ARCHIVES
April 2009
Tests correlate biochemical abnormality with deficits in rats' responses to sounds.
Reports on a series of animal experiments indicating that nicotine exposure during prenatal fetal development damages a set of receptors in the brain's auditory processing center.
April 2009
Patients with injury to the insula lost the urge to smoke.
Describes a study among people who had sustained brain injuries to investigate whether certain damaged areas of the brain are associated with the ability to quit smoking.
April 2009
Reports on NIDA researchers who developed a new tracer compound that binds readily to nicotine receptors and enhances positron emission tomography images.
April 2009
Reduced availability heightens reinforcing effects of cocaine in monkeys, and the drug drives this measure even lower.
Describes findings from an animal study showing that cocaine lowers availability of dopamine receptors in the basal ganglia, an area of the brain that includes portions of the reward system.
April 2009
Highlights an animal study involving the self-administration of nicotine among adolescent and adult rats to gain understanding of their potential vulnerability to the substance.
April 2009
Reduced ability to choose between conflicting stimuli corresponds to neural damage.
Highlights findings from a study of former methamphetamine abusers showing evidence of impairment in areas of the brain known to influence cognition, emotion, and decision making.
December 2008
Researchers observe brain circuit activation, rapid receptor occupation.
Reports on three separate imaging studies illuminating the neurobiology of cigarette craving.
December 2008
Neural activity of monkeys diminishes in regions linked with cognition and emotion.
Discusses research exploring how widespread the reduction of neural activity is in the brain with chronic exposure to cocaine.
December 2008
Describes research findings showing differences in protein concentrations in the brain pleasure centers of people who died from cocaine overdose as compared with those who did not abuse the drug.
September 2008
Researchers in optics, genetics, and bioengineering have developed a powerful tool for visualizing cells deep in the brain and a remote control for activating brain cells.
Describes new tools under development, including one to visualize cells deep in the brain and another one that remotely activates brain cells.
