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Morphine reduced perceived anger from neutral and implicit emotional expressions
Guro E Løseth1, Marie Eikemo2, Peder Isager1
1Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Norway.
Psychoneuroendocrinology
|March 19, 2018
Summary
Morphine, a μ-opioid agonist, reduced the perception of anger in subtle facial expressions. This suggests μ-opioids may enhance social confidence and decrease threat sensitivity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- The μ-opioid system influences pain, stress, and reward processing.
- Morphine affects attention to facial cues, but its impact on social threat/reward appraisal is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how μ-opioid stimulation affects the perception of anger and happiness in facial expressions.
- To determine if morphine alters sensitivity to subtle social threat cues.
Main Methods:
- Sixty-three healthy adults received either placebo or 10mg oral morphine in a double-blind, randomized design.
- Participants rated perceptions of anger and happiness in faces with explicit, neutral, or implicit expressions.
Main Results:
- Morphine did not alter the overall perception of happiness.
- Morphine reduced the perception of anger in neutral and implicitly expressed faces, but not explicit ones.
- This effect was independent of gender, mood, or autism traits.
Conclusions:
- μ-opioid stimulation, via morphine, reduces the tendency to perceive anger in subtle facial cues.
- These findings support the role of μ-opioids in modulating social confidence and reducing threat sensitivity.
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