Orexin Receptor Targets for Anti-Relapse Medication Development in Drug Addiction

Pharmaceuticals

Luyi Zhou¹  Wei-Lun Sun¹ 

[1] id="af1-pharmaceuticals-04-00804">Department of Neurosciences, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, Charleston, SC 29425, U

关键词: addiction;    hypocretin;    orexin;    reinstatement;    relapse;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ph4060804

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Drug addiction is a chronic illness characterized by high rates of relapse. Relapse to drug use can be triggered by re-exposure to drug-associated cues, stressful events, or the drug itself after a period of abstinence. Pharmacological intervention to reduce the impact of relapse-instigating factors offers a promising target for addiction treatment. Growing evidence has implicated an important role of the orexin/hypocretin system in drug reward and drug-seeking, including animal models of relapse. Here, we review the evidence for the role of orexins in modulating reward and drug-seeking in animal models of addiction and the potential for orexin receptors as specific targets for anti-relapse medication approaches.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2011 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.