Publications by authors named "J K Zubieta"
This study explored the association between experimentally-induced pain sensitivity and µ-opioid receptor (μOR) availability in patients with temporomandibular disorder (TMD) and further investigated any changes in the pain and μOR availability following high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) over the primary motor cortex (M1) with pilot randomized clinical trials. Seven patients with TMD completed either active (n = 3) or sham treatment (n = 4) for 10 daily sessions and underwent positron emission tomography (PET) scans with [C]carfentanil, a selective μOR agonist, a week before and after treatment. PET imaging consisted of an early resting and late phase with the sustained masseteric pain challenge by computer-controlled injection of 5% hypertonic saline.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPeptide chemists seek rapid methods combined with facile purification when producing disulphide bonds post solid-phase synthesis. Current methods typically require long reaction times of up to two days, can result in side-products from over-oxidation and/or degradation, require organic solvents, and/or require challenging purification. Herein, we describe a rapid, green, and facile oxidation of a series of peptides with up to three disulphide bonds.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: The current understanding of utilizing HD-tDCS as a targeted approach to improve headache attacks and modulate endogenous opioid systems in episodic migraine is relatively limited. This study aimed to determine whether high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) over the primary motor cortex (M1) can improve clinical outcomes and endogenous µ-opioid receptor (µOR) availability for episodic migraineurs.
Methods: In a randomized, double-blind, and sham-controlled trial, 25 patients completed 10-daily 20-min M1 HD-tDCS, repeated Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans with a selective agonist for µOR.
Article Synopsis
- Chronic pain and reward processing are intertwined, but previous research had inconsistent results, especially since sex differences were often overlooked.
- This study used fMRI to investigate how male and female participants with chronic back pain and healthy controls respond to monetary incentives, focusing on striatal activation.
- Results showed that healthy males had greater striatal responses to rewards compared to chronic pain males, indicating that chronic pain affects reward processing differently in men versus women, emphasizing the need to consider sex in future studies.
Article Synopsis
- Major depressive disorder (MDD) and opioid use disorder (OUD) are common genetic disorders that often occur together and can be fatal.
- A study with 144 healthy participants examined the relationship between genetic risk for these disorders and the behavior of the µ-opioid receptor (MOR) under stress.
- Findings showed that MDD and OUD genetic risks were linked to how the opioid system activates during stress, particularly in females, indicating a potential pathway for combined treatment approaches.