NOP and OFQ: Behavioral effects during development.
Item
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Title
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NOP and OFQ: Behavioral effects during development.
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Identifier
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AAI3169943
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identifier
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3169943
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Creator
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Limon, Estevan Ruiz.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Gordon A. Barr
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Date
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2005
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Psychobiology | Psychology, Physiological
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Abstract
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The novel opioid peptide receptor (NOP, previously referred to as ORL1) and its endogenous ligand orphanin FQ (OFQ) may provide a non-opioid means of alleviating pain. Experimental evidence using the adult rat suggests that (1) NOP and OFQ are expressed in supraspinal and spinal regions associated with the modulation of nociceptive information and (2) OFQ can induce analgesia when administered spinally and supraspinally. However, due to the lack of data describing the effects of OFQ administration during development and a definitive antagonist for the NOP receptor, the role of NOP and OFQ on nociception during development and the mechanisms involved have yet to be determined. The present studies were intended to evaluate the effects of OFQ administration, both alone and in combination with the purported antagonist, [Nphe1]nociceptin(1-13)-NH2 (Nphe1), in infants. To study the role of NOP and OFQ on nociception during development, both withdrawal latency to a noxious thermal stimulus and pain intensity scores in the formalin test were examined during development (3-, 10-, and 21-days in the case of thermal testing, 3- and 21-days in the case of the formalin test). Analgesia was produced following spinal administration, but in general did not alter pain sensitivity after supraspinal administration. To study the mechanisms involved in this analgesia, Nphe1 was administered alone and in combination with OFQ and its effects on pain intensity scores in the formalin test were examined during development (3- and 21-days-old). NOP/OFQ-induced analgesia was unaffected by Nphe1 co-administration, regardless of route of injection (i.e. supraspinal or spinal). Furthermore, when administered alone, Nphe1 appeared to produce an antinociceptive effect. These results suggest that (1) NOP and OFQ play a role in mediating nociception during development that is fundamentally different from that seen in the adult and (2) Nphe1 is not a functional antagonist of the NOP receptor during development, but instead produces antinociceptive effects that are distinct from those of NOP/OFQ.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
