In this issue of Neuron, Pomrenze and colleagues(1) report a novel mechanism behind sociability deficits in mice during protracted withdrawal from morphine. Dorsal raphe dynorphin neurons terminating in the nucleus accumbens suppress local serotonin release through kappa opioid receptors. These findings likely have important clinical implications.
Funding Agencies|Canadian Institutes for Health Research; University of Calgary; Hotchkiss Brain Institute