NIDA @ Work

NIDA at Work: AIDS Research Program

NIDA disburses more than $275 million annually to support research on HIV and AIDS. The mandate to ensure that this investment yields the greatest possible return in new knowledge leading to more effective treatment and prevention lies with NIDA's AIDS Research Program. Under the direction of Dr. Jacques Normand, the AIDS Research Program oversees all the Institute's HIV-related grantmaking. Dr. Normand works with three associate directors: Dr. Lynda Erinoff is in charge of planning the basic science grant portfolio; Ms. Helen Cesari manages the social science programs; and Ms. Katherine

Medications Development Division Nurtures the Creation of New Addiction Treatments

In the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, Congress mandated NIDA to promote the development of medications "to treat the symptoms and disease of drug abuse." Research by NIDA-supported scientists and others had by then made clear that drug abuse is a neurological disorder treatable by pharmacotherapy, but only three anti-addiction medications were available (disulfiram, methadone, and naltrexone), all developed in the 1960s and early 1970s. Congress recognized the need for Federal leadership and, because of NIDA's resources and expertise, entrusted the Institute with facilitating the development of

Dr. Joni Rutter Q&A: How Basic Science Is Tackling Addiction

Dr. Joni Rutter, director of the Division of Basic Neuroscience and Behavioral Research at NIDA, discusses the division’s strategy, tools, and progress toward understanding and combatting addiction. NIDA Notes: What is your division’s agenda? In this video, Dr. Joni Rutter discusses how a genetic variation could explain why some individuals are more susceptible than others to nicotine dependence. Dr. Rutter: There’s a long-standing observation that not everyone who tries drugs becomes addicted. Some people are more vulnerable to addiction and some are more resilient. Our goal is to try to

Dr. Marilyn Huestis Q & A: Matching Drug Effects to Drug Concentrations

In this video, Dr. Marilyn Huestis talks about her work in NIDA’s Intramural Research Program. Dr. Marilyn Huestis, Chief of the Chemistry and Drug Metabolism Section of NIDA’s Intramural Research Program, talks about conducting research on drug effects with human subjects, developing tests to help law enforcement identify drugged drivers, and an assay to help identify children whose prenatal exposure to anti-HIV drugs may put them at risk for adverse developmental outcomes. NIDA Notes: How would you summarize your current work? Dr. Huestis: In my lab, we study the pharmacology and toxicology

Q & A: Dr. Redonna Chandler

In this video, Dr. Chandler explains what her Branch does and the ways in which her work is rewarding. The chief of NIDA's Services Research Branch talks about drug abuse treatment within the criminal justice system, and expresses hope that health care reform will strengthen the drug abuse treatment system. NIDA Notes: Why is the criminal justice system a key focus for efforts to reduce drug abuse and addiction? Dr. Chandler: An estimated 60 percent of the individuals in the criminal justice system have substance abuse problems severe enough to warrant treatment. In addition, individuals are

Q&A: Dr. David Thomas

Dr. David Thomas, a Program Officer in NIDA’s Behavioral and Cognitive Science Research Branch, speaks about the intertwined problems of pain and prescription opioid abuse. In this video, Dr. David Thomas talks about pain research at NIH and the complexities of treating pain with prescription opioids. NIDA Notes: How important is pain as a public health issue? Dr. Thomas: Hugely important. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) estimates that over 100 million adults in the United States experience chronic pain. The costs to society, counting both medical expenses and lost productivity, are estimated

Women and Sex/Gender Differences Research Program

Since its inception, NIDA has sponsored research on issues related to women. Beginning with an early focus on the effects of drug use on pregnant women and the children they bear, the Institute soon expanded its interest to sponsor research into women’s specific addiction risk factors and treatment needs. When the HIV/AIDS epidemic emerged in the 1980s, NIDA responded with funding for projects on gender-specific risk factors for infection and on the impact of drug abuse on HIV transmission between mother and newborn and the subsequent health of both. In 1995, NIDA formally established the

Office Meets Dynamic Challenges of Diversity

Although drug abuse touches the lives of people from all racial and ethnic backgrounds, its consequences are borne unequally. Members of minority populations often experience far worse outcomes than whites despite similar rates of addiction. Most notably, two other epidemics closely related to drug abuse—HIV infection and criminal justice involvement—are significantly higher among some racial and ethnic minorities than among other groups. Responding to this situation, NIDA established its Special Populations Office (SPO) within the Office of the Director to coordinate research and training

How Drug Abuse Affects the Brain and Alters Behavior Are Key Questions Driving Division's Work

A compound that appears promising for treating cocaine relapse is wending its way along a chain of discovery and trial that links NIDA's various Divisions. Its discovery occurred under a grant from the Division of Basic Neuroscience and Behavioral Research (DBNBR), NIDA's locus for studies into the fundamental brain mechanisms underlying drug abuse and addiction. Sea of Neurons: This image appears on the Division's NIDA publications and posters Dr. David Shurtleff, director of the Division, sees his unit as the base of a pyramid upon which other NIDA Divisions and the scientific community at

NIDA's Newest Division Mines Clinical Applications From Basic Research

NIDA's Division of Clinical Neuroscience and Behavioral Research (DCNBR) identifies, validates, and explores the clinical implications of basic science discoveries. Much of the Division's work consists of replicating results obtained in laboratory and animal studies in human subjects. A DCNBR project typically culminates in one of two outcomes: carrying a new discovery forward for development into actual interventions or referring it back to basic scientists for further investigation. "We are uniquely positioned to uncover the factors in humans—neurobiologic, genetic, social-behavioral—that

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