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Our People
The IRP is served by the best and brightest in the scientific community. Find out more about the scientists striving to solve the puzzles of drug addiction and its effects on the human brain.
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Our Research
The research of the Intramural Research Program is supported at the molecular, genetic, cellular, animal, and clinical levels and is conceptually integrated, highly innovative, and focused on major problems in the field of drug addiction research.
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Our Organization
Intramural Research Program (IRP) of the National Institute on Drug Abuse is dedicated to innovative research on basic mechanisms that underlie drug abuse and dependence, and to develop new methods for the treatment of drug abuse and dependence.
Dr. Stephen Heishman
Associate Director for Education & Training
and Summer Student training
opportunities available!
Dr. Jean Lud Cadet
Associate Director for Diversity and Outreach
Fellowship for Diversity
in Research available!
Article published online, October 30, 2011 in Nature Neuroscience.
Drug-induced GABA transporter currents enhance GABA release to induce opioid withdrawal behaviors
Nature Neuroscience advance online publication 30 October 2011; doi: 10.1038/nn.2940
Elena E Bagley, Jennifer Hacker, Vladimir I Chefer, Christophe Mallet, Gavan P McNally, Billy C H Chieng, Julie Perroud, Toni S Shippenberg, MacDonald J Christie
Neurotransmitter transporters can affect neuronal excitability indirectly via modulation of neurotransmitter concentrations or directly via transporter currents. A physiological or pathophysiological role for transporter currents has not been described. We found that GABA transporter 1 (GAT-1) cation currents directly increased GABAergic neuronal excitability and synaptic GABA release in the periaqueductal gray (PAG) during opioid withdrawal in rodents. In contrast, GAT-1 did not indirectly alter GABA receptor responses via modulation of extracellular GABA concentrations....
A Figure from this month's Featured Paper.
JANUARY: The Designer Methcathinone Analogs, Mephedrone and Methylone, are Substrates for Monoamine Transporters in Brain Tissue
Neuropsychopharmacology 14 December 2011; doi: 10.1038/npp.2011.304
Michael H Baumann, Mario A Ayestas Jr, John S Partilla, Jacqueline R Sink, Alexander T Shulgin, Paul F Daley, Simon D Brandt, Richard B Rothman, Arnold E Ruoho, and Nicholas V Cozzi
The nonmedical use of ‘designer’ cathinone analogs, such as 4-methylmethcathinone (mephedrone) and 3,4-methylenedioxymethcathinone (methylone), is increasing worldwide, yet little information is available regarding the mechanism of action for these drugs. Here, we employed in vitro and in vivo methods to compare neurobiological effects of mephedrone and methylone with those produced by the structurally related compounds, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) and methamphetamine....
Dr. Markus Heilig, Clinical Director
Please welcome Dr. Heilig to NIDA!
It gives the NIDA IRP great pleasure to announce that Dr. Markus Heilig has accepted our offer to become the Clinical Director of both the NIDA Intramural and the NIAAA Intramural clinical research programs. Over the past several months, Drs. Volkow, Warren, Kunos, and Bonci have been in discussion with Dr. Heilig about a vision for an integrated clinical research program. We are confident that Dr. Heilig has the passion, the scientific research experience, as well as the administrative skills to maximize the potential of the two clinical programs.
Thank you, and please welcome Dr. Heilig to NIDA.
Article published online, August 16th in Nature's Molecular Psychiatry.
Dopamine D4 receptor, but not the ADHD-associated D4.7 variant, forms functional heteromers with the dopamine D2S receptor in the brain
Molecular Psychiatry advance online publication 16 August 2011; doi: 10.1038/mp.2011.93
S González, C Rangel-Barajas, M Peper, R Lorenzo, E Moreno, F Ciruela, J Borycz, J Ortiz, C Lluís, R Franco, PJ McCormick, ND Volkow, M Rubinstein, B Floran, & S Ferre
Polymorphic variants of the dopamine D4 receptor have been consistently associated with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, the functional significance of the risk polymorphism (variable number of tandem repeats in exon 3) is still unclear. Here, we show that whereas the most frequent 4-repeat (D4.4) and the 2-repeat (D4.2) variants form functional heteromers with the short isoform of the dopamine D2 receptor (D2S), the 7-repeat risk allele (D4.7) does not....
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