This preprint is under consideration at a Nature Research Journal. A preprint is a preliminary version of a manuscript that has not completed peer review at a journal. Research Square does not conduct peer review prior to posting preprints. The posting of a preprint on this server should not be interpreted as an endorsement of its validity or suitability for dissemination as established information or for guiding clinical practice.
Nature journals have partnered with Research Square to offer In Review, a journal-integrated preprint deposition service.
Article
A diencephalic circuit for opioid analgesia but not positive reinforcement
Elyssa Margolis
University of California, San Francisco
Corresponding Author
ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8777-302X
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
Mu opioid receptor (MOR) agonists are the most effective analgesics, but their use risks respiratory depression and addiction. The epithalamic lateral habenula (LHb) is a critical site that signals aversive states, often via indirect inhibition of reward circuitry, and MORs are highly expressed in the LHb. We found that the LHb is a potent site for both MOR-agonist analgesia. Strikingly, LHb MOR activation generates negative reinforcement but is not rewarding in the absence of noxious input. While the LHb receives inputs from multiple sites, we found that inputs from the lateral preoptic area of the hypothalamus (LPO) are excited by noxious stimulation, express MOR mRNA, and are preferentially targeted by MOR selective agonists. Critically, optogenetic stimulation of LHb-projecting LPO neurons produces an aversive state relieved by LHb MOR activation. Therefore targeting this MOR sensitive forebrain circuit can relieve pain yet lower the risk of misuse by pain free individuals.
Keywords
Mu opioid receptor agonists, epithalamic lateral habenula, opioid analgesia
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Due to technical limitations, full-text HTML conversion of this manuscript could not be completed. However, the latest manuscript can be downloaded and accessed as a PDF.
Badges
Prescreen
This manuscript passed our Prescreen assessment
Complete author information
Appropriate declaration statements
Potential risks to human health
Prescreen
Peer Review Timeline
CURRENT STATUS: Under Review
Version 1
Posted 06 Jan, 2021
Metrics
Comments: 0
PDF Downloads: ...
HTML Views: ...
Learn more about our company.
This preprint is under consideration at a Nature Research Journal. A preprint is a preliminary version of a manuscript that has not completed peer review at a journal. Research Square does not conduct peer review prior to posting preprints. The posting of a preprint on this server should not be interpreted as an endorsement of its validity or suitability for dissemination as established information or for guiding clinical practice.
Nature journals have partnered with Research Square to offer In Review, a journal-integrated preprint deposition service.
Article
A diencephalic circuit for opioid analgesia but not positive reinforcement
Elyssa Margolis
University of California, San Francisco
Corresponding Author
ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8777-302X
Badges
Prescreen
This manuscript passed our Prescreen assessment
Complete author information
Appropriate declaration statements
Potential risks to human health
Prescreen
Peer Review Timeline
CURRENT STATUS: Under Review
Version 1
Posted 06 Jan, 2021
Metrics
Comments: 0
PDF Downloads: ...
HTML Views: ...
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
Mu opioid receptor (MOR) agonists are the most effective analgesics, but their use risks respiratory depression and addiction. The epithalamic lateral habenula (LHb) is a critical site that signals aversive states, often via indirect inhibition of reward circuitry, and MORs are highly expressed in the LHb. We found that the LHb is a potent site for both MOR-agonist analgesia. Strikingly, LHb MOR activation generates negative reinforcement but is not rewarding in the absence of noxious input. While the LHb receives inputs from multiple sites, we found that inputs from the lateral preoptic area of the hypothalamus (LPO) are excited by noxious stimulation, express MOR mRNA, and are preferentially targeted by MOR selective agonists. Critically, optogenetic stimulation of LHb-projecting LPO neurons produces an aversive state relieved by LHb MOR activation. Therefore targeting this MOR sensitive forebrain circuit can relieve pain yet lower the risk of misuse by pain free individuals.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Due to technical limitations, full-text HTML conversion of this manuscript could not be completed. However, the latest manuscript can be downloaded and accessed as a PDF.