Brain Research Blog Posts

How Do You Choose?

September 13, 2016 / The NIDA Blog Team

How rational or irrational are teens, really, when it comes to decision making? Read More »

What Do Drugs Do to Teens’ Brains? “ABCD Study” Looks for Answers

April 11, 2016 / The NIDA Blog Team

It seems like for every question we answer about brain science, there are a hundred more we haven’t answered yet. Read More »

17 Comments

A Personal Story of Sorrow and Hope: The Jacob P. Waletzky Award

January 27, 2016 / Jeremy Waletzky, M.D.

If there had been a treatment that worked, Jacob would have used it. He’d had several treatments that helped some—but he was still dead. Read More »

15 Comments

Images of the brains with areas of activity colored.

Peering Into the Teen Brain: What Does Risky Behavior Look Like?

January 05, 2016 / The NIDA Blog Team

Researchers are getting closer to understanding one important factor behind the risky choices of teens who use drugs. It has to do with the brain. Read More »

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NIDA director Nora Volkow, M.D. at TedMed

Obesity and Drug Addiction: The Brain Connection TedMed Talk by NIDA Director

January 29, 2015 / The NIDA Blog Team

Many tasty foods trigger a burst of the brain chemical called dopamine in the brain’s reward circuit that is similar to what some drugs produce. Over time, the reward circuit can get less sensitive to the dopamine—it needs the constant dopamine surge from fattening food. Read More »

2 Comments