado de ánimo
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Un estudio encontró que el consumo de marihuana en la adolescencia está vinculado a alteraciones en el circuito neural.
Nicotine and Cannabis Have Offsetting Effects on Resting Brain Connectivity
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This research: Adds to research showing that nicotine and cannabis have interactive effects on brain structure and function. Suggests that specialized treatment interventions may be appropriate for people who use...
Cannabis Dependence Is Associated With Changes in Neural Circuitry That May Contribute to Psychopathology
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People with cannabis dependence have changes in neural circuitry in brain regions related to reward processing, habit formation, and psychopathology. These changes in neural circuitry may provide a useful marker...
Narrative of Discovery: The Quest for a Medication To Treat Methamphetamine Addiction, Part 4
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In 2017, Dr. Linda Dwoskin applied to NIDA's Grand Opportunity for Medications Development program for support to continue her quest to develop the first-ever medication to reduce craving and relapse...
Research Links Adolescent Substance Use to Adult Brain Volumes
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This research: Revealed associations between nicotine, alcohol, and marijuana use during two periods of adolescence and smaller gray matter volume in two brain areas at age 25. Supports a hypothesis...
Methadone Maintenance Treatment During Incarceration Has Long-Term Benefits
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This study reported: Prisoners who received methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) during incarceration were more likely than prisoners who did not receive MMT to engage in the treatment after being released...
Interim Buprenorphine Alleviates Psychiatric Symptoms in Waitlisted OUD Patients
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This study reported: Interim treatment with buprenorphine significantly improved the psychiatric symptoms of people awaiting comprehensive treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD). Buprenorphine treatment, even without concurrent psychosocial counseling, may...
La intervención integrada beneficia a quienes se inyectan drogas y tienen VIH
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Las personas que se inyectan drogas y están infectadas con el VIH tienen alta mortalidad y enfrentan muchos obstáculos para acceder a la atención médica. A fin de reducir el...
Transcription Factor E2F3a Mediates Cocaine’s Effects on Gene Expression and Addiction-Related Behaviors
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NIDA-supported researchers have shown that increased levels of a single protein in the brain's reward center are indispensable for producing some of cocaine's addiction-like effects in animals. Their findings highlight...
El maltrato infantil modifica la arquitectura de la red cortical y puede aumentar el riesgo de consumo de drogas
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El maltrato infantil altera el desarrollo del cerebro del niño en formas que pueden aumentar su riesgo de consumir drogas y sufrir otros trastornos mentales en la edad adulta.
A Promising Alternative to Opioid Pain Medications
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This research shows: An experimental compound with a dual action at two opioid receptors may provide powerful pain relief without many of opioids' harmful side effects. The compound may also...
Disruption of Serotonin Contributes to Cocaine’s Effects
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This research: Traced the effects of cocaine-induced disruption of serotonin regulation in the ventral pallidum and orbitofrontal cortex. Suggests that these effects may contribute to drug-seeking and cocaine-associated cognitive impairments...
Las anfetaminas modifican el camino del cerebro hacia la madurez
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La presente investigación: arroja luz sobre un mecanismo clave del desarrollo del cerebro adolescente; demuestra de qué manera las anfetaminas alteran ese mecanismo; establece un vínculo entre esa alteración y...
New Studies Clarify Risk Factors for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
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These studies: Identified factors that affect the risk for and severity of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Suggest that reducing expectant mothers’ polysubstance use during buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder...
Integrated Intervention Benefits People Who Inject Drugs and Have HIV
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In this international trial: Researchers demonstrated the effectiveness of an integrated intervention designed to help people who inject drugs and have HIV overcome obstacles to health care. Participants who received...
Cocaine-Induced Increase in an Immune Protein Promotes Addiction Behaviors in Mice
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This research found that: Cocaine produces a portion of its rewarding effects by increasing levels of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) in the brain’s reward center. Treatments that prevent G-CSF signaling...
Prescription Opioid Misuse Treatment Leverages Mindfulness To Amplify Natural Rewards
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This research suggests that: Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE) reduces opioid misuse among chronic pain patients. MORE shifts patients' attention away from drug cues and toward cues for natural rewards. Dr...
Switching to Reduced-Nicotine Cigarettes May Aid in Quitting Smoking
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This research suggests that: Smokers who switch to cigarettes with very low nicotine content may experience mild and transient increases in some withdrawal symptoms. Cigarettes with reduced nicotine will be...
How Cocaine Cues Get Planted in the Brain
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This research found that: An epigenetic mechanism underlies the powerful cocaine–environment associations that promote relapse. The mechanism may be instrumental in all drug reward–based learning. A NIDA-sponsored study sheds light...
Proven Prevention Program Aims To Adapt for Native Americans
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This research showed: A survey that is a key tool in the Communities That Care prevention system is largely valid in Native American communities. Adjusting the survey to incorporate culturally...
