Featured Paper of the Month

Catecholaminergic Modulation of Large-Scale Network Dynamics Is Tied to the Reconfiguration of Corticostriatal Connectivity

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.

GHSR blockade, but not reduction of peripherally circulating ghrelin via β1-adrenergic receptor antagonism, decreases binge-like alcohol drinking in mice

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.

Expectancy-related changes in firing of dopamine neurons depend on hippocampus

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.

Genetic or pharmacological GHSR blockade has sexually dimorphic effects in rodents on a high-fat diet

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.

VTA glutamatergic projections to the nucleus accumbens suppress psychostimulant-seeking behavior.

Featured Paper of the Month – November 2024

Published in Neuropsychopharmacology by Flavia Barbano and Marisela Morales, et al. of the NIDA IRP Neuronal Networks Section.

Our study shows that activating a parallel VTA-originating glutamatergic pathway targeting the NAc shell can suppress psychostimulant-seeking behavior.

Involvement of dopamine D3 receptor in impulsive choice decision-making in male rats.

Featured Paper of the Month – October 2024

Published in Neuropharmacology by Hui Shen, Zilu Ma and Yihong Yang, et al. of the NIDA IRP Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy Section.

In this study, we used the delay-discounting task (DDT) to identify rats with different levels of impulsivity.

Lateral hypothalamic glutamatergic inputs to VTA glutamatergic neurons mediate prioritization of innate defensive behavior over feeding

Featured Paper of the Month – August 2024

Published in Nature Communications by Flavia Barbano and Marisela Morales, et al. of the NIDA IRP Neuronal Networks Section.

Defensive behaviors are critical actions evolutionary selected to improve survival. Barbano et al., discovered an unanticipated neuronal pathway that is activated during threatening environmental conditions.

Ecological Momentary Assessment of Self-Reported Kratom Use, Effects, and Motivations Among US Adults

Featured Paper of the Month – July 2024

Published in Jama Network Open by Kirsten Smith and David Epstein, et al. of the NIDA IRP Real-world Assessment, Prediction, and Treatment Unit.

This was the first-ever study to use real-time, app-based monitoring of patterns and consequences of kratom use, in 357 people who used kratom daily or almost daily.

Unique pharmacodynamic properties and low abuse liability of the µ-opioid receptor ligand (S)-methadone

Featured Paper of the Month – June 2024

Published in Molecular Psychiatry by Marjorie Levinstein and Michael Michaelides, et al. of the NIDA IRP Biobehavioral Imaging and Molecular Neuropsychopharmacology Section.

In this article we performed an in depth in vivo, in vitro, and in silico analysis of (R,S)-methadone and its enantiomers. (S)-methadone is currently in phase III trials as an antidepressant and is frequently referred to as an N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antagonist, like ketamine. Here we show that (S)-methadone, like (R)-methadone and (R,S)-methadone is an agonist at the mu opioid receptor (MOR) and does not bind to NMDARs at physiologically relevant concentrations.

Combined treatment with naloxone and the alpha2 adrenoceptor antagonist atipamezole reversed brain hypoxia induced by a fentanyl-xylazine mixture in a rat model

Featured Paper of the Month – May 2024

Xylazine, an increasingly abused drug mixed with fentanyl, leads to devastating respiratory issues during fentanyl-xylazine overdose. Despite naloxone being the primary treatment, it falls short in fully reversing the hypoxic effects of the drug mixture. Our study suggests that supplementing naloxone with atipamezole, a xylazine antagonist, provides a more effective and thorough solution for addressing brain hypoxia caused by fentanyl-xylazine mixture.