April 2018
Congratulations to Psychology Department students Janell Lanpher (PSY, ’17), Abigail Kinens (PSY, ’17), Philomena Richard (NEU, ’18), Sarah Couture (NEU, ’18), Rebecca Brackin (BIO & NEU, ’19), and Kylee Harrington (NEU, ’20), who recently published published an original research paper in the journal Psychopharmacology on in vivo delta/mu opioid receptor interactions using operant conditioning assays to determine optimum therapeutic index. This work was conducted with Glenn Stevenson, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology, in collaboration with Kenner Rice, Ph.D., director, Drug Design and Synthesis, Molecular Targets/Medications Branch at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The article, entitled “Delta/mu opioid receptor interactions in operant conditioning assays of pain-depressed responding and drug-induced rate suppression: assessment of therapeutic index in male Sprague Dawley rats” was co-authored by Katherine Cone, Janell Lanpher, Abigail Kinens, Philomena Richard, Sarah Couture, Rebecca Brackin, Emily Payne, Kylee Harrington, Kenner C. Rice, and Glenn W. Stevenson.
This paper is the first publication in the literature to characterize in vivo delta + mu opioid receptor interactions using methods of pain-depressed behavior that are thought to be more relevant to veterinary and clinical populations. These strategies of utilizing high-efficacy mu receptor and delta receptor compounds in fixed-ratio combinations, allows for determination of optimal receptor activation to produce enhanced pain relief with attenuated side effects.
Says Stevenson says “I am so proud of the high level of work performed by my undergraduate students and alumni.” The Psychology Department as a whole is also proud of these students for their achievement!
Funding for the research was provided by a National Institutes of Health.
We Are ANB, PSY, NEU, Art Therapy, & MHR at UNE 