National Institute on Drug Abuse - Intramural Research Program
Featured Paper of the Month – July 2026
Published in Molecular Psychiatry by Omar Soler-Cedeño and Zheng-Xiong Xi, et al. of the NIDA IRP Addiction Biology Unit.
This study tested a novel compound, MRI-2594, to determine whether it could reduce opioid use and relapse-related behaviors in rats and mice.
On June 14, 2026, Dr. Marta Valle Leon, Ph.D. received the Wayne Hening New Investigator Award. Marta is a a visiting postdoctoral fellow in the NIDA IRP Integrative Neurobiology Section. This award, established in 2010 to honor a pioneer in RLS research, is presented annually at the meeting of the International Restless Legs Syndrome Study… [Read More]
AAV-delivered muscone-induced transgene system for treating chronic diseases in mice via inhalation. Nat Commun
In this study, Wu et al introduce the muscone-induced transgene system (MUSE), in which an odorant receptor is repurposed to make a ligand-inducible gene expression vector. The authors demonstrate treatment with this construct of mouse models of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and OVA-induced allergic asthma, targeting liver and lung tissue, respectively. This approach offers a promising method for ligand-controlled gene expression, with potential applications in addiction and substance use disorder research.
Featured Paper of the Month – June 2026
Published in JCI Insight by Lyndsay Hastings*, Emma Frye*, Renata Marchette and George Koob of the NIDA IRP Neurobiology of Addiction Section.
In this study, we found that combining fentanyl and alcohol led to reductions in minute ventilation and severe apnea that were not fully reversed by naloxone.
On Thursday, May 14, 2026, the NIDA IRP Clinical Program welcomed representatives from the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. Aruna Miller and her staff received a tour of our facilities and learned about the cutting edge research we are conducting in the field of addiction medicine.
Cocaine chemogenetics blunts drug-seeking by synthetic physiology. Nature
Cocaine-gated chemogenetics enables selective modulation of addiction-related circuits while sparing natural reward.
Featured Paper of the Month – May 2026
Published in JAMA Network Open by Xiang Xiao and Yihong Yang et al. of the NIDA IRP Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy Section.
Buprenorphine is an FDA-approved medication for opioid addiction, but the brain regions underlying its therapeutic effects are unknown. In this study, we tested whether chronic buprenorphine reduces the time-dependent increase (“incubation”) in heroin seeking during abstinence.
Hot Off the Press – April 16, 2026 Published in Nature Communications by Ido Maor and Geoffrey Schoenbaum, et al. of the NIDA IRP Behavioral Neurophysiology Neuroscience Section. Summary When Old Knowledge Helps Learning Something New, even When It Conflicts How does the brain use past experience to guide learning in new situations, especially when… [Read More]
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]
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.
