Opioid receptors have been targeted for the treatment of pain and related disorders for
thousands of years and remain the most widely used analgesics in the clinic. Mu (μ), kappa …

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 …

Intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) is a behavioral procedure in which operant responding is
maintained by pulses of electrical brain stimulation. In research to study abuse-related drug …

Opioid receptors are widely distributed throughout the brain and play an essential role in
modulating aspects of human mood, reward, and well-being. Accumulating evidence …

Hypocretin (orexin) and dynorphin are neuropeptides with opposing actions on motivated
behavior. Orexin is implicated in states of arousal and reward, whereas dynorphin is …

The hypothesis that functionally selective G protein–coupled receptor (GPCR) agonists may
have enhanced therapeutic benefits has revitalized interest for many GPCR targets. In …

Behavioral, biological, and social sequelae that lead to drug addiction differ between men
and women. Our efforts to understand addiction on a mechanistic level must include studies …

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 …

Kappa‐opioid receptor (KOR) antagonists are currently being considered for the treatment of
a variety of neuropsychiatric conditions, including depressive, anxiety, and substance abuse …