FIVM Series presents: Revealing a gut-brain connection in opioid dependence

Opioid use for long-term pain management is limited by side effects such as hyperalgesia –an increased sensitivity to pain. Neuroinflammation, inflammation of the nervous tissue in the brain and spinal cord, is a contributing factor to many of the adverse effects opioid users suffer.  Recent studies have shown a link between neuroinflammation and gut bacteria, and that changes to normal gut bacteria can lead to several inflammation-related mental disorders.  

On Friday, October 19, Dr. Anna Taylor will discuss how the mouse gut microbiome is impacted by chronic opioid treatment and cessation, and will provide evidence that changes in the gut microbiota are causally related to behaviours associated with opioid dependence. This work suggests that therapies that restore or protect a healthy gut microbiota may be useful for alleviating the side effects of prolonged opioid use.

Dr. Taylor is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Alberta.  Her research interests lie within understanding the molecular and circuit level changes that contribute to chronic pain. Dr. Taylor completed her training at McGill University in the McGill Pain Center and later at the University of California, Los Angeles in the Hatos Center for Opioid Pharmacology. Her research spans the fields of opioid addiction and chronic pain, and research projects incorporate both of these models.