ArticleNeuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology2021
Increased functional coupling of the mu opioid receptor in the anterior insula of depressed individuals.
Article in Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 26 citations in OpenAlex.
- Functional genomic mechanisms of opioid action and opioid use disorder: a systematic review of animal models and human studies.Molecular psychiatry · 2023Pooled it
- Natural Products as GPCR-Targeting Antidepressant Candidates: Advances and Opportunities.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Review
- Association Between Opioid Analgesics and Suicide Attempts: A Nationwide French Case-Crossover Study.CNS drugs · 2025Observational
- Antidepressants and the endogenous opioid system.Biochemical pharmacology · 2025Review
- OPRM1 Gene Polymorphism in Women with Alcohol Use Disorder.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Article
- The endogenous opioid system in the medial prefrontal cortex mediates ketamine's antidepressant-like actions.Translational psychiatry · 2024Article
- The endogenous opioid system in the medial prefrontal cortex mediates ketamine's antidepressant-like actions.Research square · 2023Article
- Delta Opioid Receptor-Mediated Antidepressant-Like Effects of Diprenorphine in Mice.The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics · 2023Article
- Mu opioid receptor mRNA overexpression predicts poor prognosis among 18 common solid cancers: A pan-cancer analysis.Frontiers in oncology · 2023Article
- Using the Intranasal Route to Administer Drugs to Treat Neurological and Psychiatric Illnesses: Rationale, Successes, and Future Needs.CNS drugs · 2022Review
- Convergence of case-specific epigenetic alterations identify a confluence of genetic vulnerabilities tied to opioid overdose.Molecular psychiatry · 2022Article
- Insula network connectivity mediates the association between childhood maltreatment and depressive symptoms in major depressive disorder patients.Translational psychiatry · 2022Article
- Better living through understanding the insula: Why subregions can make all the difference.Neuropharmacology · 2021Review
- Depression as a Failed Anxiety: The Continuum of Precision-Weighting Dysregulation in Affective Disorders.Frontiers in psychology · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
The mu opioid receptor (MOR) is a G protein-coupled receptor that plays an essential role in reward and hedonic processes, and that has been implicated in disorders such as depression and addiction. Over the last decade, several brain imaging studies in depressed patients have consistently found that dysregulation of MOR function occurs in particular in the anterior insular cortex, an important brain site for the perception of internal states and emotional regulation. To investigate molecular mechanisms that may underlie these effects, here we assessed genetic polymorphisms, expression, and functional G-protein coupling of MOR in a large post-mortem cohort (N = 95) composed of depressed individuals who died by suicide, and healthy controls. Results indicated that depression, but not comorbid substance use disorder or acute opiate consumption, was associated with increased MOR activity. This effect was partly explained by a specific increase in expression of the inhibitory alpha G-protein subunit GNAI2. Consistent with previous neuroimaging studies, our findings support the notion that enhanced endogenous opioidergic tone in the anterior insula may buffer negative affective states in depressed individuals, a mechanism that could potentially contribute to the antidepressant efficacy of emerging opioid-based medications.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.