National Institute on Drug Abuse - Intramural Research Program
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).
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.
Featured Paper of the Month – May 2025
Published in British Journal of Pharmacology by Omar Soler-Cedeño and Zheng-Xiong Xi of the NIDA IRP Addiction Biology Unit.
In this research paper, we investigated three compounds – cariprazine, ESG-1-60, and ESG-1-61 – as potential treatments for cocaine use disorder.
Featured Paper of the Month – April 2025
Published in Current Biology by Thorsten Kahnt of the NIDA IRP Learning and Decision-Making Unit.
In this study, we used pattern-based analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data collected during a learning task to examine the information content of iPE responses in the human midbrain.
Featured Paper of the Month – March 2025
Published in Human Brain Mapping by Justine Hill and Amy Janes, et al. of the NIDA IRP Cognitive and Pharmacological Neuroimaging Unit.
In this study, we show that methylphenidate – a drug used to treat ADHD by increasing dopamine and norepinephrine – boosts the amount of time that the brain is engaged in both internal and external attention networks.
Featured Paper of the Month – February 2025
Published in Molecular Psychiatry by Rani Richardson, Leandro Vendruscolo, and Lorenzo Leggio of the NIDA IRP.
We previously found that systemic and central administration of GHSR antagonists reduced binge-like alcohol drinking, whereas a ghrelin vaccine did not. Thus, we hypothesized that central GHSR drives binge-like alcohol drinking independently of peripheral ghrelin.
Hot Off the Press – January, 2025 Published in Nature Communications by Miriam Bocarsly, Mike Michaelides and Veronica Alvarez, et al. of the NIDA IRP. Summary Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is frequently comorbid with anxiety disorders, yet whether alcohol abuse precedes or follows the expression of anxiety remains unclear. Rodents offer control over the first drink,… [Read More]
Featured Paper of the Month – January 2025
Published in Nature Communications by Zhewei Zhang, Yuji Takahashi and Geoffrey Schoenbaum et al. of the NIDA IRP Behavioral Neurophysiology Neuroscience Section.
We studied rats with hippocampus damage as they played a smell-based game. The game involved four contexts with different reward structures changing over time.
A fast and responsive voltage indicator with enhanced sensitivity for unitary synaptic events Neuron.
The paper introduces ASAP5, a genetically encoded voltage indicator (GEVI) optimized for detecting electrical activity in neurons with improved speed, sensitivity, and signal resolution. The study highlights ASAP5’s in vitro and in vivo utility across species (flies, fish, mice, and human neurons). It bridges the gap between low-throughput electrophysiology and non-invasive imaging, making it a valuable resource for investigating synaptic dysfunction in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases.
Featured Paper of the Month – December 2024
Published in Nature Communications Biology by András H Lékó, Adriana Gregory-Flores and Lorenzo Leggio et al. of the NIDA IRP Clinical Psychoneuroendocrinology and Neuropsychopharmacology Section.
In this study. we investigated whether the deletion of the GHSR gene (GHSR-KO) in rats can prevent or attenuate weight gain caused by a high-fat diet.
