  Recently the DAMA/NaI Collaboration reported further indication of a possible
modulation effect in WIMP direct detection. In this note we discuss the
relevance of this result for supersymmetric theories where the neutralino is
the dark matter candidate. We specifically consider the Minimal Supersymmetric
extension of the Standard Model (MSSM) and Supergravity-inspired schemes, with
possible deviations of the unification conditions at the GUT scale in the Higgs
sector. The main results of our analysis show that the annual modulation data
are widely compatible with an interpretation in terms of a relic neutralino as
the major component of dark matter in the Universe. We also discuss the
implications for searches of supersymmetry at accelerators and for indirect
searches of neutralino dark matter.
