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Calcitonin receptor signal: a potential target for opioid use disorder?

Neuropsychopharmacology volume 48, pages 1835–1836 (2023)Cite this article

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If we were to ask any addiction neuroscience researcher about their main scientific goal and dream, the overwhelming response would undoubtedly be to discover treatments and targets that can prevent and disrupt the various phases of drug addiction. Throughout the history of our field, this has been the shared objective for our community, spanning several decades [1]. Despite the noble intentions, fervent efforts, and significant investments, the stark reality remains that treatment options have remained largely unchanged [2]. This stagnation in the state of the art has increasingly caused disappointment and raised doubts about the validity of our field. While this background may sound cynical and pessimistic, it is important to note that this is not the end. As scientists in the addiction neuroscience field, we acknowledge our past mistakes and failures. Nevertheless, we persist in our pursuit of creating and proposing new solutions and approaches. We are committed to learning from our previous missteps and are dedicated to the ongoing exploration of innovative avenues [3].

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in exploring potential pharmacotherapies to treat drug addiction. Among various approaches, one significant area of focus has been targeting neuropeptides and their receptors within the gut-brain axis [4]. Calcitonin receptors (CTRs) have emerged as a particularly promising example in this regard. Pharmacological activation of CTRs has shown promise in reducing drug-induced activation of the mesolimbic dopamine system and drug taking. However, the role of CTRs in opioid addiction remains a critical area for investigation. This is because current therapies for opioid addiction predominantly rely on the use of full or partial mu opioid receptor agonists and antagonists, which are considered effective treatments. However, given the current opioid epidemic and the urgent need for more effective treatments, investigating the involvement of CTRs and other signaling pathways could provide new avenues for developing more targeted and potentially more effective treatments for opioid addiction. In this issue of Neuropsychopharmacology, Zhang et al. [5] delve into this topic to further expand our understanding of the involvement of CTRs in opioid self-administration with a specific emphasis on the nucleus accumbens (NAc) shell because of its pivotal role in mediating opioid-related behaviors.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Yavin Shaham for comments and edits on the early version of the paper.

Funding

The research was supported by a grant from NIDA [DA047976] (MV).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Rosa A. M. Marino & Marco Venniro

  2. Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Marco Venniro

  3. Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Marco Venniro

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  1. Rosa A. M. Marino
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  2. Marco Venniro
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RAMM and MV equally contributed to this manuscript.

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Correspondence to Marco Venniro.

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Marino, R.A.M., Venniro, M. Calcitonin receptor signal: a potential target for opioid use disorder?. Neuropsychopharmacol. 48, 1835–1836 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-023-01702-4

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