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, ...

Opioid agonists are substances that activate opioid receptors in the central and peripheral nervous systems. They have several uses, from pain management to treating opioid use disorder. You have ...

New research suggests that δ-receptor agonists regulate intestinal motility and relieve abdominal pain in a mouse model of irritable bowel syndrome, potentially offering a novel CNS-targeted treatment ...

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 ...

Opioids slot into opioid receptors and activate them. This sends signals to your brain to relieve pain and promote pleasure. Both endogenous opioids, which your body naturally produces, and exogenous ...

Scientists have visualized for the first time how opioids such as loperamide and the antidote naloxone engage a key brain receptor, offering insight that could lead to better pain treatments.

To date, therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS) focus on modifying or suppressing the immune system rather than on remyelination. Recent findings have pointed to the κ-opioid receptor (KOR) as a ...

Opioids are commonly known as powerful painkillers with strong psychoactive effects. They increase dopamine signaling in the brain, producing pleasurable sensations that can encourage repeated use and ...