Latest

opioid receptors

·May 31, 2025·8 min read

Blocking Opioid Receptors May Restore Healthy Dopamine Balance

New research identifies a promising strategy for correcting dopamine imbalances in the brain using a drug that blocks kappa opioid receptors (KOR). In mouse models with a rare mutation that causes dopamine to leak abnormally, KOR blockers reduced this leakage and restored normal behavior.

Featured Neuroscience

·May 29, 2024·4 min read

Opioid Receptors Key to Gut Nervous System Development

Researchers discovered a new role for opioid receptors in the development of the enteric nervous system (ENS), the "brain in the gut." This finding challenges the conventional understanding of opioid receptors, highlighting their significance beyond pain management and addiction.

Featured Neuroscience Pain

·January 13, 2023·6 min read

Scientists Take Another Step Toward Building a Better, Safer Opioid

Using cryoEM technology, researchers have decoded the detailed structures of an entire family of opioid receptors bound to their naturally occurring peptides. This new structural framework should help in the development of safer, more effective medications to treat chronic pain.

This shows a drawing of a mouse and a brain slice

Featured Neuroscience

·October 7, 2022·3 min read

Daylight Hours Impact Opioid Receptor Levels in Brown Fat

Shorter daylight hours increase opioid receptor signaling in the brown fat of animals.

Featured Neuroscience

·November 3, 2021·3 min read

Brain Reveals the Risk for Developing Obesity

The functional connectivity of neural networks associated with satiety and appetite are altered prior to the development of obesity.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·February 23, 2021·4 min read

Seasonal Variation in Daylight Influences Brain Function

The seasonal duration of daylight influences the number of opioid receptors in the brain. The findings shed new light on a potential mechanism behind seasonal affective disorder.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·May 29, 2020·3 min read

Age, sex and smoking influence opioid receptor function in the brain

Age, sex, and gender influence the organization of the brain's opioid system. Findings shed light on why there are significant differences between the opioid system on an individual level, and why some are more prone to developing opioid-linked pathologies than others.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·July 31, 2019·4 min read

Ketamine isn’t an opioid and treats depression in a unique way

A new study clarifies the mechanism behind how ketamine works as an antidepressant. Researchers say there is evidence to suggest ketamine binds to NMDA receptors, instead of opioid receptors. Reducing the belief that ketamine is an opioid may make patients with depression more open to using the treatment.

This shows a hand holding a blue laser light.

Featured Neurology

·April 30, 2015·6 min read

Using Light To Activate Opioid Receptors and Relieve Pain

Researchers have successfully activated the brain's opioid receptors using optogenetics.

This image shows four PET brain scans associated with this study.

Featured Neuroscience

·March 4, 2015·1 min read

Obesity Is Associated with Lowered Opioid Receptor Availability

Using neuroimaging technology, researchers discover lower numbers of opioid receptors in the brain of obese people.

Featured Neurology

·March 10, 2014·4 min read

Study Identifies New Drug Target for Chronic Touch Evoked Pain

Researchers have identified a subset of neurons which mediate tactile allodynia, a touch evoked pain condition that is resistant to conventional pain medications.