Posted by phidippus on November 10, 2014, at 19:56:48
In reply to why do opiates help depression?, posted by rjlockhart37 on November 8, 2014, at 17:52:29
>so i do know that opiates target dopamine, but it's not a stimulant like effect, sutle, being content, and feeling a general feeling of well being......
Opiates target the opioid system and have nothing to do with dopamine.
Opioids bind to specific opioid receptors in the nervous system and other tissues. There are three principal classes of opioid receptors, mu, kappa, and delta, although up to seventeen have been reported, and include the (Epsilon, Iota, Lambda and Zeta) receptors. Conversely, (Sigma) receptors are no longer considered to be opioid receptors because their activation is not reversed by the opioid inverse-agonist naloxone, they do not exhibit high-affinity binding for classical opioids, and they are stereoselective for dextro-rotatory isomers while the other opioid receptors are stereo-selective for laevo-rotatory isomers. In addition, there are three subtypes of mu-receptor: mu1 and mu2, and the newly discovered m3. Another receptor of clinical importance is the opioid-receptor-like receptor 1 (ORL1), which is involved in pain responses as well as having a major role in the development of tolerance to mu-opioid agonists used as analgesics. These are all G-protein coupled receptors acting on GABAergic neurotransmission.
The body produces opioids, called endorphins which bind to the opoid system and create feelings of well being.
Nobody really knows why opiates produce feelings of euphoria, but its that quality they possess which makes them useful as antidepressants.
Eric
poster:phidippus
thread:1073295
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20141017/msgs/1073338.html