Toni S. Shippenberg

TL;DR: Data show that tonic activation of mu and kappa receptors is required for the maintenance of basal dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens, which may have implications for the treatment of opiate dependence and affective disorders.

TL;DR: It is demonstrated that μ‐, δ‐, and k‐opioid agonists differentially affect DA release in the NAC and this action is centrally mediated.

TL;DR: The observations suggest that several selective opioid agonists can modulate responses to noxious pressure through a peripheral opioid receptor-specific site of action in inflammation and that these receptors possess distinguishable pharmacological characteristics resembling those of mu, delta and kappa receptors.

TL;DR: An important role for the A10 neurons in the VTA is suggested in the regulation of both mu and kappa opioid-induced motivational states, whereas aversive effects are associated with the activation of kappa receptors in theVTA and its limbic-cortical terminal regions.

TL;DR: Data is reviewed showing that the dynorphin/kappa-opioid receptor (KOPr) system serves an essential function in opposing alterations in behavior and brain neurochemistry that occur as a consequence of repeated drug use and that aberrant activity of this system may not only contribute to the dysregulation of behavior that characterizes addiction but to individual differences in vulnerability to the pharmacological actions of cocaine and alcohol.