National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

NIDA is the lead federal agency supporting scientific research on drug use and addiction. Our mission is to advance science on drug use and addiction and to apply that knowledge to improve individual and public health.

How Cocaine Cues Get Planted in the Brain

Scientific article
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Individuals suffering from substance use disorders develop strong associations between the drug’s stimulating effect and environmental cues that act as reminders of the experience, which can lead to relapse. A recent study has proposed a...

NIDA Notes: Impacts of Drugs on Neurotransmission

Scientific article
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This articles discusses the central importance of studying drugs’ effects on neurotransmission and describes some of the most common experimental methods used in this research. Drugs can alter the way people think, feel, and behave by...

NIDA Easy to Read Drug Facts

Website
If you are searching for a simple format way to communicate the key issues around drugs then the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) website may offer a multi-media solution. The Easy to Read Drug Facts section of the NIDA website...
Screenshot of easy to read drug facts home page

Fentanyl and Other Synthetic Opioids Drug Overdose Deaths

Website
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A infographic resource from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) exploring the drug related death statistics relating to fentanyl and other synthetic opioids reported in the United States. With nearly 50% of opioid related deaths...

Rise in Glutamate Levels Can Be Used to Predict Drug High

News
A study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) explores the action of psychostimulant drugs on glutamate, one of the most abundant neurotransmitters in the human body. Drugs with a stimulant effect are commonly prescribed to...
Rise in glutamate levels can be used to predict drug high