Endogenous Nociceptin (Orphanin FQ) Suppresses Basal Hedonic State and Acute Reward Responses to Methamphetamine and Ethanol, but Facilitates Chronic ResponsesNeuropsychopharmacology advance online publication 23 May 2007
The opioid peptide nociceptin (orphanin FQ) suppresses drug reward, drug self-administration, and impedes some of the processes believed to underlie the transition to addiction.
As virtually all previous studies have used administration of nociceptin receptor agonists to evaluate the role of nociceptin on addiction-like behavior, the current study used a pharmacological (nociceptin receptor antagonist) and genetic (nociceptin receptor knockout mice) approach to elucidate the role of endogenous nociceptin.
These results suggest that endogenous N/OFQ suppresses basal and drug-stimulated increases in hedonic state, and plays either a permissive or facilitatory role in the development of addiction.
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