PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Nociceptin: Nature's balm for the stressed brain

2014-01-09
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Mika Ono
mikaono@scripps.edu
858-784-2052
Scripps Research Institute
Nociceptin: Nature's balm for the stressed brain

LA JOLLA, CA - January 8, 2014 - Collaborating scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the University of Camerino in Italy have published new findings on a system in the brain that naturally moderates the effects of stress. The findings confirm the importance of this stress-damping system, known as the nociceptin system, as a potential target for therapies against anxiety disorders and other stress-related conditions.

"We were able to demonstrate the ability of this nociceptin anti-stress system to prevent and even reverse some of the cellular effects of acute stress in an animal model," said biologist Marisa Roberto, associate professor in TSRI's addiction research department, known as the Committee on the Neurobiology of Addictive Disorders.

Roberto was a principal investigator for the study, which appears in the January 8, 2014 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

A Variety of Effects

Nociceptin, which is produced in the brain, belongs to the family of opioid neurotransmitters. But the resemblance essentially ends there.

Nociceptin binds to its own specific receptors called NOP receptors and doesn't bind well to other opioid receptors. The scientists who discovered it in the mid-1990s also noted that when nociceptin is injected into the brains of mice, it doesn't kill pain—it makes pain worse.

The molecule was eventually named for this "nociceptive" (pain-producing) effect. However, subsequent studies demonstrated that, by activating its corresponding receptor NOP, nociceptin acted as an antiopioid and not only affected pain perception, but also blocked the rewarding properties of opioids such as morphine and heroin.

Perhaps of greatest interest, several studies in rodents have found evidence that nociceptin can act in the amygdala, a part of the brain that controls basic emotional responses, to counter the usual anxiety-producing effects of acute stress. There have been hints, too, that this activity occurs automatically as part of a natural stress-damping feedback response.

Scientists have wanted to know more about the anti-stress activity of the nociceptin/NOP system, in part because it might offer a better way to treat stress-related conditions. The latter are common in modern societies, including post-traumatic stress disorder as well as the drug-withdrawal stress that often defeats addicts' efforts to kick the habit.

Reducing the Stress Reaction

For the new study, Roberto and her collaborators looked in more detail at the nociceptin/NOP system in the central amygdala.

First, Markus Heilig's laboratory at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the NIH, measured the expression of NOP-coding genes in the central amygdala in rats. Heilig's team found strong evidence that stress changes the activity of nociceptin/NOP in this region, indicating that the system does indeed work as a feedback mechanism to damp the effects of stress. In animals subjected to a standard laboratory stress condition, NOP gene activity rose sharply, as if to compensate for the elevated stress.

Roberto and her laboratory at TSRI then used a separate technique to measure the electrical activity of stress-sensitive neurons in the central amygdala. As expected, this activity rose when levels of the stress hormone CRF rose and started out at even higher levels in the stressed rats. But this stress-sensitive neuronal activity could be dialed down by adding nociceptin. The stress-blocking effect was especially pronounced in the restraint-stressed rats—probably due to their stress-induced increase in NOP receptors.

Finally, biologist Roberto Ciccocioppo and his laboratory at the University of Camerino conducted a set of behavioral experiments showing that injections of nociceptin specifically into the rat central amygdala powerfully reduced anxiety-like behaviors in the stressed rats, but showed no behavioral effect in non-stressed rats.

The three sets of experiments together demonstrate, said Roberto, that "stress exposure leads to an over-activation of the nociceptin/NOP system in the central amygdala, which appears to be an adaptive feedback response designed to bring the brain back towards normalcy."

In future studies, she and her colleagues hope to determine whether this nociceptin/NOP feedback system somehow becomes dysfunctional in chronic stress conditions. "I suspect that chronic stress induces changes in amygdala neurons that can contribute to the development of some anxiety disorders," said Roberto.

Compounds that mimic nociceptin by activating NOP receptors—but, unlike nociceptin, could be taken in pill form—are under development by pharmaceutical companies. Some of these appear to be safe and well tolerated in lab animals and may soon be ready for initial tests in human patients, Ciccocioppo said.

INFORMATION:

Other contributors to the study, "Restraint stress alters nociceptin/orphanin FQ and CRF systems in the rat central amygdala: significance for anxiety-like behaviors," were Giordano de Guglielmo and Massimo Ubaldi of the University of Camerino; Anita Hansson, who worked in the Heilig laboratory at NIAAA during the study; Marsida Kallupi, who worked in both the Roberto laboratory at TSRI and the Ciccocioppo Laboratory at the University of Camerino during the study; and Maureen Cruz and Christopher Oleata of TSRI. See http://www.jneurosci.org/content/34/2/363.abstract.

The research was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health (AA017447, AA015566, AA06420, AA016985, AA014351, AA013498, AA021491), the Pearson Center for Alcoholism and Addiction Research at TSRI and the German Research Foundation (HA 6102/1).



