National Institute On Drug Abuse Research Articles

NIDA starts new study, at infancy, complementary to ABCD

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has a new study underway, designed to look at how environmental exposures, especially to opioids and other drugs, affect infant and child brain development. The HEALthy Brain and Child Development (HBCD) Study recruits pregnant women to study their infants from birth. NIDA is conducting this study as part of the multi‐agency Helping to End Addiction Long‐term (HEAL) Initiative of the National Institutes of Health (see ADAW https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adaw.32345).

NIDA: More than 11% of high school seniors use delta‐8, the unregulated THC

About 11% of 12th graders have used delta‐8 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the past year, according to an analysis of last year's Monitoring the Future Study which is conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

Characterization of peer support services for substance use disorders in 11 US emergency departments in 2020: findings from a NIDA clinical trials network site selection process.

Emergency departments (ED) are incorporating Peer Support Specialists (PSSs) to help with patient care for substance use disorders (SUDs). Despite rapid growth in this area, little is published regarding workflow, expectations of the peer role, and core components of the PSS intervention. This study describes these elements in a national sample of ED-based peer support intervention programs. A survey was conducted to assess PSS site characteristics as part of site selection process for a National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Clinical Trials Network (CTN) evaluating PSS effectiveness, Surveys were distributed to clinical sites affiliated with the 16 CTN nodes. Surveys were completed by a representative(s) of the site and collected data on the PSS role in the ED including details regarding funding and certification, services rendered, role in medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and naloxone distribution, and factors impacting implementation and maintenance of ED PSS programs. Quantitative data was summarized with descriptive statistics. Free-text fields were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. A total of 11 surveys were completed, collected from 9 different states. ED PSS funding was from grants (55%), hospital funds (46%), peer recovery organizations (27%) or other (18%). Funding was anticipated to continue for a mean of 16months (range 12 to 36months). The majority of programs provided "general recovery support (81%) Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) services (55%), and assisted with naloxone distribution to ED patients (64%). A minority assisted with ED-initiated buprenorphine (EDIB) programs (27%). Most (91%) provided services to patients after they were discharged from the ED. Barriers to implementation included lack of outpatient referral sources, barriers to initiating MOUD, stigma at the clinician and system level, and lack of ongoing PSS availability due to short-term grant funding. The majority of ED-based PSSs were funded through time-limited grants, and short-term grant funding was identified as a barrier for ED PSS programs. There was consistency among sites in the involvement of PSSs in facilitation of transitions of SUD care, coordination of follow-up after ED discharge, and PSS involvement in naloxone distribution.

More than 11% of high school seniors use delta‐8, the unregulated THC

About 11% of 12th graders have used delta‐8 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the past year, according to an analysis of last year's Monitoring the Future Study, which is conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

NIDA: More than 11% of high school seniors use delta‐8

About 11% of 12th graders have used delta‐8 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in the past year, according to an analysis of last year's Monitoring the Future Study which is conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

NIAAA/NIDA animal study: Diet drug may help treat AUD

Researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and collaborators from The Scripps Research Institute, have found that semaglutide (brand name for the injection drug is Wegovy) — a gut hormone that promotes a feeling of fullness and thus promotes weight loss — can help reduce alcohol consumption and binge‐like drinking. The research is based on a rodent model. Published in the June 2023 issue of the journal JCI Insight, the study adds to growing preclinical evidence that the glucagon‐like peptide‐1 (GLP‐1) system plays a role in alcohol and other substance use disorders, and that GLP‐1 receptor agonists show potential for treating people with alcohol use disorder (AUD).

NIDA on dramatic increase of mushroom seizures

From 2017 – 2022, law enforcement seizures across the United States of mushrooms containing psilocybin increased dramatically, according to a new study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The number of law enforcement seizures increased from 402 seizures in 2017 to 1,396 in 2022. In addition, the total weight of psilocybin mushrooms seized by law enforcement increased from 226 kg (498 lbs.) seized in 2017 compared with 844 kg (1,861 lbs.) in 2022. This analysis, published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence, was led by researchers at New York University (NYU) Langone Health in New York City, and the University of Florida, Gainesville. The data used for the analysis were collected through the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, a grant program aimed at reducing drug trafficking and misuse administered by the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Though law enforcement seizures do not necessarily reflect prevalence of use, they represent an indicator of the availability of illicit drugs. “We are in the middle of a rapidly evolving cultural, media, and legal landscape when it comes to psychedelics, and we need data to help shape informed and appropriate public health strategies,” said NIDA Director Nora D. Volkow, M.D., in announcing the research publication last week. “Moving forward, we must continue to track data on the availability of psychedelics, patterns in use, and associated health effects to guide efforts in promoting accurate education and reducing potential harms among people who do plan to use psychedelic drugs.” Adverse effects of psilocybin mushrooms, such as “bad trips,” are marked by “distorted thinking, perceptual changes, putting oneself in physical danger, and intense feelings of fear, anxiety, and confusion,” according to NIDA. “People who take psychedelic drugs like psilocybin may also experience short‐term side effects such as raised blood pressure and heart rate, agitation, confusion, vomiting, or nausea, which may be severe and require medical attention.” Joseph J. Palamar, Ph.D., M.P.H., associate professor at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, co‐investigator on the NIDA‐funded National Drug Early Warning System (NDEWS), and lead author on the paper, said “Research studies suggesting its effectiveness in treating mental health issues and extensive positive media coverage may lead some people to seek ‘shrooms’ outside of medical contexts. People who use psilocybin outside of medical supervision need to be educated about risks associated with use.”

