September 2010

Research News

PTSD contributes to teen and young adult marijuana abuse and dependence
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been associated with cannabis use disorders (CUD). In fact, adults diagnosed with PTSD are three times more likely to exhibit CUD compared to those without PTSD. However, while the onset of CUD typically occurs during adolescence, limited research has been conducted on the relationship between PTSD and CUD in youth. NIDA-funded researchers recently evaluated the relationship between PTSD and CUD among high-risk adolescents. Read More ⇒

Identified receptor helps explain how synapses are formed
Synapses – specialized junctions between nerve cells that allow them to pass signals between one another – are the primary means of neuronal communication. NIDA researchers recently discovered that the protein Thromobospondin (TSP) and its receptor alpha2delta-1 (α2δ−1) play an integral role in the formation of certain types of synapses - called excitatory synapses - in the central nervous system. Previous studies from this laboratory showed that TSPs were necessary to increase synapse number—especially early in development when new synapses are forming—however the exact mechanism was poorly understood. Through a series of studies, researchers showed that when TSP binds directly to specific regions of the α2δ−1 receptor, it initiates a host of signaling events that not only leads to the formation of new synapses, but also the conversion of silent synapses into fully active ones. Read More ⇒

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Press Releases

Studies on Combat Related Substance Use and Abuse to be Funded by NIH and VA
Eleven research institutions in 11 states will receive more than $6 million in federal funding from fiscal year 2010 to support research on substance abuse and associated problems among U.S. military personnel, veterans, and their families. NIDA is collaborating with the Department of Veterans Affairs to award grants that will examine substance abuse related to deployment and combat related trauma. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) are also NIH partners in this endeavor. NIH is awarding more than $4 million in grant funding; the VA, around $2 million. The funding opportunity announcement, released last July, solicited applications on the causes, screening, identification, prevention, and treatment of substance use and abuse - including alcohol, tobacco, illicit and prescription drugs and associated problems. Read More ⇒

HIV/AIDS Treatment Curbs Spread of HIV Among Drug Users, According to NIH Supported Study
Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), currently known for its therapeutic benefits against HIV, also reduced the spread of the virus among people with a history of injection drug use, according to a population-based study funded by NIDA. HAART, a combination of drugs that target HIV at different points in its lifecycle, stops the HIV virus from replicating. Though not a cure, HAART suppresses the virus, stopping disease progression and prolonging survival in people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. In this study, Canadian researchers found that increasing levels of HAART coverage in British Columbia were strongly associated with decreases in viral load in the population and new HIV diagnoses. The study was published in the Lancet journal. Read More ⇒

NIH-Supported Finding on Cocaine Addiction: Tiny Molecule, Big Promise
A specific and remarkably small fragment of RNA appears to protect rats against cocaine addiction - and may also protect humans, according to a recent study funded by NIDA. Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, Fla. found that cocaine consumption increased levels of a regulatory protein called MeCP2 that shuttles back to the nucleus to influence gene expression in the brains of rats. As levels of MeCP2 increased in the brain, so did the animals' motivation to self-administer cocaine. This suggests that MeCP2 plays a crucial role in regulating cocaine intake in rats and perhaps in determining vulnerability to addiction. The study was published in the journal Nature. Read More ⇒

Leading Addiction Researcher Antonello Bonci joins NIDA to lead Intramural Research Program (scroll down to see his interview)
Antonello Bonci, M.D., one of the world's leading researchers in neuropsychopharmacology, has been appointed the Scientific Director of NIDA’s Intramural Research Program (IRP) in Baltimore. Dr. Bonci is currently professor in residence in the Department of Neurology at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), where he holds the Howard J. Weinberg Endowed Chair in Addiction Research. He is known for the elegance and multidisciplinary breadth of his studies on the long-term effects of drug exposure on the brain. Dr. Bonci and his colleagues were the first to demonstrate that drugs of abuse, such as cocaine, modify the strength of the connections between neurons. This finding cast a new light on the phenomenon of drug addiction, which could now be seen as a process of maladaptive learning. This new understanding, in turn, helped explain why drug taking can often become an automatic, compulsive behavior. Read More ⇒

