In a groundbreaking development, a new lab animal study conducted by the research group led by Prof. Ami Citri, developed by Dr. Anna Terem, Yonatan Fatal and colleagues, has revealed crucial insights into the brain’s ability to regulate the urge to consume fentanyl (a opioid drug 50 times more potent than heroin), offering a glimpse of hope in the ongoing battle against opioid addiction.
The study, published in the journal Current Biology, focused on claustral neurons—a specific population of brain cells—and their role in fentanyl consumption. The researchers found that claustral neurons exhibited distinctive patterns of activity when fentanyl was consumed. Inhibiting the activity of these neurons drove an escalation of opioid binging, while artificially elevating their activity stopped experimental subjects from consuming more fentanyl. Identifying a neural circuit controlling opioid consumption could lead to advances in diagnosis of individuals susceptible to addiction, as well as to the development of novel therapeutic approaches reducing the drive to consume opioid drugs.
The full study is available here.
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