In a breakthrough study published in Science, researchers from the University of Minnesota Medical School have uncovered a surprising effect of blood pressure medications on the brain.
The team found that these drugs, commonly used to manage hypertension, enhance the brain’s response to naturally occurring opioids, leading to the modulation of specific brain circuits.
This unexpected interaction could potentially counteract the addictive properties of opiates like fentanyl, which are used for pain management.
Key Findings
Blood pressure medications have been discovered to augment the impact of naturally produced opioids in the brain.
This enhancement fine-tunes the function of specific brain circuits and has the potential to mitigate the addictive nature of opiates, particularly fentanyl.
The research suggests a novel approach to bolster opioid signaling in the brain in a protective and beneficial manner, minimizing the risk of dependence or addiction.
Lead researcher Patrick Rothwell, PhD, an assistant professor of neuroscience at the University of Minnesota Medical School, believes that these findings open the door to a new strategy for managing opioid addiction.
The research focuses on angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), a regulator of blood pressure. Although ACE’s role in blood pressure regulation has been extensively studied, its function within the brain has remained largely unexplored.
Based on the study’s outcomes, Rothwell suggests further investigation into ACE inhibitors—a class of drugs used safely to control blood pressure. These inhibitors could potentially be redesigned or repurposed to treat brain-related conditions.
The study was funded by Minnesota’s Discovery, Research, and Innovation Economy (MnDRIVE) initiative and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
These groundbreaking findings offer hope for developing new, safer approaches to address opioid addiction and highlight the potential for repurposing existing medications to combat brain-related conditions, potentially revolutionizing the field of addiction and neuroscience research.
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The research findings can be found in Science.
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