Hot Off the Press – April 10, 2024 Published in Nature Communications by Qingfang Liu and Thorsten Kahnt, et al. from the NIDA IRP Learning and Decision-Making Unit. Summary In this study, Qingfang Liu (Research Fellow in the LDMU) and colleagues show that identity prediction errors in the dopaminergic midbrain are computed based on outcome… [Read More]
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GPR55 is expressed in glutamate neurons and functionally modulates drug taking and seeking in rats and mice
Hot Off the Press – April 4, 2024 Published in Translational Psychiatry by Yi He, Hui Shen and Zheng-Xiong Xi, et al. from the NIDA IRP Addiction Biology Unit and Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy Section. Summary G protein-coupled receptor 55 (GPR55) is a putative cannabinoid receptor, which has been considered as the “CB3” receptor, as… [Read More]
Relapse after electric barrier-induced voluntary abstinence: A review
Reviews To Read – April 2024. Published in Current Opinion in Neurobiology by Kenichiro Negishi and Yavin Shaham of the NIDA IRP Neurobiology of Relapse Section. In this review we introduce the electric barrier conflict model of drug relapse and review studies on behavioral and neuropharmacological mechanisms of cue-induced relapse and incubation of drug seeking (time-dependent… [Read More]
A linguistic analysis of dehumanization toward substance use across three decades of news articles
Featured Paper of the Month – April 2024
Published in Frontiers in Public Health by Salvatore Giorgi and Brenda Curtis, et al. of the NIDA IRP Technology and Translational Research Unit.
In this work, we apply a computational linguistic framework to measure dehumanization to 3 million news articles. We show that popular media in the U.S. has dehumanized people who used substances to varying degrees. Substances such as heroin have been strongly dehumanized for decades, while marijuana use is becoming less dehumanized over time, aligning with increased public support for legalization.
µ-Opioid receptor antagonism facilitates the anxiolytic-like effect of oxytocin in mice
Hot Off the Press – March 26, 2024 Published in Translational Psychiatry by Khalin Nisbett, Leandro Vendruscolo and George Koob from the NIDA IRP Stress & Addiction Neuroscience Unit and Neurobiology of Addiction Section. Summary Nisbett et al. discovered that the anxiolytic-like (anxiety-reducing) effect of oxytocin can be modulated by the endogenous opioid system. We… [Read More]
Yasmin Padovan-Hernandez recieves Graduate Student Research Award
Yasmin Padovan-Hernandez, a graduate student working in the Aponte Lab, received a 2024 NIH Graduate Student Research Award (NGSRA) for the poster she presented at the NIH Graduate Student Research Symposium on February 15, 2024. Yasmin’s poster was titled was “Hypothalamic Circuits Controlling Interoceptive Hunger”. There were 12 winners out of over 120 posters. Yasmin… [Read More]
Technology Development Initiative – Paper of the Month – March 2024
Adaptable, turn-on maturation (ATOM) fluorescent biosensors for multiplexed detection in cells Nature Methods
This paper by Sekhon et al, 2023 describes the creation of turn-on fluorescence sensors coupled to either monobody or nanobody. The fluorescent sensors can be paired with a monobody/nanobody to your protein of interest and optimized for fluorescence intensity.
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Brain Functional Connectome Defines a Transdiagnostic Dimension Shared by Cognitive Function and Psychopathology in Preadolescents
Featured Paper of the Month – March 2024
Published in Biological Psychiatry by Xiang Xiao and Yihong Yang, et al. of the NIDA IRP Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy Section.
Cognitive function and general psychopathology are two important classes of human behavior dimensions that are individually related to mental disorders across diagnostic categories. However, whether these two transdiagnostic dimensions are linked to common or distinct brain networks that convey resilience or risk for the development of psychiatric disorders remains unclear.
Technology Development Initiative – Paper of the Month – February 2024
Investigation of daily patterns for smartphone keystroke dynamics based on loneliness and social isolation. Biomed Eng Lett
The current paper used a custom Android keyboard to study human behavioral patterns linked to loneliness over a five-week period and found distinctive patterns within the severe loneliness group. The study showcases a new digital biomarker to decode mental health conditions.
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Alkoxy chain length governs the potency of 2-benzylbenzimidazole ‘nitazene’ opioids associated with human overdose
Featured Paper of the Month – February 2024
Published in Psychopharmacology by Grant Glatfelter and Michael Baumann et al. of the NIDA IRP Designer Drug Research Unit.
Our findings reveal that nitazenes are potent mu-opioid receptor agonists that induce opioid-like effects in mice. Importantly, we show that certain analogs (e.g., isotonitazene, etonitazene) are much more potent than fentanyl, portending serious risk of overdose and other adverse effects in humans who are exposed to the drugs.
