About the project
In this project, we hypothesise that addictive drugs have different mechanisms of action depending on how one is feeling before taking the drug. Negative feelings and a wish for relief could underpin the increased risk of addiction observed in people suffering from depression, anxiety, a history of childhood trauma, and poor social support networks. We also investigate the role of the endogenous opioid system (which uses for instance endorphins as signal transmitters) in stress responses and their modulation.
Outcomes
The research results are expected to shed light on how distress enhances vulnerability to opioid addiction, and whether protective individual and environmental factors buffer stress responses through the endogenous opioid system.
Background
Despite the tremendous resources invested in uncovering the mechanisms of substance abuse, overdose tolls are increasing worldwide. These tragic deaths are mainly attributable to opioid drugs such as heroin and prescription analgesics. The canonical view that pain protects against the addictive properties of opioids has finally been abandoned. Yet we are still a long way from understanding the processes that make opioid drugs so addictive.
