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Drug abuse costs our Nation over $500 billion dollars annually. Additionally, ever-changing drug abuse patterns, the continuing transmission of HIV infection among drug abusers, and the need to develop new and effective treatment and prevention interventions underscore the importance of investing in additional research. To further alleviate the social, medical, and economic costs associated with this chronic disease that changes the brain and disrupts behavior, NIDA plans to target a number of areas including the following:
- Using new technologies, such as brain imaging, to further our understanding of brain and behavioral development, addiction, and its consequences.
- Uncovering genetic and environmental factors that predict vulnerability to addiction and treatment response.
- Developing the science of epigenetics (inheritable genetic changes caused by environmental influences) to better understand the mechanisms that allow experience to modify genes and thereby effect relatively long-lasting changes in the brain and behavior.
- Addressing health disparities and vulnerabilities among different populations (e.g., adolescent, minority, and elderly populations).
- Applying knowledge gained from basic and cognitive neuroscience to develop improved prevention and treatment strategies.
- Developing and testing new medications and behavioral therapies to treat addiction.
- Studying the links between addiction and other diseases, including HIV/AIDS and mental disorders.
- Understanding how organization, financing, and management affect access to and cost of drug abuse prevention and treatment services, as well as their level of use and effectiveness.
- Strengthening the research infrastructure by providing additional opportunities for research training and career development for clinical researchers and improved mechanisms for training and mentoring of minority researchers.
- Expanding the dissemination and use of scientific information to educate the public about the nature of drug abuse and addiction.
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