Non-nociceptive roles of opioids in the CNS: opioids’ effects on neurogenesis, learning, memory and affect

• Published in: Nature reviews. Neuroscience Vol. 20; no. 1; pp. 5 - 18
• Main Authors: Kibaly, Cherkaouia, Xu, Chi, Cahill, Catherine M., Evans, Christopher J., Law, Ping-Yee
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.01.2019; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/378/2571/1696; 631/378/3920; Addictive behaviors; Affect - drug effects; Analgesics, Opioid - pharmacology; Animal Genetics and Genomics; Behavioral Sciences; Biological Techniques; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Brain - drug effects; Brain - metabolism; Casualties; Epidemics; Fentanyl; Health aspects; Hippocampus; Humans; Learning; Learning - drug effects; Memory; Memory - drug effects; Mood; Narcotics; Neurobiology; Neurogenesis; Neurogenesis - drug effects; Neurosciences; Opioids; Pain perception; Receptors, Opioid - metabolism; Review Article
• ISSN: 1471-003X; 1471-0048; 1471-0048; 1469-3178
• DOI: 10.1038/s41583-018-0092-2

Mortality due to opioid use has grown to the point where, for the first time in history, opioid-related deaths exceed those caused by car accidents in many states in the United States. Changes in the prescribing of opioids for pain and the illicit use of fentanyl (and derivatives) have contributed to the current epidemic. Less known is the impact of opioids on hippocampal neurogenesis, the functional manipulation of which may improve the deleterious effects of opioid use. We provide new insights into how the dysregulation of neurogenesis by opioids can modify learning and affect, mood and emotions, processes that have been well accepted to motivate addictive behaviours. Maladaptive modulation of learning, memory and affect by opioids is linked to dysfunctional neurogenesis. In this Review, Kibaly and colleagues discuss this link and how strategies that target neurogenesis to rescue opioid-dependent learning, memory and affect impairments constitute future directions for anti-addiction therapies.