Researchers from the University of North Carolina have discovered a cellular mechanism that drives anxiety. When you hear kappa opioid receptors (KOR), it may sound like some college fraternity. However these are brain proteins that stop the release of the neurotransmitter glutamate in a part of the brain that regulates emotion.
Kappa Opioid Receptors (KOR) has been attracting a lot of attention as a drug of choice for the treatment of addiction and anxiety disorders because they provide pain relief minus the risk of addiction. However, KORs' possible uses remain in its initial phase since scientists are still not sure about how they really work, Medical Daily reported.
For the study, the researchers used mice that had been genetically designed to have specific genes (expressed or repressed) to understand how activating and inactivating KORs affect animal behaviors. Thomas L. Kash, PhD, an associate professor of pharmacology and the lead author of the study explained that when these proteins are inactivated, glutamate is properly released and mice showed signs of feeling less anxious.
"But when kappa opioid receptors are activated, this glutamate release associated with 'safety' was tamped down," Kash said. "There were clear signs of more anxiety. So, in essence, KORs shut off an anxiety-reducing pathway in the brain." Kash also told Medical Daily that when they removed the receptor, the mouse spent more time out in the open, showing that they were not so anxious because it is the of their natural instinct to veer away from open spaces.
According to PsyPost.org, what they found more exciting about the study is that the KORs aren't only found in the brain of the mice, they can also be found in humans. "While it is quite challenging at this point to say if they work the exact same way in humans, we do know that there are similar homologous structures and connections in the human brain," Kash said.
"And that there are also kappa opioid receptors in these structures," added Kash. As it turns outs, the professor believes that because of this, the same results are likely to be found in humans.
