ADVERTISEMENT
Illustration of green fluorescent bacterial cells.
Cocaine Use Creates Feedback Loop with Gut Bacteria: Mouse Study
A jolt of norepinephrine in the mouse gut facilitates colonization by certain microbes, which in turn deplete glycine, enhancing cocaine-induced behaviors.
Cocaine Use Creates Feedback Loop with Gut Bacteria: Mouse Study
Cocaine Use Creates Feedback Loop with Gut Bacteria: Mouse Study

A jolt of norepinephrine in the mouse gut facilitates colonization by certain microbes, which in turn deplete glycine, enhancing cocaine-induced behaviors.

A jolt of norepinephrine in the mouse gut facilitates colonization by certain microbes, which in turn deplete glycine, enhancing cocaine-induced behaviors.

drug addiction

stubbed-out cigarette with smoke rising from ashes
Damage to Brain Network Curbs Urge to Smoke
Shawna Williams | Jun 16, 2022 | 2 min read
A study finds that injuries to certain areas of the brain were associated with quitting smoking more quickly, easily, and with no cravings.
Vaccine illustration 
Infographic: Inducing Active Immunity Against Opioid Overdose
Tori Rodriguez | Jun 13, 2022 | 3 min read
How scientists aim to induce an immune response against addictive drugs
Illustration of a syringe with a person falling out of a bottle of pills
Opioid Vaccines as a Tool to Stem Overdose Deaths
Tori Rodriguez | Jun 13, 2022 | 10+ min read
Researchers are turning to the immune system for help in treating addiction and preventing overdose.
Mary Jeanne Kreek, heroin, addiction, methadone, drug addiction, The Rockefeller University,
Mary Jeanne Kreek, Methadone Developer, Dies at 84
Asher Jones | Mar 31, 2021 | 2 min read
A physician and neurobiologist at the Rockefeller University who specialized in addiction research, Kreek was best known for her work on developing the treatment for heroin addiction.
Addictive Behavior Control Circuit Discovered in Rat Brains
Lisa Winter | Jan 3, 2020 | 2 min read
Some rats showed a decrease in addictive tendencies when researchers activated the pathway, while the behavior of others became more addictive when the pathway was inhibited.

mdma ecstacy serotonin dopamine
Serotonin and Dopamine Responsible for the Pros and Cons of MDMA
Ruth Williams | Dec 11, 2019 | 3 min read
A study in mice suggests serotonin release underlies the drug’s prosocial effects while dopamine mediates the rewarding properties that drive its potential for abuse.
Cerebellar Surprises
The Scientist | Oct 1, 2019 | 1 min read
Kamran Khodakhah, a researcher at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, explains the cerebellum's newly described role in addictive and social behaviors.
Prenatal Exposure to Cannabis Affects the Developing Brain
Andrew Scheyer | Jan 1, 2019 | 10+ min read
Children born to moms who smoked or ingested marijuana during pregnancy suffer higher rates of depression, hyperactivity, and inattention.
pile of powdered cocaine and 3 lines on black surface
Gene-Edited Skin Patch Prevents Cocaine Overdose in Mice
Shawna Williams | Sep 17, 2018 | 4 min read
With a built-in supply of a powerful cocaine-chomping enzyme, the transplant might also curb addiction.
FDA Approves Drug to Ease Symptoms of Opioid Withdrawal
Catherine Offord | May 17, 2018 | 1 min read
Lucemyra is the first non-opioid drug to be approved in the U.S. specifically for this purpose.
Male Fruit Flies Take Pleasure in Having Sex
Jim Daley | Apr 20, 2018 | 1 min read
Sex-deprived males seek out alcohol.
Decoding the Tripping Brain
Diana Kwon | Sep 1, 2017 | 10+ min read
Scientists are beginning to unravel the mechanisms behind the therapeutic effects of psychedelic drugs.
Toward a Nonaddictive Opioid
Ben Andrew Henry | Aug 18, 2016 | 2 min read
A newly discovered painkiller does not cause respiratory depression or addiction in mice and could be an alternative to frequently abused prescription medicines, researchers report.
Toward a Cocaine Vaccine
Jef Akst | Jan 22, 2015 | 1 min read
A modified bacterial protein elicits a robust immune response against a cocaine-linked molecule in mice.
Chronic Weed Use Shrinks Brain Region
Bob Grant | Nov 12, 2014 | 2 min read
Long-term marijuana smokers have less gray matter in their orbitofrontal cortex than nonsmokers, but other brain circuits may compensate by increasing connectivity.
An Offensive Playbook
Mary Beth Aberlin | Feb 1, 2014 | 3 min read
Developing nonaddictive drugs to combat pain
Pain and Progress
Kerry Grens | Feb 1, 2014 | 10+ min read
Is it possible to make a nonaddictive opioid painkiller?
Suppressing Drug-Seeking Behaviors
Abby Olena, PhD | Nov 24, 2013 | 4 min read
Augmenting the action of a glutamate receptor in the brains of addicted rats helps prevent them from seeking cocaine during withdrawal, a study shows.
The Epigenetics of Drug Abuse
Jef Akst | Nov 11, 2013 | 1 min read
At the Society for Neuroscience conference, researchers present results linking the epigenome to heroin and cocaine addiction.
ADVERTISEMENT