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

New device can reduce sleep apnea episodes by 70 percent, Pitt-UPMC study shows

2014-01-09
New device can reduce sleep apnea episodes by 70 percent, Pitt-UPMC study shows VIDEO: Ryan Soose, M.D., director of the UPMC Division ...

SURA reports findings from data management pilot

2014-01-09
SURA reports findings from data management pilot After 11 months of review, SURA announced the findings of a collaborative project to explore the capabilities of an open source application that assists with publishing, referencing, extracting and ...

Research suggests a blood test to locate gene defects associated with cancer may not be far off

2014-01-09
Research suggests a blood test to locate gene defects associated with cancer may not be far off HOUSTON, TX - Some surprising research findings from scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center suggest it's possible a ...

Study identifies risk factors for non-fatal overdoses

2014-01-09
Study identifies risk factors for non-fatal overdoses (Boston) – Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Boston Medical Center (BMC) have identified that injection frequency and taking anti-retroviral therapy for HIV are risk ...

Quasars illuminate swiftly swirling clouds around galaxies

2014-01-09
Quasars illuminate swiftly swirling clouds around galaxies CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A new study of light from quasars has provided astronomers with illuminating insights into the swirling clouds of gas that form stars and galaxies, proving that the clouds ...

Fossil pigments reveal the colors of ancient sea monsters

2014-01-09
Fossil pigments reveal the colors of ancient sea monsters Unique finds of original pigment in fossilised skin from three multi-million-year old marine reptiles attract considerable attention from the scientific community. The pigment reveals that these animals were, ...

Radiocarbon dating suggests white sharks can live 70 years and longer

2014-01-09
Radiocarbon dating suggests white sharks can live 70 years and longer Adult white sharks, also known as great whites, may live far longer than previously thought, according to a new study that used radiocarbon dating to determine age estimates ...

Does ObamaCare cause psychological distress among US adults?

2014-01-09
Does ObamaCare cause psychological distress among US adults? The Affordable Care Act, dubbed 'ObamaCare', has proven to be one of the most controversial legislative acts of the Obama presidency. New research, published in Stress & Health explores the psychological relationship ...

Mass. General research could expand availability of hand, face transplants

2014-01-09
Mass. General research could expand availability of hand, face transplants Immune tolerance to grafts of muscle, bone and skin could free recipients from lifelong immunosuppression Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators have made an important ...

Vikings and superheroes: How interconnected characters may reveal the reality behind the stories

2014-01-08
Vikings and superheroes: How interconnected characters may reveal the reality behind the stories The Icelandic sagas of the Norse people are thousand-year-old chronicles of brave deeds and timeless romances, but how true to Viking life were they? Writing in Significance, Pádraig ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Children fast from clear liquids much longer before surgery than guidelines recommend, large study shows

Food insecurity, loneliness can increase the risk of developing chronic pain after surgery

Cesarean delivery linked to higher risk of pain and sleep problems after childbirth

New global burden of disease study: Mortality declines, youth deaths rise, widening health inequities

Chemobiological platform enables renewable conversion of sugars into core aromatic hydrocarbons of petroleum

Individualized perioperative blood pressure management in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery

Proactive vs reactive treatment of hypotension during surgery

Different types of depression linked to different cardiometabolic diseases

Ketogenic diet may protect against stress experienced in the womb

Adults 65 years and older not immune to the opioid epidemic, new study finds

Artificial intelligence emerging as powerful patient safety tool in pediatric anesthesia

Mother’s ZIP code, lack of access to prenatal care can negatively impact baby’s health at birth, new studies show

American Society of Anesthesiologists honors John M. Zerwas, M.D., FASA, with Distinguished Service Award

A centimeter-scale quadruped piezoelectric robot with high integration and strong robustness

Study confirms that people with ADHD can be more creative. The reason may be that they let their mind wander

Research gives insight into effect of neurodegenerative diseases on speech rhythm

Biochar and plants join forces to clean up polluted soils and boost ecosystem recovery

Salk scientist Joseph Ecker awarded McClintock Prize for Plant Genetics and Genome Studies

ADHD: Women are diagnosed five years later than men, despite symptoms appearing at the same age.

Power plants may emit more pollution during government shutdowns

Increasing pressures for conformity de-skilling and demotivating teachers, study warns

Researchers develop smarter menstrual product with potential for wearable health monitoring

Microwaves for energy-efficient chemical reactions

MXene current collectors could reduce size, improve recyclability of Li-ion batteries

Living near toxic sites linked to aggressive breast cancer

New discovery could open door to male birth control

Wirth elected Fellow of American Physical Society

The Journal of Nuclear Medicine Ahead-of-Print Tip Sheet: October 10, 2025

Destined to melt

Attitudes, not income, drive energy savings at home

[Press-News.org] Nociceptin: Nature's balm for the stressed brain