In NIH-Funded Study, Researchers Uncover Early Step in the Cascade of Brain Events Leading Up To Addiction
A regulatory protein best known for its role in a rare genetic brain disorder also may play a critical role in cocaine addiction, according to a recent study in rats, funded by NIDA. The study was published today in the journal Nature Neuroscience. Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, Fla. found that cocaine consumption increased levels of a regulatory protein called MeCP2 that shuttles back to the nucleus to influence gene expression in the brains of rats. As levels of MeCP2 increased in the brain, so did the animals’ motivation to self-administer cocaine. This suggests that MeCP2 plays a crucial role in regulating cocaine intake in rats and perhaps in determining vulnerability to addiction. Read More ⇒

NIDA and Federal Partners to Launch National Drug Facts Week
Expanding on its online Drug Facts Chat Day, NIDA announced it is launching National Drug Facts Week, a new national awareness week to bring together teens and scientific experts to discuss the facts about drug abuse. The week, which starts on Monday, November 8, encourages community-based question and answer events between teens and scientists. Events can be sponsored by a variety of organizations, including schools, community groups, sports clubs, book clubs, and local hospitals. NIDA provides an online toolkit that advises teens and their sponsoring organizations on to how create an event, how to publicize it, how to find a scientific expert, and where to find scientific information on drugs. Read More ⇒

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Notes to Reporters

First Study of a Single-Question Screener for Drug Use in Primary Care
A note to reporters was sent out on July 9 about the publication of the NIDA-funded study entitled “A Single-Question Screening Test for Drug Use in Primary Care.” The study, published in Archives of Internal Medicine, examined a single-question screener for use in primary care settings to identify drug use and drug use disorders. View the Study ⇒

Study Provides Insight Into How Craving Can Be Regulated Through Cognitive Strategies
On August 5, a note to reporters was sent out about the publication of the NIDA-funded study entitled “Prefrontal-striatal pathway underlies cognitive regulation of craving.” The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, examined the brain mechanisms associated with reduced craving. This study provides insight into how craving can be regulated through cognitive strategies, which could bring about more effective treatments for addiction improving a patient’s chances of coping with and overcoming relapse triggers. View the Study ⇒

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Hot News

NIDA collaborates with the GRAMMYS for a music video contest
To promote the new National Drug Facts Week, NIDA has joined forces with MusiCares and the GRAMMY Foundation — the two nonprofit organizations of The Recording Academy®, to launch a teen music contest. Winners will have their music posted on the GRAMMY Website and the Think MTV site, offering great exposure for young musicians. Even better, three winners will get to attend a GRAMMY rehearsal backstage for the 2011 GRAMMYS! All entries must be under three minutes, must be performed by the composer, and can be original music videos or musical compositions depicting stories about drug use and/or healthy living. Entries must be submitted to MusiCares by October 15th. Winners will be announced during National Drug Facts Week, which begins November 8, 2010. More information can be found on the National Drug Facts Week Web site at http://drugfactsweek.drugabuse.gov. A press release about the contest was issued on September 10. View the Press Release ⇒

NIDA Attends AIDS Conference in Vienna, Receives Media Attention

Former President Bill Clinton

Dr. Nora Volkow with former President Bill Clinton

Dr. Volkow, NIDA AIDS Program Director Jacques Normand and a team of NIDA scientists traveled to Vienna, Austria, July 18-23 for the XVIII International AIDS Conference. Dr. Volkow sat on the stage while former President Bill Clinton spoke about how far we have come in the fight against AIDS. The Vienna location represented a gateway to the east — as the conference theme “Rights Here, Right Now,” represented a fight against the stigma of addiction. A compelling body of evidence was presented at the conference demonstrating that Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) is not only highly effective at preventing HIV-related morbidity and mortality, but also dramatically decreases HIV transmission from all routes. Dr. Volkow was interviewed by the New York Times and Voice of America (Russia) during the conference, and NIDA grantees were interviewed about their research for short video segments that will be posted on NIDA’s website. NIDA’s communications chief Carol Krause was at the conference to coordinate the video project.

