Hot Off the Press – May 27, 2022 Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) by Dr. Kshitij Jadhav (2019 Predoctoral trainee at NIDA-IRP), Dr. Benjamin Boutrel (Ph.D. supervisor, University of Lausanne, Switzerland) and Dr. Carl Lupica (Project Supervisor, Electrophysiology Research Section, NIDA-IRP). Summary Adolescents are labelled as high risk-taking impulsive individuals… [Read More]
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2022 NIDA IRP Mentoring Awards
Congratulations to our 2022 Mentoring Award winners! They were honored at the 10th NIDA Research Day and Mentoring Awards ceremony on May 18, 2022. From left to right: Brenda Curtis, Ph.D. – Diversity Mentoring Award and Investigator Mentoring Award; Steven Zhang, Ph.D. – Staff Scientist Mentoring Award; and Katherine Savell, Ph.D. – Postdoctoral Fellow Mentoring… [Read More]
Structure-activity relationships for 5F-MDMB-PICA and its 5F-pentylindole analogs to induce cannabinoid-like effects in mice
Featured Paper of the Month – May 2022 Published in Neuropsychopharmacology by Grant Glatfelter, John Partilla and Michael Baumann of the NIDA IRP Designer Drug Research Unit. Summary 5F-MDMB-PICA is a potent synthetic cannabinoid associated with public harm from recreational use. Little is known about the pharmacology of 5F-MDMB-PICA underlying it’s potent effects. This study… [Read More]
2022 NIDA IRP Women Scientist Advisors Awards
The NIDA IRP Women Scientist Advisors awards ceremony is held annually to recognize the accomplishments of outstanding women scientists. The 2022 awardees are: Daria Piacentino, M.D., Ph.D., M.Sc. – Excellence in Research Award Renata C. N. Marchette, Pharm.D., Ph.D. – Research Recognition Award Gisela Andrea Camacho Hernandez, Ph.D. – Promising Postdoctoral Fellow Award Katherine Savell,… [Read More]
Dr. Thorsten Kahnt Wins 2022 AChemS Young Investigator Award for Research in Olfaction or Nasal Chemosensation
The Association for Chemoreception Sciences has awarded Dr. Thorsten Kahnt with it’s Young Investigator Award for Research in Olfaction or Nasal Chemosensation. Dr. Kahnt is the newest Principal Investigator at the NIDA IRP and he will be leading the Learning and Decision-Making Unit. Congratulations, Dr. Kahnt! Acknowledgements from Dr. Kahnt I am very grateful to the… [Read More]
Corticosteroid sensitization drives opioid addiction
Hot Off the Press – April 5, 2022 Published in Molecular Psychiatry by Stephanie Carmack and Leandro Vendruscolo et, al. of the NIDA IRP Neurobiology of Addiction Section. Summary The sharp increase in opioid overdose-related deaths in the United States is a public health emergency. An urgent search to uncover the biological mechanisms of opioid… [Read More]
Dr. Thorsten Kahnt Joins the NIDA IRP
Dr. Thorsten Kahnt has joined the NIDA IRP as an investigator in the Cellular and Neurocomputational Systems Branch where he will be leading the Learning and Decision-Making Unit. Dr. Kahnt comes to us from Northwestern University, where he was recently tenured. Dr Kahnt received his undergraduate degree in psychology from the Free University Berlin. Subsequently,… [Read More]
Lateral hypothalamic LEPR neurons drive appetitive but not consummatory behaviors
Featured Paper of the Month – April 2022 Published in Cell Reports by Justin Siemian and Yeka Aponte, et al. of the NIDA IRP Neuronal Circuits and Behavior Unit. Summary The lateral hypothalamus (LH) has long been known for its involvement in feeding behaviors. Specifically, GABAergic LH (LHVGAT) neurons are known to mediate food intake… [Read More]
Seeking motivation and reward: Roles of dopamine, hippocampus, and supramammillo-septal pathway
Reviews To Read – March 2022. Published in Progress in Neurobiology and Coauthored by Satoshi Ikemoto of the NIDA IRP Neurocircuitry of Motivation Section. Little is known about neural substrates of curiosity and exploratory behavior. We refer to such behavior as information-seeking behavior and propose 1) key neural substrates and 2) the concept of environment… [Read More]
Laterality Hotspots in the Striatum
Featured Paper of the Month – March 2022 Published in Cerebral Cortex by Thomas Ross and Elliot Stein of the NIDA IRP Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience of Addiction Section. Summary The right and left hemispheres of the brain each play a dominant role in certain functions, such as inhibitory control (right) and language (left). Differences in… [Read More]
