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Using
Opiates to Learn About the Brain
The discovery that the brain produces its own chemicals which act similarly
to opiates opened avenues for learning how the brain transmits signals and manages
thought, feeling and action. It opened new ways to study diseases as well.
In 1984, using their opium-derived narcotic antagonist called cyclofoxy, Dr.
Kenner Rice's group at LMC and their NIH associates reported the first definitive
image of opiate receptors in a living primate brain. They are now using this
drug and other research tools to investigate central nervous system disorders,
the regulation of the immune system, and possible new treatments for drug dependence.
Besides being painkillers, certain narcotic drugs and antagonists (drugs which
block the actions of other drugs by combining with and blocking receptors)
are used to study opiate receptor sites in normal humans. Parallel studies
in patients with schizophrenia, bulimia, sexual dysfunction, and opiate and
cocaine addition will provide insight into the role of opioid receptors in
these disorders. A PET (positron emission tomography) scan shows cyclofoxy
binding to receptors in the caudate nucleus, thalamus and other areas of the
brain (red to orange areas). Back To Top | Photography
Credits |
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Light portions in the center of the brain images show that cyclofoxy
is binding to opiate receptors in a baboon brain |
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