Neuropsychopharmacology (NPP) is an official peer-reviewed publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. We report discoveries and promote training & outreach initiatives.https://bsky.app/profile/npp-journal.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/npp-journal.bsky.social/post/3mu5v5mcwgc2uhe submedius thalamus and orbitofrontal cortex mediate a bidirectional circuit that underlies the time-dependent intensification of oxycodone craving during abstinence https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-026-02459-228 Aug 2026 17:28 +0000at://did:plc:ihuhtpw6bbb37om6dynrokc4/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu5v5mcwgc2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/npp-journal.bsky.social/post/3mu3bj7biu32oAdolescent cannabis use tracked with lower subcortical tissue iron in dopamine-rich regions (VTA, pallidum, thalamus), an MRI proxy for dopamine neurophysiology. Cannabis concentrates showed stronger links than flower. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-026-02444-927 Aug 2026 16:31 +0000at://did:plc:ihuhtpw6bbb37om6dynrokc4/app.bsky.feed.post/3mu3bj7biu32ohttps://bsky.app/profile/npp-journal.bsky.social/post/3mtyno6zqpa2vIn a rat model, offspring of dams given uncontrolled gestational oxycodone showed more drug taking and seeking than offspring of self-administering dams, despite similar exposure. Effects were strongest in female offspring https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-026-02449-426 Aug 2026 15:31 +0000at://did:plc:ihuhtpw6bbb37om6dynrokc4/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtyno6zqpa2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/npp-journal.bsky.social/post/3mtwi2dkggk2cOur last #ThisWeekInNPP of August is here, and it's a 2-pager packed with the latest and greatest findings in neuropsychopharmacology, so don't miss out! 👇 #TWiNPP25 Aug 2026 18:45 +0000at://did:plc:ihuhtpw6bbb37om6dynrokc4/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtwi2dkggk2chttps://bsky.app/profile/npp-journal.bsky.social/post/3mtwakgfvi62hKnockdown of enkephalin in the dorsal raphe nucleus raised pain sensitivity and odor aversion while lowering sucrose preference and social interaction — identifying a non-serotonergic population that promotes reward. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-026-02456-525 Aug 2026 16:30 +0000at://did:plc:ihuhtpw6bbb37om6dynrokc4/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtwakgfvi62hhttps://bsky.app/profile/npp-journal.bsky.social/post/3mtttffr3b52yAlcohol-related shifts in acetate metabolism appear reversible. Heavy alcohol drinkers showed elevated brain acetate oxidation, which dropped after ~1 week of abstinence but normalized to light-drinker levels by 1 month. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-026-02455-624 Aug 2026 17:30 +0000at://did:plc:ihuhtpw6bbb37om6dynrokc4/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtttffr3b52yhttps://bsky.app/profile/npp-journal.bsky.social/post/3mtmbzqmflc23In this recent study, rapid computational markers of decision-making predicted daily smoking and cessation outcomes. Higher craving and depressive symptoms forecasted more smoking, while first-week data alone predicted treatment success. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-026-02448-521 Aug 2026 17:30 +0000at://did:plc:ihuhtpw6bbb37om6dynrokc4/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtmbzqmflc23https://bsky.app/profile/npp-journal.bsky.social/post/3mtjo2v2tou2iDysregulated allele-specific gene expression may help link genetic risk to structural brain abnormalities across multiple major psychiatric illnesses https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-026-02439-620 Aug 2026 16:28 +0000at://did:plc:ihuhtpw6bbb37om6dynrokc4/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtjo2v2tou2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/npp-journal.bsky.social/post/3mth2gvawxd2hThis study presents evidence that vulnerability to opioid relapse can be remarkably enduring, while explicit "drug unavailable" signals may help to constrain cue-triggered relapse https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-026-02447-619 Aug 2026 15:31 +0000at://did:plc:ihuhtpw6bbb37om6dynrokc4/app.bsky.feed.post/3mth2gvawxd2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/npp-journal.bsky.social/post/3mteujc7qcy27Its time for a recap of what's new #ThisWeekInNPP See below for the latest on ovarian hormones & addiction, depression & visceral pain, sex differences in binge drinking, neurometabolites in schizophrenia, neuropharmacology of treatment discontinuation & low-dose lithium #TWiNPP18 Aug 2026 18:40 +0000at://did:plc:ihuhtpw6bbb37om6dynrokc4/app.bsky.feed.post/3mteujc7qcy27https://bsky.app/profile/npp-journal.bsky.social/post/3mtenaoymos26Emerging evidence suggests that psilocybin exerts differential effects on prosocial behaviors depending on sex, timing, and underlying serotonergic and dopaminergic circuit adaptations https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-026-02450-x18 