Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 4, 2026

A Procedure to Study the Effect of Prolonged Food Restriction on Heroin Seeking in Abstinent Rats
Published on: November 11, 2013
No evidence of association between 118A>G OPRM1 polymorphism and heroin dependence in a large Bulgarian case-control
Momchil A Nikolov1, Olga Beltcheva, Antoaneta Galabova
1Molecular Medicine Center and Department of Medical Chemistry and Biochemistry, Medical University - Sofia, Sofia 1431, Bulgaria.
Abstract:
The micro-opioid receptor is the primary site of action of most opioids. The 118A>G (rs1799971) polymorphism in exon 1 of the micro-opioid receptor gene (OPRM1) leads to an Asn40Asp amino acid change that affects a putative N-glycosylation site. It has been widely investigated for association with alcohol and drug dependence and pain sensitivity, with mixed results. The aim of the current study was to examine whether this polymorphism was associated with heroin dependence in a large Bulgarian cohort of 1842 active users and 1451 population controls. SNP genotyping was done using Real-Time PCR TaqMan technology. Association analyses were conducted, separately for Roma and non-Roma participants. Our results suggest that there is no direct effect of 118A>G genotype on the risk for heroin dependence among active heroin users.
Related Concept Videos
Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms-SNPs
Pharmacogenetics of Drug Transporters: P-Glycoprotein and Solute Carrier Transporters
Pharmacogenetics of Drug Targets: β₂-Adrenergic Receptors, Apo E, Thymidylate Synthase
Genome-wide Association Studies-GWAS
GWAS does not require the identification of the target gene involved in...
Pharmacogenetic Phenotypes: Alterations in Pharmacokinetics, Drug Targets and Biologic Milieu
Pharmacogenetics of Drug Metabolism: Overview