Featured Paper of the Month – October 2022 Published in Proceedings of the Eighth Workshop on Computational Linguistics and Clinical Psychology by Salvatore Giorgi and Brenda Curtis, et al. of the NIDA IRP Technology and Translational Research Unit. Summary Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), or the deliberate injuring of one’s body without intending to die, has been shown… [Read More]
Featured Paper of the Month
Target deconvolution studies of (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine: an elusive search
Featured Paper of the Month – September 2022 Published in Molecular Psychiatry by Jordi Bonaventura and Michael Michaelides, et al. of the NIDA IRP Biobehavioral Imaging and Molecular Neuropsychopharmacology Unit. Summary The use of racemic ketamine and the FDA approval of (S)-ketamine are promising developments for the treatment of depression. Nevertheless, racemic ketamine and (S)-ketamine… [Read More]
Elevation of Extracellular Glutamate by Blockade of Astrocyte Glutamate Transporters Inhibits Cocaine Reinforcement in Rats via a NMDA-GluN2B Receptor Mechanism
Featured Paper of the Month – August 2022 Published in The Journal of Neuroscience by Hong-Ju Yang, Briana J Hempel and Zheng-Xiong Xi, et al. of the NIDA IRP Addiction Biology Unit. Summary It is well known that glutamate plays an important role in relapse to drug seeking. However, the role of glutamate in drug… [Read More]
Searching for a Signal: Self-Reported Kratom Dose-Effect Relationships Among a Sample of US Adults With Regular Kratom Use Histories
Featured Paper of the Month – July 2022 Published in Frontiers in Pharmacology by Kirsten Smith, Ph.D.; Jeffrey Rogers, BS., B.A.; and David Epstein, Ph.D.; et al. of the NIDA IRP Real-world Assessment, Prediction, and Treatment Unit. Summary Kratom is a plant increasingly used in the US for the psychoactive properties of the more than four dozen alkaloids… [Read More]
Involvement of the ghrelin system in the maintenance and reinstatement of cocaine-motivated behaviors: a role of adrenergic action at peripheral β1 receptors
Featured Paper of the Month – June 2022 Published in Neuropsychopharmacology by Zhi-Bing You, Ph.D. and Eliot Gardner, Ph.D., et al. of the NIDA IRP Neuropsychopharmacology Section. Summary Cocaine addiction is a significant medical and public concern. Despite decades of research effort, development of anti-addiction, anti-craving, and anti-relapse medications for cocaine addiction remains largely unsuccessful. … [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]
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]
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]
Gut microbiome and metabolome in a non-human primate model of chronic excessive alcohol drinking.
Featured Paper of the Month – February 2022 Published in Translational Psychiatry by Daria Piacentino and Lorenzo Leggio, et al. of the NIDA IRP Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology Section. Summary Chronic excessive alcohol drinking causes more than 80,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. The gut microbiota, which hosts more than a trillion bacteria, is… [Read More]
Synaptic Zn2+ potentiates the effects of cocaine on striatal dopamine neurotransmission and behavior
Featured Paper of the Month – January 2022 Published in Translational Psychiatry by Juan Gomez and Michael Michaelides of the NIDA IRP Biobehavioral Imaging and Molecular Neuropsychopharmacology Unit. Summary Cocaine binds to the dopamine (DA) transporter (DAT) to regulate cocaine reward and seeking behavior. Zinc also binds to the DAT, but the in vivo relevance… [Read More]
