News Main

Characterizing Olfactory Brain Responses in Young Infants

Featured Paper of the Month – October 2025
Published in The Journal of Neuroscience by Thorsten Kahnt of the NIDA IRP Learning and Decision-Making Section.

In this study, we presented different odors to sleeping infants while recording their nasal airflow and brain activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Odors evoked strong fMRI responses throughout the olfactory cortex and thalamus. Moreover, analysis of nasal airflow showed that infants inhaled more strongly to pleasant compared to unpleasant odors, suggesting they may adjust their breathing based on odor preference.

Technology Resource Initiative – Paper of the Month – September 2025

Astrocytes modulate cerebral blood flow and neuronal response to cocaine in prefrontal cortex Mol Psychiatry.

This study introduces a novel multi-channel fluorescence and ultra high-resolution optical coherence Doppler microscope (fl-ODM) that enables simultaneous in vivo imaging of neuronal, astrocytic, and vascular dynamics in the mouse brain. Using this tool, the research uncovers how astrocytes dynamically regulate cocaine-induced changes in cerebral blood flow and neuronal activation in the prefrontal cortex.

[Read More]

Serotonin 1A Receptors Modulate Serotonin 2A Receptor-Mediated Behavioral Effects of 5-Methoxy-,-dimethyltryptamine Analogs in Mice

Featured Paper of the Month – September 2025
Published in ACS Chemica Neuroscience by Grant Glatfelter and Michael Baumann of the NIDA IRP Designer Drug Research Unit.

In this study, we show that 5-MeO-DMT and related analogs potently activate 5-HT1A receptors, which tend to decrease the magnitude of 5-HT2A-mediated behavioral effects in mice.

Hippocampal output suppresses orbitofrontal cortex schema cell formation

Hot Off the Press – August 21, 2025 Published in Nature Neuroscience by Wenhui Zong and Geoffrey Schoenbaum, et al. of the NIDA IRP Behavioral Neurophysiology Neuroscience Section. Summary The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and hippocampus (HC) are both thought to contribute to the construction of cognitive maps and their generalization into schemas, yet the nature… [Read More]

Technology Resource Initiative – Paper of the Month – August 2025

Isolation of psychedelic-responsive neurons underlying anxiolytic behavioral states. Published in Science.

Understanding how psychedelics exert therapeutic effects without inducing hallucinogenic side effects is a key challenge in neuropsychiatric drug development. Muir et al. combine multiple cutting-edge neuroscience approaches to dissociate the neural mechanisms underlying the anxiolytic-like and hallucinogenic-like effects of the psychedelic 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI). They identify a population of DOI-responsive neurons in the medial prefrontal cortex that mediate anxiolytic-like effects without inducing hallucinogenic-like behaviors, paving the way for the development of more targeted psychedelic therapies.

[Read More]

Locomotor activity depends on β-arrestin recruitment by the dopamine D₁ receptor in the striatal D₁-D₃ receptor heteromer

Hot Off the Press – August, 2025 Published in Pharmacological Research by Alexandra Evans and Sergi Ferré , et al. of the NIDA IRP Integrative Neurobiology Section. Summary It has been long advocated that the mechanism responsible for the classically established cooperative effect of dopamine D1-like and D2-like receptor agonists in the elicitation of locomotor activity… [Read More]

The Role of Claustrum in Incubation of Opioid Seeking after Electric Barrier-Induced Voluntary Abstinence in Male and Female Rats

Featured Paper of the Month – August 2025
Published in Journal of Neuroscience by Kenichiro Negishi, Ying Duan, Yihong Yang, Yavin Shaham and Ida Fredriksson, et al. of the NIDA IRP Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy Section and Neurobiology of Relapse Section.

In the present study, we used immunohistochemistry, anatomical tracing, and reversible inactivation methods to identify a critical role of a brain region called the claustrum and its anatomical connections with ventral subiculum in incubation of oxycodone seeking.

Morphinan Alkaloids and Their Transformations: A Historical Perspective of a Century of Opioid Research in Hungary

Reviews To Read – July 2025. Published in International Journal of Molecular Sciences with contributions by Kenner Rice of the NIDA IRP Drug Design and Synthesis Section. The word opium derives from the ancient Greek word ὄπιον (ópion) for the juice of any plant, but today means the air-dried seed capsule latex of Papaver somniferum. Alkaloid… [Read More]

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists but not dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors reduce alcohol intake

Featured Paper of the Month – July 2025

Published in Journal of Clinical Investigation by Mehdi Farokhnia and Lorenzo Leggio of the NIDA IRP Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology Section.

In this study, we investigated the associations between the receipt of GLP-1RAs and change in alcohol use, using real-world electronic health record data from the largest integrated healthcare system in the U.S., the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Frontostriatal regulation of brain circuits contributes to flexible decision making

Featured Paper of the Month – June 2025
Published in Neuropsychopharmacology by Ying Duan and Yihong Yang of the NIDA IRP Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy Section.

In this study, we confirmed the role of the mPFC-NAc pathway in behavioral flexibility using a set-shifting task in rats. We then evaluated the causal effects of mPFC-NAc activation on whole-brain activity and functional connectivity measured by functional MRI.