Related Experiment Videos
"Top-Down" Mu-Opioid System Function in Humans: Mu-Opioid Receptors in Ventrolateral Prefrontal Cortex Mediate the
Sharee N Light1, Linas A Bieliauskas1, Jon-Kar Zubieta1
1From the Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta (SNL); the Department of Psychiatry, Neuropsychology Section, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich. (LAB); and the Department of Psychiatry University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah (J-K Z).
Abstract:
Cognitive dysfunction and anhedonia, the reduced ability to experience pleasure, are commonly comorbid symptoms that are persistent following successful resolution of negative affect in major depressive disorder (MDD). Little is known about whether they share common etiology. In the present study, the relationship between ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) activity, cognitive dysfunction (i.e., executive dysfunction), and positive emotionality was investigated in conjunction with mu-opioid neurotransmission in a sample of 39 MDD patients. Results suggest that increased endogenous mu-opioid tone in the VLPFC mediates the relationship between increased trait positive emotionality and more efficient executive functioning.