For instance, antagonists for the orexin-1 receptor (OxR1) are thought to hold great promise for treating drug addiction and disorders associated with overeating, as these compounds repeatedly have been found to suppress seeking of various drugs of abuse as well as highly palatable foods in preclinical models.
Inhibitors of DNA methylation and orexin type-1 receptor antagonists modulate the neurobiological effects driving drugs of abuse and natural reinforcers by activating common brain structures of the mesolimbic reward system.
Furthermore, orexin neurons, situated exclusively in the lateral hypothalamus (LH) and link the rewarding effects of drugs of abuse in the LH and the CA1 region of the HIP.
The orexin (Orx) system participates in regulating numerous physiological processes, including energy metabolism, arousal, and feeding, and is recruited by drugs of abuse.
Results from this exploratory study provide support for the following: (1) studying how suvorexant may provide benefit to humans with stimulant use disorders, (2) identifying a potential role for orexin transmission in cathinone abuse, and (3) further interrogating the potential utility of rat USVs to predict drug consumption in preclinical models of substance use disorders.
Over the past decade, the orexin system has been associated with numerous physiological functions, including sleep/arousal, energy homeostasis, endocrine, visceral functions and pathological states, such as narcolepsy and drug abuse.