New drug target could prevent tolerance, addiction to opioids, study finds
he findings, published in the Nature journal Neuropsychopharmacology in August, show for the first time that morphine tolerance is due to an i nflammatory response prod uced in the brain. This brain inflammation is caused by the release of cytokines, chemical messengers in the body that trigger an immune response, similar to a viral infection. Researchers' results show blocking a particular cytokine eliminated morphine tolerance, and they were able to reduce the dose of morphine required to alleviate pain by half. "These results have important clinical implications for the treatment of pain and also addiction," said Lori Eidson, lead author and a graduate student in the laboratory of Dr. Anne Murphy in the Neuroscience Institute of Georgia State. "Until now, the precise underlying mechanism for opioid tolerance and its prevention have remained unknown." Over 67 percent of the United States population will experience chronic pain at some point in thei...