AUTHOR=Reeves Kaitlin C. , Shah Nikhil , Muñoz Braulio , Atwood Brady K. 

TITLE=Opioid Receptor-Mediated Regulation of Neurotransmission in the Brain

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience

VOLUME=15

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/molecular-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnmol.2022.919773

DOI=10.3389/fnmol.2022.919773

ISSN=1662-5099

ABSTRACT=<p>Opioids mediate their effects <italic>via</italic> opioid receptors: mu, delta, and kappa. At the neuronal level, opioid receptors are generally inhibitory, presynaptically reducing neurotransmitter release and postsynaptically hyperpolarizing neurons. However, opioid receptor-mediated regulation of neuronal function and synaptic transmission is not uniform in expression pattern and mechanism across the brain. The localization of receptors within specific cell types and neurocircuits determine the effects that endogenous and exogenous opioids have on brain function. In this review we will explore the similarities and differences in opioid receptor-mediated regulation of neurotransmission across different brain regions. We discuss how future studies can consider potential cell-type, regional, and neural pathway-specific effects of opioid receptors in order to better understand how opioid receptors modulate brain function.</p>