Opioids

Recent articles

Howard Fields.

In memoriam: Howard Fields, pain research pioneer

Over six decades, Fields mapped out the circuits of both pain and addiction.

By Natalia Mesa
22 May 2026 | 7 min read
Research image of enteric neurons in zebrafish.

Opioid receptors may guide formation of gut nervous system in zebrafish

Fish lacking functional copies of the receptors have fewer enteric neurons than usual, but the findings await further validation.

By Olivia Gieger
26 June 2024 | 4 min read

Explore more from The Transmitter

Nerve fibers from the human graft in mouse brain.

Human brain organoids flourish in emptied mouse cortex

The chimeric mice could help untangle the biology of human brain development or conditions such as autism.

By Brianna Abbott
16 September 2026 | 6 min read

What if Hegel were a neuroscientist?

Andrea Gambarotto shares what Hegel and enactivism have in common: an agency-first approach to understanding minds and brains.

By Paul Middlebrooks
16 September 2026 | 1 min read
Illustration of genetic associations.

This paper changed my life: Transformative work in addiction neuroscience

A 2011 Nature study found that loss of a nicotinic receptor subunit leads to increased nicotine intake in mice. The work set the standard for how to functionally validate genetic association study findings in neuroscience.

By Jibran Khokhar
16 September 2026 | 6 min read