Stress is commonly regarded as an important trigger for relapse and a significant factor that
promotes increased motivation to drink in some individuals. However, the relationship …

Aims Nuclear factor kappa light chain enhancer of activated B cells (NFkB) is a ubiquitous
transcription factor well known for its role in the innate immune response. As such, NFkB is a …

Rationale Accumulating evidence indicates that brain kappa-opioid receptors (KORs) and
dynorphin, the endogenous ligand that binds at these receptors, are involved in regulating …

Comorbidity is a major issue in psychiatry that notably associates with more severe
symptoms, longer illness duration, and higher service utilization. Therefore, identifying key …

Rationale While stress is often proposed to play a significant role in influencing alcohol
consumption, the relationship between stress and alcohol is complex and poorly …

While stressful experiences are a part of everyone's life, they can also exact a major toll on
health. Stressful life experiences are associated with increased substance abuse, and there …

κ opioid receptors (KORs) belong to the G-protein-coupled class of receptors (GPCRs). They
are activated by the endogenous opioid peptide dynorphin (DYN) and expressed at …

The dynorphin/kappa opioid receptor (KOR) system is implicated in the “dark side” of
addiction, in which stress exacerbates maladaptive responses to drug and alcohol …

The endogenous opioid system is expressed throughout the brain reinforcement circuitry,
and plays a major role in reward processing, mood control and the development of …

The dynorphin/κ-opioid receptor system has been implicated in the pathogenesis and
pathophysiology of several psychiatric disorders. In the present review, we present evidence …