Friday, July 24, 2026 – 8:30 am – 4:15 pm Masur Auditorium – Building 10 NIH Bethesda Campus NIH Videocast Link Here Chairs/Organizers Lorenzo Leggio, M.D., Ph.D., NIDA/NIAAA Mike Krashes, Ph.D., NIDDK Schedule 8:45 – 8:55 Lorenzo Leggio, M.D., Ph.D. (NIDA/NIAAA) and Mike Krashes, Ph.D. (NIDDK) Welcome 8:55 – 9:00 Janice Lee, D.D.S., M.D., M.S., Deputy… [Read More]
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Modification of Brain Connectome on Association Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Development of Mental Disorders in Preadolescence
Featured Paper of the Month – April 2026
Published in JAMA Network Open by Xiang Xiao and Yihong Yang et al. of the NIDA IRP Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy Section.
In this study, we addressed the question of whether a brain marker moderates the association between childhood adversity and psychiatric disorders during the transition to adolescence.
Predicting individual incubation of opioid craving by whole-brain functional connectivity
Hot Off the Press – March 18, 2026 Published in PNAS by Ying Duan, Pei-Jung Tsai and Yihong Yang, et al. of the NIDA IRP Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy Section. Summary This study is a trans-branch collaboration between groups of Drs. Yihong Yang and Yavin Shaham at NIDA-IRP. Relapse driven by craving remains a challenge in… [Read More]
Cocaine chemogenetics blunts drug-seeking by synthetic physiology
Hot Off the Press – March 9, 2026 Published in Nature by Juan Gomez and Michael Michaelides et al. of the NIDA IRP Biobehavioral Imaging and Molecular Neuropsychopharmacology Section. Summary Our research team is pleased to announce the publication of our latest study in Nature, introducing a transformative synthetic biology platform designed to study and… [Read More]
Technology Resource Initiative – Paper of the Month – March 2026
Long-term labeling and imaging of synaptically connected neuronal networks in vivo using double-deletion-mutant rabies viruses Nat Neurosci
Rabies-virus-based monosynaptic tracing is a common tool used in neuroscience research; however, toxicity of the virus limits the duration of experimental observations. Jin et al. have produced a second generation system for long-term monosynaptic tracing using a double-deletion-mutant rabies virus that reduces this toxicity and allows for viral replication and spread through neuronal subsets.
Distinct Amygdala Neuronal Populations Control Opioid Use and Withdrawal in Mice.
Featured Paper of the Month – March 2026
Published in Biological Psychiatry by Lucas Silva Tortorelli and Leandro Vendruscolo et al. of the NIDA IRP Stress and Addiction Neuroscience Unit.
We used in situ hybridization to characterize the expression of μ opioid receptor (MOR) (Oprm1), and we used behavioral and molecular approaches to assess the functional role of these CeA neuronal populations in opioid-dependent mice.
Prospects of GLP-1 Therapies for Addiction and Mental Health Comorbidities-Quo Vadis?: A Review
Reviews To Read – February 2026. Published in JAMA Psychiatry by Mehdi Farokhnia and Lorenzo Leggio of the NIDA IRP Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology Section. New medicines that mimic a natural gut hormone called GLP-1 have already changed how clinicians treat type 2 diabetes, obesity and related cardiometabolic consequences. Because some of the same brain… [Read More]
Technology Resource Initiative – Paper of the Month – February 2026
Development of a genetically encoded sensor for probing endogenous nociceptin opioid peptide release bioRxiv
This study presents the development and characterization of NOPLight, a genetically encoded fluorescent sensor designed to detect the evoked and endogenous release of the nociceptin/orphanin FQ (N/OFQ) opioid peptide with high spatial and temporal resolution. NOPLight enables real-time monitoring of endogenous N/OFQ release during natural behaviors, chemogenetic stimulation, and pharmacological interventions in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo.
Latent Classes of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Adult Substance-use Problems and Psychosocial Outcomes: Complex and Heterogeneous Associations.
Featured Paper of the Month – February 2026
Published in International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction by Emily Herberholz, Rachel Wolchok an David Epstein, et al. of the NIDA IRP Real-world Assessment, Prediction, and Treatment Section.
In this paper, we first showed that we could categorize people by specific patterns/types of ACE exposure, providing a more informative summary than the older approach of just tallying up each person’s total number of types of ACEs. Then we showed that even though ACE exposure can predict later SUD symptoms to a statistically significant degree in people who use alcohol or other drugs, the predictions are too imprecise for case-by-case decision-making
VTA monosynaptic connections by local glutamate and GABA neurons and their distinct roles in behavior
Hot Off the Press – January 2026 Published in Nature Communications by Flavia Barbano and Marisela Morales et al. of the NIDA IRP Neuronal Networks Section. Summary This study demonstrates that the ventral tegmental area (VTA), a brain region central to motivation and reward, contains tightly organized local circuits that shape behavior in distinct ways…. [Read More]