A New Tool for Investigating HIV in the Brain
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In this research: Researchers developed a tool that enables them to closely monitor HIV activity in key brain cells. The tool may accelerate the development of treatments for HIV in...
Adolescent Marijuana Use Is Linked to Altered Neural Circuitry and Mood Symptoms
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Some teens's marijuana use has been linked to disrupted communication between two key regions in the brain's reward circuitry at age 20. Disrupted communication between the regions was associated with...
E-Cigarettes Promote Smoking Progression in Youth and Depress Quitting Among Adults
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E-cigarettes are not an effective tool to reduce combustible-cigarette smoking, two NIDA-supported studies indicate.
Amphetamine Diverts the Brain’s Path to Maturity
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This research: Sheds light on a key mechanism of adolescent brain development. Shows how amphetamine disrupts this mechanism. Links this disruption to animal behaviors that resemble human susceptibility to addiction...
As Opioid Use Disorders Increased, Prescriptions for Treatment Did Not Keep Pace
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Several effective medications are now available for treating opioid use disorder but many patients who could benefit do not receive them. Some patients who receive the medications face challenges to...
Outcomes of Computerized CBT Rival Those of Clinician-Delivered CBT
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This clinical trial: Found that patients who self-administered cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) using computerized training modules reduced their drug use as much as patients who received clinician-delivered CBT, and they...
In Animals, Opioid Combination Shows Promise for Safer Pain Relief
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This study found that: In rats, co-administration with nalfurafine reduced the dose of oxycodone required to lower pain responses in models of human chronic pain. The combination treatment generated less...
Novel Compound Alleviates Hard-to-Treat Pain in Mice
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A novel compound called GAT211 alleviates inflammatory and neuropathic pain in mice without producing tolerance or signs of abuse liability.
A Gene Links Impulsivity and Drug Use Vulnerability
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This research: Identified a gene variant that promotes impulsive behavior and enhanced responses to heroin in rats. Linked the corresponding human gene variant to increased risk for impulsivity and drug...
Cigarette Smoking Increases the Likelihood of Drug Use Relapse
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This research: Found that cigarette smoking increased the likelihood of relapse among people in recovery from substance use disorder (SUD). Suggests that helping patients quit and remain abstinent from smoking...
Narrative of Discovery: The Quest for a Medication To Treat Methamphetamine Addiction, Part 3
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Dr. Linda Dwoskin feels just one small step away from success in her effort to develop the first-ever medication to treat methamphetamine addiction. She and colleagues at the Universities of...
Fear of Distress Signals Risk for Opioid Misuse in Chronic Pain Patients
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In this research: Among patients with chronic pain, those who reported less ability to tolerate physical or emotional distress were more likely to misuse opioid analgesics. Neither pain severity nor...
Why Marijuana Displeases
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Through research on mice, a mechanism for how THC, the active ingredient in marijuana can produce rewarding, neutral or negative experiences was demonstrated.
Long-Term Marijuana Use Is Associated With Health Problems Later in Life
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This study found that: Marijuana users exhibited six different patterns of marijuana use from ages 18 to 50. Longer-term marijuana use (extending from age 18 into the late 20s or...
Stressful Experiences Affect Likelihood of Remission of Drug Dependence, Continued Drug Use, and Relapse
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This study: Showed that stressful life events are associated with reductions in a person’s chances of becoming or remaining abstinent from drugs for at least 3 years. Suggests that coping...
A Family-Oriented Intervention May Reduce the Effects of Poverty on Brain Development
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This study found that: Childhood poverty was associated with reduced volumes of limbic brain regions in adulthood. The reduced limbic volumes were associated with depression and smoking in adulthood. Participation...
Available Soon: NIDA’s Research E-Cigarette
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NIDA and NJOY, LLC, have developed a Standard Research E-Cigarette. The device will help researchers resolve many outstanding questions about how e-cigarettes affect health.
Anabolic-Androgenic Steroids May Damage the Heart and Arteries
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Use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS) is associated with compromised heart pumping and atherosclerotic plaque. Clinicians should inquire about AAS use when young or middle-aged men present with left ventricular dysfunction...
Substance Use Disorders Are Associated With Major Medical Illnesses and Mortality Risk in a Large Integrated Health Care System
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Strong associations exist between substance use disorder diagnoses and 19 major medical illnesses among patients in a large, integrated health care system. The study indicates that these associations may persist...
Deep Brain Stimulation Attenuates Rats’ Responses to Heroin
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High-frequency electrical stimulation of neurons deep in the brain can reduce rats’ relapse-like behavior and motivation to take heroin. The finding strengthens hope that deep brain stimulation might offer a...
EEG Indicates That Cocaine Relapse Vulnerability Peaks 1 to 6 Months Into Abstinence
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Electroencephalography (EEG) may provide an objective measure of cocaine-addicted participants’ vulnerability to cue-induced relapse. The assessment of cue-induced responsiveness may be useful in the clinical setting for assessing relapse risk...