Award
National Institute on Drug Abuse 1R01DA062636-01A1
Functional anatomy, physiology and behavioral responses mediated by mu opioid receptor signaling on medial thalamic neurons.
Recipient
University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Department of Pharmacology
Award Amount
$595,171.00
Ceiling
$595,171.00
Awarded
May 07, 2026
Identifier
1R01DA062636-01A1
This project investigates the role of mu opioid receptor signaling in medial thalamic neurons to understand their involvement in pain sensitivity and opioid effects, aiming to develop better pain management strategies with reduced misuse potential.
Description
Opioids like morphine act across many brain regions to regulate reward and pain processing; opioid-sensitive thalamic neurons connect many of these brain regions. The focus of this work is to determine which thalamic neurons are activated during hyperalgesia (increased pain sensitivity), whether opioids inhibit hyperalgesia-activated neurons and whether inhibition of these thalamic neurons is sufficient to prevent hyperalgesia. These results may help identify new strategies to dissociate the desired and undesired effects of opioids.