Nature research paves the way for safer opioids

Researchers may have discovered new answers to how to make safer opioids

In a study published in the journal Nature on October 13, researchers looked at how opioids have become so widely abused

"We found a major source of how Mu-Opioids regulate rewards," said Daniel Castro, the lead author of the study

They studied the part of the brain called the nucleus accumbens, which is a key area in the brain's reward circuit

Michael Bruchas, Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at the University of Washington, said: “Mu-Opioids act on specific receptors in the brain like morphine, like a key to a lock

They found that opioid receptors are located in a region of the brain called the dorsal raphe nucleus, which is located in the back of the brainstem

"This discovery was quite unexpected," Castro said

Bruchas said that previous research only focused on how Mu-Opioids altered dopamine delivery

Castro said that in order to create a safe opioid drug, pharmaceutical companies need to bypass or create a way to divert the drug's action from the dorsal raphe channel to the nucleus accumbens channel

The researchers focused their attention on the opioid peptide receptor MOPR

Researchers can discover this phenomenon by using very modern neuroscience tools and pharmacology

This research has opened up many new ways to further discover the regulation or other behaviors of the brain system, and provide a potential new way for opioids or other pain-relieving drugs

At the same time, the opioid epidemic has lasted for more than 20 years

According to the Centers for Disease Control (Centers for Disease Control), the number of overdose deaths involving opioids (including prescription opioids, heroin, and synthetic opioids (such as fentanyl)) has increased by six since 1999.

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An endogenous opioid circuit determines state-dependent reward consumption

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