The prevalence of obesity has tripled over the past four decades, imposing an enormous
burden on people's health. Polygenic (or common) obesity and rare, severe, early-onset …

Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) regulate the rewarding actions of
nicotine contained in tobacco that establish and maintain the smoking habit. nAChRs also …

INTRODUCTION Obesity accounts for a substantial and growing burden of disease globally.
Body adiposity is highly heritable, and human genetic studies can lead to biological and …

Over the last decade, the understanding of the habenula has rapidly advanced from being
an understudied brain area with the Latin name 'habena” meaning “little rein”, to being …

Neuropathic pain is a major health problem that affects up to 7–10% of the population
worldwide. Currently, neuropathic pain is difficult to treat because of its elusive mechanisms …

Traditional antidepressants largely interfere with monoaminergic transport or degradation
systems, taking several weeks to have their therapeutic actions. Moreover, a large …

Novelty triggers an increase in orienting behavior that is critical to evaluate the potential
salience of unknown events. As novelty becomes familiar upon repeated encounters, this …

The mu opioid receptor (MOR) and the orphan GPR151 receptor are inhibitory G protein
coupled receptors that are enriched in the habenula, a small brain region involved in …

Trigeminal nerve injury–induced neuropathic pain is a debilitating chronic orofacial pain
syndrome but lacks effective treatment. G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs), especially …

Substance abuse is on the rise, and while many people may use illicit drugs mainly due to
their rewarding effects, their societal impact can range from severe, as is the case for …