The aim of the present study was to find out the influence of psychopathology on abstinence from opiate addiction. A group of 54 opiate addicts with psychopathology was compared with another group of 55 opiate addicts without psychopathology. Both the groups were detoxified and followed up for a period of 12 months.Common psychopathology in opiate addicts consisted of psychopathic personality d...

Morphine was used as a remedy for the control of diarrhea centuries before it's sedative-analgesic effect was discovered. Although several mechanisms have been proposed for the morphine-induced inhibition of gastrointestinal transit (OIT), the exact mechanism has not yet been identified. On this basis the possible involvement of the dopaminergic system in morphine-induced inhibition of tra...

An analog of human beta-endorphine with omission of four residues at positions 11, 14, 20, and 22 has been synthesized. This analog and other synthetic analogs with deletion of a single amino acid at position 2, 5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, or 22 have been assayed for analgesic potency, ileal opiate activity,opiate receptor-binding activity, andimmunoreactivity. Results show that deletion of a sin...

Self-injurious behavior (SIB) is a primary reason that individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDD) are either retained in restrictive environments or are administered psychotropic medication. There are no known causes and no universally accepted treatments for this complex behavior among individuals with NDD. There is developing evidence, however, that individuals exhibiting SIB have...

By Arthur Falek, Ph.D. What is known about the genetic aspects of opiate addiction? Opiates such as heroin and dilaudid are drugs which have long been known to relieve or depress pain but increased consumption frequently result in uncontrolled drug use and addiction. These properties of opiates led to the discovery that there are specific opiate receptors in the brain and that the central nervo...

This report describes effective prolonged opiate blockade by subcutaneous depotnaltrexone (d-NTX) preparation. The d-NTX is a 1000 mg pellet inserted at opiate detoxification. The assay of effective opiate blockade was direct opiate challenge. Fifteen challenges were performed. Opiate challenges occurred from 21 to 70 days after d-NTX implantation (mean 40.9 days). All patients were refractory ...

Much research has focused on the opiate properties of dynorphin, especially toward differentiating its binding to various receptor sub-populations. The effects of dynorphin in vitro have clearly documented its opiate binding potential. However, central administration of dynorphin produces behavioral and electrophysiological effects unlike those of classical ~t-, Kor 8-receptor agonists. In fact...

CONTEXT Although drug cues reliably activate the brain's reward system, studies rarely examine how the processing of drug stimuli compares with natural reinforcers or relates to clinical outcomes. OBJECTIVES To determine hedonic responses to natural and drug reinforcers in long-term heroin users and to examine the utility of these responses in predicting future heroin use. DESIGN Prospectiv...