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Other News

NIDA’s IRP Poster Session is Culmination of Summer Internship Program

IRP summer intern Jonathon Farzanfar

IRP summer intern Kelsey Vargas

On August 3, 46 summer interns at NIDA’s Intramural Research Program presented their research findings in an afternoon poster session. During the last several weeks, the students worked directly with an intramural scientist on a research project, gaining invaluable hands-on research experience that they are unlikely to encounter in college or high school. Poster topics included cellular and behavioral studies of cocaine and methamphetamine, receptor binding studies of opioid ligands, the role of glutamatergic neurons in dopamine circuits, and studies of resting-state functional brain connectivity. Students applied and were accepted to one of two programs: the NIH Summer Internship Program in Biomedical Research or the Recruitment & Training Program for Under-represented Populations. For information about the NIH program, contact Dr. Stephen Heishman and for the Under-represented Populations program, contact Dr. Jean Lud Cadet.

2010 Intel Addiction Science Winners Come to NIDA to Present Findings, Receive Awards

Addiction Science Award Winners from L to R: Kevin Knight (2nd place), Ameya Deshmukh (1st place), Joseph Yagoda (3rd place)

Dr. Nora Volkow invited NIDA staff to meet this year’s Intel International Science and Engineering Fair/Addiction Science Award winners. The young scientists presented their projects to Dr. Volkow on August 10. The winners, from Ohio, New York and Florida, received crystal trophies and cash awards from Friends of NIDA. View news release on 2010 award winners and their projects ⇒

In Memorium
Karst Besteman, NIDA’s first deputy director, passed away recently. Karst served as Acting Deputy Administrator of the Alcohol Drug Abuse and Mental Health Administration (ADAMHA) when it was first created and then served as NIDA’s first deputy director from 1973 to 1980. He was a member of the U.S. Public Health Service from 1957 to 1984, retiring as a two-star Rear Admiral. His association with drug abuse and addiction reaches back to the Addiction Research Center in Lexington, Kentucky, and forward to his present-day consulting services to NIDA and National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. The funeral took place in Grand Rapids, Michigan, his home town, on Wednesday, August 25. View Obituary ⇒

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Who's Who at NIDA

Dr. Antonello Bonci

This month N2 talks with Antonello Bonci, the new Scientific Director of NIDA’s Intramural Research Program (IRP) in Baltimore.

N2: You are about to move from your role as an extramural researcher to an Intramural director. What do you look forward to the most?

Dr. Bonci: The NIDA IRP offers a unique, unmatched opportunity for me. I am mostly looking forward to being able to coordinate and work together with an impressive group of scientists and clinicians all focused around the same mission: producing a deeper mechanistic understanding of the many faces of substance use disorders as well as working to create novel treatments against substance use disorders.

N2: What would you like NIDA staffers to know about your research background?

Dr. Bonci: I would like them to know that I gave up being a full-time neurologist and became a scientist because of my passion to develop novel and better treatments against substance use disorders.

N2: NIDA’s IRP has contributed to many advances in the field of drug abuse and addiction. What do you hope to see from IRP in the next 5 years under your leadership?

Dr. Bonci: I plan to start working immediately to develop novel treatments and have them available for our fellow citizens. My goal is to be able to improve the lives of our patients and their families.

N2: What has been your proudest moment as a researcher?

Dr. Bonci: My proudest moment is becoming the scientific director of NIDA IRP. It is the culmination of a dream and an unparalleled opportunity.

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