Kappa opioid receptor in nucleus accumbens regulates depressive-like behaviors following prolonged morphine withdrawal in mice.

ABSTRACT: Prolonged withdrawal from opioids leads to negative emotions. Kappa opioid receptor (KOR) plays an important role in opioid addiction and affective disorders. However, the underlying mechanism of KOR in withdrawal-related depression is still lacking. We found that escitalopram treatment had a limited effect in improving depression symptoms in heroin-dependent patients. In mice, we demonstrated prolonged (4 weeks) but not acute (24 h) withdrawal from morphine induced depressive-like behaviors. The number of c-Fos positive cells and the expression of KOR in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), were significantly increased in the prolonged morphine withdrawal mice. Conditional KOR knockdown in NAc significantly improved depressive-like behaviors. Repeated but not acute treatment with the KOR antagoni

SUBMITTER: Zhang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10448166 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature