Opioid abuse initiates specific protein interactions in neurons in brain's reward system

Identifying the specific pathways that promote opioid addiction, pain relief, and tolerance are crucial for developing more effective and less dangerous analgesics, as well as developing new treatments for addiction. Now, new research from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai reveals that opiate use alters the activity of a specific protein needed for the normal functioning of the brain's reward center. Investigators were able to block the protein, as well as increase its expression in the mouse nucleus accumbens, a key component of the brain's reward center.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mnt/healthnews/~3/vpuLTHlQLYs/273138.php

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