Past NIDA Notes Articles

Reports on scientists who pinpointed the biochemical trigger from morphine that sets off a chain reaction that inhibits an immune cell that is key in fighting viruses and cancer.

Reports on a study involving researchers who successfully desensitized mice to cocaine by genetically altering their dopamine transporters.

Highlights the NIDA International Program which works to strengthen international research networks, creating opportunities for global research collaboration, training, and scientific exchange.

Describes a knowledge- and resource-sharing system for NIH-funded neuroscientists to access to data, advanced research tools, and technical assistance.

Describes research providing evidence that maternal smoking during pregnancy contributes to behavioral conduct disorders among toddlers, school-age children, and teens.

Alerts readers to the new renamed journal, Addiction Science and Clinical Practice, formerly titled Science and Practice Perspectives.

Presents highlights of a meeting of scientists and clinicians to review research results from the field of social neuroscience, the study of how neurobiology and the social environment interact.

Reports on evidence that toluene abuse can harm the nervous system and body, although scientists know relatively little about its specific actions.

Reports on the prevalence of substance abuse among youth based on 2007 data from a national survey of behaviors, attitudes, and values.

Describes a new research finding indicating that the antidepressant sertraline (Zoloft), prescribed to relieve depression during the methamphetamine withdrawal process, may make quitting harder.

Describes a new chemical tracer that binds specifically to cannabinoid receptors making it potentially useful in future research to clarify the relationship between the receptors and drug abuse.

Describes a study showing that cocaine, which increases dopamine levels, also can tap into an intracellular dopamine reserve pool.

Describes a study investigating the use of the antidepressant bupropion as a potential therapy for methamphetamine addiction.

Summarizes research on the effects of long-term regular cocaine abuse on the cardiovascular system in African Americans.

Presents evidence that among men and women with HIV, those who received early initiation of HAART therapy, those with higher CD4+ levels, achieved better immune recovery.

Reports on research showing that the neurons that deliver dopamine to two regions of the brain's mesolimbic reward system respond differently to opioids, an important finding for drug treatment research.

Discusses the role of epigenetics, the study of cellular mechanisms that control gene expression and its impacts on health and behavior, in addiction research.

Describes research investigating the use of a treatment that combines vouchers and cognitive behavioral therapy as compared with the use of either treatment alone for marijuana abuse.

Reports on research of chronic cocaine abusers who may feel they are sleeping better during early abstinence revealed that the opposite may be true.

Describes the work of researchers who have found a statistical link between one region on chromosome 17 and an increased risk of opioid dependence.

Announces the 2007 Smissman Award from the American Chemical Society to Dr. Kenner Rice, NIDA, for significant contributions to fundamental knowledge in medicinal chemistry.

Presents an update on NIDA’s Southern African Initiative, a program that aims to build research capacity and infrastructure in the area of addiction, particularly drug-related HIV transmission.

Reports on results from a study showing that men and women with alcohol use disorders are more likely to report nonmedical use of prescription drugs than people who don't drink at all.

Reviews a journal supplement that compiles studies on drug-related HIV transmission, with a focus on injection drug use, in 16 different localities across the globe.

Reports on an animal study finding that links anabolic steroids to brain changes in adolescent female mice, changes that can potentially lead to steroid abuse.

Presents highlights of a study indicating that exposure to morphine during adolescence may increase sensitivity to the drug during adulthood.

Reports data on the prevalence of substance use among college students with ADHD, comparing those who received ADHD treatment with those who did not.

Describes research that has led to the development of a new tool, a new radiotracer, for studying the neurobiology of depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and stimulant abuse.

Highlights data on the risky sexual behaviors of patients at a sexually transmitted disease clinic who had a substance abuse disorder as compared to those without a substance abuse disorder.

Describes the role of the Division of Clinical Neuroscience and Behavioral Research in NIDA’s drug abuse and addiction research plan.

Reports on two studies indicating that orexin, a neuropeptide that stimulates eating and regulates wakefulness, also fosters animals' drug seeking and craving responses to drugs.

Reports on the work of addiction researchers who are learning how acute and chronic cocaine exposure regulates certain genes, based on knowledge from developmental and cancer biology.

Describes research investigating a naturally occurring brain chemical that shows early promise as a treatment for addiction in animal studies.

Describes an NIH-wide obesity task force and research plan and explores some of the links between addiction and compulsive eating.

Reports patterns and trends in inhalant use among adolescents based on an analysis of data from a 2002-2005 national survey on drug use and health.

Describes research on a vaccine developed to facilitate smoking cessation by blocking nicotine penetration into the brain.

Reports on the work of scientists who have linked impulsiveness and risk-taking among adolescents to immaturity of the brain region called the orbitofrontal cortex.

Announces updates to research reports on MDMA/ecstasy and steroids and a new report on HIV/AIDS that provide the latest available information on drugs and drug-related topics.

Describes a study comparing Staged Care Intervention, a combination treatment for smoking cessation, among smokers in outpatient treatment for depression and a control group.

Describes investigations to advance the development of potential drug abuse relapse prevention agents by targeting specific receptors of the neurochemical serotonin.

Summarizes animal studies indicating that an antipsychotic drug, trifluoperazine, prevents morphine tolerance in mice.

Reports on research that successfully traced rats’ liking for sweets to a 1-cubic millimeter site in the medial shell of the nucleus accumbens in the brain.

Reports findings from a clinical trial investigating the effectiveness of naltrexone as a supplement to nicotine replacement therapy for smoking cessation.

Summarizes a study on the use of incentives to encourage abstinence among methadone maintenance patients in outpatient programs.

Reports on data that reviewing the benefits of addiction treatment among abstinent men as compared with those who continued to abuse cocaine.

Reports on a study to investigate the use of methadone maintenance for heroin addicts wait-listed for a treatment program to encourage their likelihood to enroll in the program.

Reports on the research underway to identify gene variations associated with nicotine addiction and the interaction of genetic makeup, experiences, and surroundings to addiction.

Presents results of a pilot study to investigate the safety and efficacy of a new long-lasting injectable formulation of naltrexone to treat of heroin addiction in an outpatient setting.

Announces the recipient of a 2006 award for innovation in research on drug addiction and alcoholism, Dr. Yavin Shaham, and describes his research which focused on the stress-induced drug use relapse.