National Institute on Drug Abuse - Intramural Research Program
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.
Lorenzo Leggio, M.D., Ph.D. is a 2023 recipient of the Arthur S. Flemming Award for his exceptional service as a Federal Employee. Dr. Leggio received his award in a ceremony on November 14, 2024. The Flemming Awards are managed by the George Washington University’s Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and recipients include many notable figures… [Read More]
DART.2: bidirectional synaptic pharmacology with thousandfold cellular specificity Nat Methods.
Understanding how specific brain cells drive behavior requires targeted, cell- and circuit-specific neuropharmacology. DART.2 (Drugs Acutely Restricted by Tethering, version 2) offers improved cellular precision for targeting drugs compared to the original DART.1 technology, enabling unprecedented brain-wide drug distribution and bidirectional modulation of neurotransmitter pathways to examine 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.
Hot Off the Press – October 15, 2024 Published in Nature Communications with contributions from Alessandro Bonifazi , Francisco Battiti and Amy Hauck Newman of the NIDA IRP Medicinal Chemistry Section. Summary We have been designing bitopic ligands for more than two decades with the idea that the secondary pharmacophore would bind in a site… [Read More]
High Spatiotemporal Resolution Radial Encoding Single-Vessel fMRI Adv Sci (Weinh)
This paper implemented a radial encoding MRI scheme to measure blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signals of single vessels at microscopic level in the rat somatosensory cortex. In addition, besides from detecting refined hemodynamic response of intracortical micro-venules, this radial encoding-based single-vessel fMRI is capable of distinguishing contributions of intravascular and extravascular effects of signals from vessel and peri-vessel voxels. This combination further benefits real-time single-vessel BOLD fMRI, CBV, and cerebral blood flow studies, making it a valuable tool for advanced brain functional mapping with high-field MRI scanners.
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.
Topographical memory analyzed in mice using the Hamlet test, a novel complex maze Neurobiol Learn Mem
This manuscript presents a novel behavioral test relying on a new device and specific paradigm: the Hamlet test. The Hamlet test measures topographic memory and establishes a disorientation index using a paradigm based on spontaneous exploration bypassing common issues with spatial behavioral tests, such as procedural routines and systemic avoidance behavior.
