Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics Research Branch - The Intramural Research Program of the National Institute on Drug Abuse

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CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY AND THERAPEUTICS RESEARCH BRANCH

Branch Overview

Branch Chief: Kenzie L. Preston, Ph.D. on-site page link

The Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics Research Branch conducts studies in human volunteers in order to understand, treat, and prevent drug abuse and dependence. Principal Investigators direct their own independent research projects though they frequently collaborate both within and beyond the branch. The investigators conduct cutting-edge human laboratory studies and outpatient clinical trials to investigate phenomena such as drug metabolism, the effects of drug deprivation on performance and subjective response, the modulation of the effects of illicit drugs by potential pharmacotherapies, concentrations of therapeutic and illicit drugs in treatment patients, and the precipitants and process of relapse.

The Archway Clinic - Click for larger versionThe Archway Clinic - Click for larger version

Treatment Section (The Archway Clinic)

Section Chief: Kenzie L. Preston, Ph.D. on-site page link
  • Evaluation of treatments of opioid and cocaine dependence
  • Evaluation of treatments of drug dependence in HIV infected patients
  • Psychological and methodological issues in substance abuse treatment/research
  • Quantifying exposure to illicit drugs & psychosocial stress in real time
  • Prevention of relapse in addiction

Chemistry and Drug Metabolism Section - click for larger versionChemistry and Drug Metabolism Section - Click for larger version

Chemistry and Drug Metabolism Section

Section Chief: Marilyn A. Huestis, Ph.D on-site page link
  • Effects of Sativex and oral THC on attention, affect, working memory, reversal learning, physiology, and brain activation
  • Neurobiology and pharmacokinetics of acute MDMA administration
  • Assessment of a cannabinoid antagonist in human cannabis users
  • Developmental effects and monitoring of in utero drug exposure
  • Pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of smoked drugs of abuse
  • Detection of drugs of abuse in alternative biological fluids and tissues
  • Pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of drugs of abuse
  • Role of multidrug resistance protein 1a (MDR1a) in methamphetamine and methylenedioxymethamphetamine

Nicotine Psychopharmacology Section - click for larger versionNicotine Psychopharmacology Section - Click for larger version

Nicotine Psychopharmacology Section

Section Chief: Stephen Heishman, Ph.D. on-site page link
  • Effect of nicotine or tobacco withdrawal on cognition and brain function
  • Effect of nicotine on elements of attention in smokers and nonsmokers
  • Cue-reactivity and nicotine reinforcement in smokers with and without schizophrenia
  • Cue-reactivity and nicotine reinforcement in adolescent smokers
  • Determination of optimal biomarkers to distinguish smokers and nonsmokers

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The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the principal biomedical and behavioral research agency of the United States Government. NIH is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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