NIDA: Psilocybin mushroom seizures rose significantly

A National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)‐funded study published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence titled “National and Regional Trends in Seizures of Shrooms (Psilocybin) in the United States, 2017‐2022” reported a significant increase in law enforcement seizures of psilocybin mushrooms, also known as “magic mushrooms” or “shrooms,” in the United States from January 2017 to December 2022. The study is based on data from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy's (ONDCP) High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, which tracks law enforcement seizures in hotspots across the country. Key findings include:

For addicted teens, residential treatment is scarce and expensive

Residential addiction treatment for teens is limited and expensive, according to a study published in Health Affairs last month. For the study, “Treatment In The US: Uneven Access, Waitlists, And High Costs” — which was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) — Caroline King, M.D., and colleagues used the FindTreatment.gov database maintained by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and a search analytics company to find 354 centers that claim to provide residential addiction treatment services to people under age 18. The researchers then contacted them.

NIDA and NIAAA quietly drop “preaddiction” RFI

A “Request for Information” (RFI) document issued last year (see NIDA and NIAAA call for information on use of ‘preaddiction’, ADAW April 15, 2023;https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adaw.33745) from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) on the use of the term “preaddiction” has been dropped. There was no official announcement of this, unless you were at the College on Problems of Drug Dependence annual meeting in June 2023, when the decision was presented by NIDA and NIAAA. “Responses to the RFI revealed broad consensus around the need to improve early intervention before substance use progresses to addiction,” NIDA and NIAAA press offices told ADAW last week. “However, the majority of respondents shared concerns that establishing a new diagnostic term would not be constructive. Based on this feedback, NIDA and NIAAA are not encouraging implementation of new diagnostic terms at this time. Instead, other research strategies to help identify people at high risk, improve addiction prevention and early intervention, and address the many barriers that impede the delivery of effective prevention interventions and engagement in care will be pursued. As one example, NIDA, NIAAA, and others are supporting a consensus study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine (NASEM) to provide a roadmap of steps needed to develop and finance a sustainable infrastructure at the national and/or state level for implementing evidence‐based interventions for preventing psychiatric disorders like addiction.” Work on that NASEM consensus study just began last week (see https://www.nationalacademies.org/our‐work/blueprint‐for‐a‐national‐prevention‐infrastructure‐for‐behavioral‐health‐disorders).

Study finds reduction in stimulant use is a valid outcome

Abstinence is not a necessary requirement for improving measures of health and recovery among people with stimulant use disorder, according to a study published last week in Addiction. The study, “Reduced drug use as an alternative valid outcome in individuals with stimulant use disorders: Findings from 13 multisite randomized clinical trials,” analyzed trials for treatment for methamphetamine and cocaine use disorders. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) funded the study.

Beds for teens are scarce and expensive: NIDA study

Residential addiction treatment for teens is limited and expensive, according to a study published in Health Affairs last week. For the study, “Treatment In The US: Uneven Access, Waitlists, And High Costs” — which was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) — Caroline King, M.D. and colleagues used the FindTreatment.gov database maintained by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and a search analytics company to find 354 centers that claim to provide residential addiction treatment services to people under age 18. The researchers then contacted them.

OD deaths more than tripled in 35–44 year‐olds in pregnant and postpartum women

Overdose deaths tripled among 35 to 44‐year‐old pregnant and postpartum women from 2018–2021 and rose markedly in all pregnant and postpartum girls and women ages 10 to 44, a new study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has found.

NIDA study finds OD deaths more than tripled 35–44 year old in PPW women

Overdose deaths tripled among 35 to 44‐year‐old pregnant and postpartum women (PPW) from 2018–2021 and rose markedly in all pregnant and postpartum girls and women ages 10 to 44, a new study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) has found. The study, “Pregnancy and Postpartum Drug Overdose Deaths in the US Before and During the COVID‐19 Pandemic,” was published Nov. 22 in JAMA Psychiatry by Beth Han, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues from NIDA.

