The importance of the opioid receptor system in substance dependence is increasingly recognised. We used PET with the non-selective tracer [11C]diprenorphine to examine opioid receptor binding in early abstinence from alcohol dependence and the relationship to craving. We recruited 11 alcohol dependent patients and 13 controls. Subjects underwent one [11C]diprenorphine PET scan in early abstinence from dependent alcohol use (approximately 2 weeks) and 2 months later if continuously abstinent. Global and regional [11C]diprenorphine volumes of distribution (VD) were increased in alcohol dependent patients compared with controls but did not reach significance. We demonstrated a correlation between global and regional [11C]diprenorphine VD and craving in alcohol dependent patients which persisted in the anterior cingulate cortex into extended abstinence. This confirms previous work showing increased opioid receptor availability in early abstinence from substances of abuse and correlation with craving suggesting that the opioid system plays a fundamental role in this phase of addiction.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.euroneuro.2009.06.007 | DOI Listing |
Sci Adv
January 2025
Laboratory for Biofunction Dynamics Imaging, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, 6-7-3 Minatojima-Minamimachi, Chuo-ku, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan.
Placebo analgesia is caused by inactive treatment, implicating endogenous brain function involvement. However, the neurobiological basis remains unclear. In this study, we found that μ-opioid signals in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) activate the descending pain inhibitory system to initiate placebo analgesia in neuropathic pain rats.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Psychiatry
January 2025
Biobehavioral Imaging and Molecular Neuropsychopharmacology Section, NIDA, Baltimore (Levinstein, Budinich, Michaelides); Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona (Bonaventura); Neuropharmacology and Pain Group, Neuroscience Program, IDIBELL-Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona (Bonaventura); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford (Schatzberg); Experimental Therapeutics and Pathophysiology Branch, NIMH, Bethesda (Zarate); Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore (Michaelides).
Ketamine is a racemic compound and medication comprised of ()-ketamine and ()-ketamine enantiomers and its metabolites. It has been used for decades as a dissociative anesthetic, analgesic, and recreational drug. More recently, ketamine, its enantiomers, and its metabolites have been used or are being investigated for the treatment of refractory depression, as well as for comorbid disorders such as anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, and opioid use disorders.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDis Mon
January 2025
Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Western Michigan University, Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, Kalamazoo, MI, USA.
The subject of substance use disorders in the pediatric population remains a disturbing conundrum for clinicians, researchers and society in general. Many of our youth are at risk of being damaged and even killed by drug addictions that result from the collision of rapidly developing as well as vulnerable central nervous systems encountering the current global drug addiction crisis. A major motif of this chemical calamity is opioid use disorder in adolescents and young adults that was stimulated by the 19th century identification of such highly addictive drugs as morphine, heroin and a non-opiate, cocaine.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS Pathog
January 2025
Key Laboratory of Animal Diseases Diagnostic and Immunology, Ministry of Agriculture, MOE International Joint Collaborative Research Laboratory for Animal Health & Food Safety, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China.
Mitochondria, recognized as the "powerhouse" of cells, play a vital role in generating cellular energy through dynamic processes such as fission and fusion. Viruses have evolved mechanisms to hijack mitochondrial function for their survival and proliferation. Here, we report that infection with the swine arterivirus porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), manipulates mitochondria calcium ions (Ca2+) to induce mitochondrial fission and mitophagy, thereby reprogramming cellular energy metabolism to facilitate its own replication.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnesthesiology
January 2025
Takeda Development Center Americas, Inc., Lexington, MA, USA.
Background: Orexin neuropeptides help regulate sleep/wake states, respiration, and pain. However, their potential role in regulating breathing, particularly in perioperative settings, is not well understood. TAK-925 (danavorexton), a novel, orexin receptor 2-selective agonist, directly activates neurons associated with respiratory control in the brain and improves respiratory parameters in rodents undergoing fentanyl-induced sedation.
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