NIDA Investigator Dr. Eliot Gardner has been awarded the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Cannabinoid Research Society (ICRS). The ICRS is a non-political, non-religious organization dedicated to scientific research in all fields of the cannabinoids, ranging from biochemical, chemical and physiological studies of the endogenous cannabinoid system to studies of the abuse potential… [Read More]
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Converging structural and functional evidence for a rat salience network
Hot Off the Press – July 17 , 2020. The human salience network (SN) detects relevant stimuli to guide behavior and is implicated in neuropsychiatric diseases. In this study, we identified a functionally and structurally connected rat SN sharing spatial similarity with humans. We further demonstrated the functional implications of this network with conditioned heroin… [Read More]
New Challenges in Addiction Medicine: COVID-19 Infection in Patients With Alcohol and Substance Use Disorders-The Perfect Storm
Hot Off the Press – July 14 , 2020. In this article the authors discuss the heightened risks for individuals living with alcohol and substance use disorders during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Physiological, psychological, medical and economic consequences are described in relation to inaction including the far-reaching implications on the individual, society and global sphere…. [Read More]
Intrinsic differences in insular circuits moderate the negative association between nicotine dependence and cingulate-striatal connectivity strength
Featured Paper of the Month – July 2020
Published in Neuropsychopharmacology by Keeley, Robin J; Hsu, Li-Ming; Brynildsen, Julia K; Lu, Hanbing; Yang, Yihong; Stein, Elliot A
Developing brain-based biomarkers to assess drug dependence, including nicotine dependence, are essential to assess and improve the current, marginally effective, treatments. In humans, using brain-based resting state functional connectivity, we have previously identified a circuit between the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex(ACC) and the striatum whose connectivity decreased with increasing nicotine dependence severity. This circuit was unaffected by acute nicotine administration, suggesting a trait marker of nicotine addiction. However, whether this trait circuit dysregulation is predispositional or resultant from nicotine dependence remained unclear…
NIDA IRP Scientist Michael Baumann, Ph.D. Edits a Special Journal Issue on Opioid Pharmacology
The origins of the current opioid crisis are complex, and effective solutions will require multidisciplinary cooperation among many stakeholders, including policymakers, clinicians, and scientists. To this end, basic research in pharmacology can provide critical information for addressing the crisis. In a Special Issue of Neuropharmacology, entitled “New Vistas in Opioid Pharmacology”, Dr Michael Baumann from the… [Read More]
The Role of Peripheral Opioid Receptors in Triggering Heroin-induced Brain Hypoxia
Featured Paper of the Month – June 2020
Published in Sci Rep by Perekopskiy, David; Afzal, Anum; Jackson, Shelley N; Muller, Ludovic; Woods, Amina S; Kiyatkin, Eugene A
One of the deadliest effects of opioids, such as heroin, is respiratory depression followed by brain hypoxia. While it is known that opioid receptors are densely expressed in both the brain and periphery, it is widely accepted that the hypoxic effects of opioids result solely from their direct action in the CNS. To examine the role of peripheral opioid receptors in triggering brain hypoxia, we used oxygen sensors in freely moving rats to examine how naloxone-HCl and naloxone-methiodide affect brain oxygen responses induced by intravenous heroin at low, human-relevant doses…
Distinct inactive conformations of the dopamine D2 and D3 receptors correspond to different extents of inverse agonism.
Featured Paper of the Month – May 2020
Published in Elife by Lane, Robert J; Abramyan, Ara M; Adhikari, Pramisha; Keen, Alastair C; Lee, Kuo-Hao; Sanchez, Julie; Verma, Ravi Kumar; Lim, Herman D; Yano, Hideaki; Javitch, Jonathan A; Shi, Lei
Lane et al. proposed that different types of antagonists could prefer specific types of inactive conformations of the dopamine D2 and D3 receptors. Based on the structures of these two receptors, the conformations of D2 bound with the drugs risperidone and eticlopride (two dopamine antagonists) were simulated and compared. The results show that the inactive conformations of D2 were very different when it was bound to eticlopride as opposed to risperidone…
Cocaine-induced endocannabinoid signaling mediated by sigma-1 receptors and extracellular vesicle secretion.
Featured Paper of the Month – Apil 2020
Published in Elife by Nakamura, Yoki; Dryanovski, Dilyan I; Kimura, Yuriko; Jackson, Shelley N; Woods, Amina S; Yasui, Yuko; Tsai, Shang-Yi; Patel, Sachin; Covey, Daniel P; Su, Tsung-Ping; Lupica, Carl R
By studying brain tissue and neurons in vitro, Nakamura, Dryanovski et al. show that cocaine stimulates the release of endocannabinoids via extracellular vesicles. In essence, cocaine causes neurons to synthesize endocannabinoids that are then enclosed within membrane-bound packages. These packages – or extracellular vesicles – can then fuse with the cell’s membrane. Multiple protein interactions are necessary to permit this extracellular vesicle release, and the authors show that disrupting these control points prevents vesicle release…
Abstinence-dependent dissociable central amygdala microcircuits control drug craving
Hot Off the Press – March 27 , 2020. The current study offers a mechanistic explanation for the protective effect of social interaction on incubation of craving in rodents, showing that it is mediated by the activation of neurons expressing the enzyme PKCδ the brain’s amygdala. The study also shows that activation of a peptide… [Read More]
COVID-19 Announcement
The NIH intramural research program has shifted all non-mission-critical laboratory operations to a maintenance phase in order to promote physical distancing and diminished transmission risk of COVID-19. Effective Monday, March 23, 2020, only mission-critical functions within NIH research laboratories will be supported. If you have any questions about the current Coronavirus outbreak, please visit coronavirus.gov
