Although activation of the μ-opioid receptor (MOR) provides potent analgesia and remains central to pain management, its agonists are associated with adverse effects such as respiratory depression, ...

The global burden of anxiety- and depression-related disorders is on the rise. While multiple drugs have been developed to treat these conditions, current medications have several limitations, ...

Scientists have known for decades that opioids relieve pain by binding to molecular switches in the brain called mu-opioid (pronounced "mew-opioid") receptors. What they didn't know - until now - was ...

Drugs that target opioid receptors sometimes have severe side effects. Thousands of people around the world die every day from overdoses involving opioids such as fentanyl. Researchers have taken a ...

Researchers from Tokyo University of Science uncover cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the antidepressant-like effects of the delta opioid receptor agonists, paving the way for its clinical ...

Two different versions of the mu-opioid receptor within a cellular membrane illustrate how the receptor changes its conformation to send a signal into the cell. Scientists captured six high-resolution ...

However, the opioid pathway, a heavily studied physiologic pathway inextricably intertwined with behaviour and reward, rarely receives attention within psychiatric practice. Although the opioid system ...

An existing drug currently used to treat glaucoma, altitude sickness, and seizures may also have the potential to prevent ...