A study coordinated by the UAB, based on computer models and human cell cultures, shows that big dynorphin, an endogenous opioid peptide, protects neurons against the cytotoxic effects of β-amyloid ...

The KOPr and the endogenous KOPr ligand dynorphin are enriched in the ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens (Acb), and prefrontal cortex; brain regions that regulate mood and motivation.

Relevant for inflammation and chronic pain The new study is published in PNAS and it investigates the interaction between Big Dynorphin and the receptor called Acid-Sensing Ion Channel (ASIC). The ...

Neuroscientists have identified a neural circuit in the amygdala, the brain's seat of emotion processing, that gives rise to anxiety. Their insight has revealed the critical role of a molecule called ...

Effects of big dynorphin (Big Dyn), a prodynorphin-derived peptide consisting of dynorphin A (Dyn A) and dynorphin B (Dyn B) on memory function, anxiety, and locomotor activity were studied in mice ...

Scientists have discovered a mechanism which stops the process of forgetting anxiety after a stress event. In experiments they showed that feelings of anxiety don’t subside if too little dynorphin is ...

A study led by researchers at the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica (SIMM), Chinese Academy of Sciences, has shown that amygdala kappa-opioid receptor (KOR)-dependent upregulation of glutamate ...

For people who go though stressful events and just can't seem to move beyond the anxiety they trigger, a new study may offer some answers. It turns out that there's a chemical in the brain that's ...

This article was supported by readers like you. Our mission is to provide accurate, engaging news of science to the public. That mission has never been more important than it is today. As a nonprofit ...