NIH R01 · 2025
Dysregulation of the opioid system in early life adversity
PROJECT SUMMARY Childhood maltreatment is associated with insecure attachment, emotional dysregulation, and abnormal threat detection. Here we propose that abnormal dysregulation of the brain beta-endorphin signaling pathway plays a central role linking childhood maltreatment with insecure attachment and with long-term behavioral abnormalities. This idea is supported by work showing that dysregulation of the main beta-endorphin receptor (mu-opioid receptor, or MOR) is associated with insecure attachment, emotional dysregulation, and abnormal threat detection. To test this premise, we developed a mouse model of complex trauma, abbreviated UPS. UPS recapitulates several key features of…
From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.