Altered Brain Chemistry in Women with MDD

A study just published in the Archives of General Psychiatry suggests that µ-opioid neurotransmission is involved in the regulation of affective states in female patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Researchers measured µ-opioid receptor availability in vivo (binding potential) with positron emission tomography during a neutral state and an in-clinic sustained “sadness state.” Patients with MDD showed a significant decrease in µ-opioid receptor binding potential in the posterior thalamus compared with healthy probands.
http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/63/11/1199

-LS