opioids

Inhibiting a protein isoform in the spinal cord alongside morphine improves the opioid’s pain-relieving properties without increasing unwanted side effects.

A study finds that T cells induced by heroin cross the blood-brain barrier to wreak havoc on the brain, hinting at new ways to prevent withdrawal.

How scientists aim to induce an immune response against addictive drugs

Researchers are turning to the immune system for help in treating addiction and preventing overdose.

A narrow Senate vote ends a 13-month period during which the agency has lacked a permanent commissioner.

Mice with low vitamin D had exaggerated craving for opioids and felt the drugs’ effects more strongly—results supported in part by human medical records—suggesting that supplements should be explored as treatments for opioid use disorders.

Understanding how the brain coordinates electrical activity could be key to developing more-effective treatments for a variety of brain disorders.

Only an equal mixture of THC and CBD has been adequately tested, and it failed to alleviate pain in cancer patients.

In Chapter 14, author David Nutt describes the opioid crisis currently besetting the US.

The school will not return donations from the family that made its riches on opioids, but the university will start a $3 million endowment for addiction prevention and treatment.

Recent reports of babies born with opioid withdrawal symptoms after their mothers used kratom during pregnancy have generated much concern about the medicinal herb.

Oklahoma dropped its lawsuit against OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma in exchange for a National Center for Addiction Studies and Treatment in Tulsa.

Researchers silence pain neurons in the mouse spinal cord with injections of botulinum toxins modified to bind to the neurons’ receptors.

Lucemyra is the first non-opioid drug to be approved in the U.S. specifically for this purpose.

The announcement comes after an agency working group recommends against an industry partnership on ethical grounds.

The herbal supplement, deemed an opioid by the FDA, was recently linked to a Salmonella outbreak in 20 states. 

The Scientist speaks with a clinical toxicologist to discuss how the supplement acts in the brain and what the agency's declaration means for research.

Researchers are beginning to tease apart the mechanisms underlying differences in how males and females respond to powerful painkillers.

Dave Thomas, a researcher at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, talks about the harsh truths and frustrating complexity of pain and analgesia.