The Kappa Opioid Receptor Is Associated With Naltrexone-Induced Reduction of Drinking and Craving

摘要

BACKGROUND: Naltrexone is a nonselective opioid receptor antagonist used as a treatment for alcohol use disorder. However, only modest clinical effects have been observed, possibly because of limited knowledge about the biological variables affecting the efficacy of naltrexone. We investigated the potential role of the kappa opioid receptor (KOR) in the therapeutic effect of naltrexone.