NIDA: Why injecting is more addictive than oral use

The shorter the amount of time between administration and a drug's effects, the more addictive it is. This has been known for decades. It's one of the reasons why smoking nicotine is so addictive — smoking as a route of administration goes directly from the lungs to the brain. This applies to crack cocaine as well. Insufflation (through the nose) is also very rapid. Injection into a vein is not as fast as inhalation, as the drug must first go through the bloodstream to get to the brain, but it is very fast. Slowest of all is oral administration, especially “extended release” therapeutic formulations. But a new clinical trial sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) suggests that a “salience network” in the brain is responsible for the difference between intravenous and oral response to a drug.

Study will use OTP to look at methadone reform

A new study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and headed by researchers interested in changing the way methadone for opioid use disorder is utilized will use Community Medical Services treatment staff and patients as research subjects. Community Medical Services operates more than 60 opioid treatment programs in 11 states, and is the first OTP, or methadone clinic, to be open around the clock in some areas, with head Nicholas Stavros incorporating novel ways to reach out to patients. The MPACT (Methadone Patient Access to Collaborative Treatment) study will develop and test a medical intervention using a $1 million NIDA grant. Researchers at the University of Arizona Health Sciences, under the direction of Beth Meyerson, Ph.D., will test a “patient‐empowered, trauma‐informed” treatment using methadone in Arizona. Meyerson is a professor, and director of the Harm Reduction Research Lab in the University of Arizona College of Medicine at Tucson. The study will take two years. “Improving methadone treatment is critical because one person dies from an opioid overdose every five minutes in this country,” said Meyerson, who is also director of policy for the University of Arizona Health Sciences Comprehensive Pain and Addiction Center. “Access to methadone has been found to reduce opioid overdoses by 80%, but it is currently being delivered in ways that can create suboptimal patient outcomes, where only 30% of patients complete treatment and over 30% experience significant treatment interruptions.” The protocol will be used to focus on how to make treatment more acceptable to patients and includes a staff‐focused intervention to reduce trauma related to actually working in the OTP. “Vicarious trauma has been found to impact both patient care and staff recognition of the need to adopt treatment and practice innovations,” Meyerson said, adding, “This study is the crucial first step in assessing MPACT's feasibility, acceptability and preliminary effects on patient and staff outcomes. Once our established milestones are reached from the pilot program, the second phase of funding will enable us to expand the study of MPACT among 30 clinics with 600 patients and 450 staff members across the U.S.” Kristen Rundell, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Arizona, where Meyerson's harm reduction lab is based, said the study “is a prime example of our department's emphasis of social justice through medicine.”

NIDA‐funded study supports telehealth buprenorphine

Starting buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) through telehealth was associated with an increased likelihood of staying in treatment longer compared to starting treatment in a non‐telehealth setting, according to a new study analyzing Medicaid data from 2019–2020 in Kentucky and Ohio. Published in JAMA Network Open, the study, “Telemedicine Buprenorphine Initiation and Retention in Opioid Use Disorder Treatment for Medicaid Enrollees,” by Lindsey R. Hammerslag, Ph.D., and colleagues, was released Oct. 18. The research adds to what the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) calls a “growing body of evidence” supporting telehealth initiation of buprenorphine treatment.

NIDA study: 24 mg of buprenorphine better than 16

A study published in JAMA Network Open last week that was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) found that higher doses of buprenorphine are better than lower doses to promote treatment retention.

The national institute on drug abuse diversity scholars network: success for a diverse addiction science workforce.

There is a well-known lack of diversity in many Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields. The gap in awarded National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants for scientists from underrepresented populations at the early stages of their careers contributes significantly to this lack of diversity. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Diversity Scholars Network (NDSN) program implemented a new model in 2016 to provide support to underrepresented early-career investigators (ECIs) by equipping them to navigate the competitive NIH grant process. NDSN has a demonstrable track record of providing equity through educational opportunities by enhancing the grant funding success of participants. Of 59 participants from 2016 through 2021, 53% received funding within the first two years after completing the program and 69% by four years. NDSN scholars surmount systemic funding barriers by building relationships with scientific coaches, mentors, NIDA Program Officials and intentionally engaging in network building, which all contribute to the funding success of ECIs. NIDA's NDSN program provides a model for retaining underrepresented ECIs that not only benefits individual scholars, but also the institutions they serve and society as a whole.

Affective Science Research: Perspectives and Priorities from the National Institutes of Health.

Affective science is a broad and burgeoning field, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) support research on a similarly broad range of topics. Across NIH, funding is available for basic, translational, and intervention research, including research in non-human animals, healthy populations, and those with or at risk for disease. Multiple NIH Institutes and Centers have specific programs devoted to topics within the affective science umbrella. Here, we introduce the funding priorities of these six: the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), and National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD). We then discuss overlapping themes and offer a perspective on promising research directions.