Aug 2026 16:30 +0000at://did:plc:ihuhtpw6bbb37om6dynrokc4/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtenaoymos26https://bsky.app/profile/npp-journal.bsky.social/post/3mtca6gjcdc2mThis article proposes an integrative model in which traumatic memories preserve semantic structure but are represented in a more idiosyncratic and context-dependent manner, potentially contributing to the distinctive nature of traumatic memory in PTSD https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-026-02451-w17 Aug 2026 17:31 +0000at://did:plc:ihuhtpw6bbb37om6dynrokc4/app.bsky.feed.post/3mtca6gjcdc2mhttps://bsky.app/profile/npp-journal.bsky.social/post/3mt2onf6gtw2tLimbic abnormalities in anorexia nervosa appear to be largely reversible and closely linked to metabolic and neuronal recovery https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-026-02435-w14 Aug 2026 17:28 +0000at://did:plc:ihuhtpw6bbb37om6dynrokc4/app.bsky.feed.post/3mt2onf6gtw2thttps://bsky.app/profile/npp-journal.bsky.social/post/3msy33zrshd2eInteractions between self-referential and cognitive/sensory processing brain networks may serve as biomarkers of SSRI response in adolescent depression https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-026-02442-x13 Aug 2026 16:33 +0000at://did:plc:ihuhtpw6bbb37om6dynrokc4/app.bsky.feed.post/3msy33zrshd2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/npp-journal.bsky.social/post/3msvh5qlbn52kIn people with OUD and chronic pain receiving methadone, acute CBD dose-dependently increased top-down pain modulation before methadone, but higher doses enhanced increased pain sensitivity after methadone https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-026-02443-w12 Aug 2026 15:31 +0000at://did:plc:ihuhtpw6bbb37om6dynrokc4/app.bsky.feed.post/3msvh5qlbn52khttps://bsky.app/profile/npp-journal.bsky.social/post/3mstreidkxk2jSummer is flying by, but be sure not to miss what's new #ThisWeekInNPP 😎 #TWiNPP11 Aug 2026 23:28 +0000at://did:plc:ihuhtpw6bbb37om6dynrokc4/app.bsky.feed.post/3mstreidkxk2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/npp-journal.bsky.social/post/3msszzetl4x2bThis study suggests micropipette-guided drug administration (MDA) may be a promising non-invasive analgesic delivery method while highlighting the need to measure central drug exposure https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-026-02445-811 Aug 2026 16:30 +0000at://did:plc:ihuhtpw6bbb37om6dynrokc4/app.bsky.feed.post/3msszzetl4x2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/npp-journal.bsky.social/post/3msqmx6c37t2gSimvastatin plays a broad role in improving synaptic plasticity through the HDAC2-BDNF pathway, thereby rescuing cognitive deficits in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-026-02440-z10 Aug 2026 17:31 +0000at://did:plc:ihuhtpw6bbb37om6dynrokc4/app.bsky.feed.post/3msqmx6c37t2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/npp-journal.bsky.social/post/3msj3dvbhdq2eThis study found opposing effects of fentanyl on tonic vs. phasic dopamine that may reveal insight on impaired non-drug reward seeking during opioid exposure https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-026-02437-807 Aug 2026 17:28 +0000at://did:plc:ihuhtpw6bbb37om6dynrokc4/app.bsky.feed.post/3msj3dvbhdq2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/npp-journal.bsky.social/post/3msghivbc4m2pCan vibration improve body connection and brain plasticity? Participants who received sternal vibration during brief mindfulness meditation showed enhanced body awareness and enhanced plasticity in a related brain pathway https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-026-02430-106 Aug 2026 16:27 +0000at://did:plc:ihuhtpw6bbb37om6dynrokc4/app.bsky.feed.post/3msghivbc4m2phttps://bsky.app/profile/npp-journal.bsky.social/post/3msdtvog2wl2eAa randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial suggests that intermittent TBS is a promising intervention for fibromyalgia while D-cycloserine augmentation is relevant for mood-related outcomes https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-026-02441-y05 Aug 2026 15:31 +0000at://did:plc:ihuhtpw6bbb37om6dynrokc4/app.bsky.feed.post/3msdtvog2wl2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/npp-journal.bsky.social/post/3msblffadl42dIt's a new month and a new roundup of what's new #ThisWeekinNPP See below for the latest insights on the impact of synthetic coolants in nicotine-containing e-cigarettes and how cortisol suppression impacts emotional memory in humans 👇 #TWiNPP04 Aug 2026 17:53 +0000at://did:plc:ihuhtpw6bbb37om6dynrokc4/app.bsky.feed.post/3msblffadl42dhttps://bsky.app/profile/npp-journal.bsky.social/post/3msbgqngjpv2mUsing longitudinal [11C]CURB PET imaging, Poluga et al. show that FAAH regulation during THC withdrawal may reflect a compensatory endocannabinoid adaptation linked to relapse vulnerability https://www.nature.com/articles/s41386-026-02438-704 Aug 2026 16:30 +0000at://did:plc:ihuhtpw6bbb37om6dynrokc4/app.bsky.feed.post/3msbgqngjpv2m