Study could lead to new drug development targets for forms of anxiety that are more pathological, such as those associated with excessive alcohol intake or opiate abuse.
March 17, 2016
CHAPEL HILL, NC – University of North Carolina School of Medicine researchers have uncovered a cellular mechanism by which kappa opioid receptors (KOR) drive anxiety. These proteins inhibit the release of the neurotransmitter glutamate in a part of the brain that regulates emotion. KORs have been of great interest as a drug target for the treatment of addiction and anxiety disorders.
Thomas L. Kash, PhD, associate professor of pharmacology and the lead author of the study published today in the journal Cell Reports, used mice to show the effects of KORs on behavior.
“When KORs are inactivated, glutamate is released properly and mice showed significant signs of feeling less anxious,” said Kash, who is also a member of the Bowles Center for Alcohol Studies. “But when kappa opioid receptors are activated, this glutamate release associated with ‘safety’ was tamped down. There were clear signs of more anxiety. So, in essence, KORs shut off an anxiety-reducing pathway in the brain.”
Read the full article by Mark Derewicz on UNC Healthcare & School of Medicine Newsroom.