How Morphine Breaks the Brain’s Brakes May Be Key to Breaking Addiction
Morphine blocks a process called long-term potentiation (LTP), which strengthens the synapses (connections between neurons) to make the transfer of information between cells more efficient. Neuroscientists have identified this mechanism as a cellular process behind memory and learning.
In the current study, scientists focused on synapses between dopamine-containing neurons and those that contain GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), an inhibitory chemical. “The ability to have LTP at these synapses is probably a natural mechanism to balance excitation and inhibition,” says senior study author Julie Kauer, “so the synapse won’t get crazily excited.”
