human study linking mu-opioid receptor gene with social sensitivity

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Bluelighter
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Genetic Link Between Physical Pain And Social Rejection Found
ScienceDaily (Aug. 21, 2009)

UCLA psychologists have determined for the first time that a gene linked with physical pain sensitivity is associated with social pain sensitivity as well.

Their study indicates that variation in the mu-opioid receptor gene (OPRM1), often associated with physical pain, is related to how much social pain a person feels in response to social rejection. People with a rare form of the gene are more sensitive to rejection and experience more brain evidence of distress in response to rejection than those with the more common form.

The research was published Aug. 14 in the early online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and will appear in the print version in the coming weeks.

The findings give weight to the common notion that rejection "hurts" by showing that a gene regulating the body's most potent painkillers — mu-opioids — is involved in socially painful experiences too, said study co-author Naomi Eisenberger, UCLA assistant professor of psychology and director of UCLA's Social and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory.

In the study, researchers collected saliva samples from 122 participants to assess which form of the OPRM1 gene they had and then measured sensitivity to rejection in two ways. First, participants completed a survey that measured their self-reported sensitivity to rejection. They were asked, for example, how much they agreed or disagreed with statements like "I am very sensitive to any signs that a person might not want to talk to me."

Next, a subset of this group, 31 participants, was studied using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) at UCLA's Ahmanson–Lovelace Brain Mapping Center during a virtual ball-tossing game in which participants were ultimately socially excluded. Subjects were told that they would be connected over the Internet with two other players who were also in fMRI scanners and that they would all be playing the interactive ball-tossing game. In reality, however, participants were playing with a preset computer program, not other people...
 
Initially, participants were included in the activity but were then excluded when the two other "players" stopped throwing the ball to them.

"What we found is that individuals with the rare form of the OPRM1 gene, who were shown in previous work to be more sensitive to physical pain, also reported higher levels of rejection sensitivity and showed greater activity in social pain–related regions of the brain — the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and anterior insula — in response to being excluded," Eisenberger said.

The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and anterior insula are brain regions often associated with the distress of physical pain. Previous research by Eisenberger and her colleagues has shown that these brain regions are also involved in the pain of social rejection.

"Although it has long been suggested that mu-opioids play a role in social pain — and there are convincing animal models that show this — this is the first human study to link this mu-opioid receptor gene with social sensitivity in response to rejection," Eisenberger said.

"These findings suggest that the feeling of being given the cold shoulder by a romantic interest or not being picked for a schoolyard game of basketball may arise from the same circuits that are quieted by morphine," said Baldwin Way, a UCLA postdoctoral scholar and the lead author on the paper.

Eisenberger argues that this overlap in the neurobiology of physical and social pain makes good sense.

"Because social connection is so important, feeling literally hurt by not having social connections may be an adaptive way to make sure we keep them," she said. "Over the course of evolution, the social attachment system, which ensures social connection, may have actually borrowed some of the mechanisms of the pain system to maintain social connections."
 
I'm terrible when it comes to being rejected. My depression greatly increased when I asked a few girls out and was rejected and also when going for job interviews and getting the "We'll be in touch..".
I'm also addicted to Opiates.

This is really fucking interesting :) Thanks for posting this mate.
 
Aww it's fantastic to know I'm not alone in this too guys :)

**Gives a big rejected-group cuggle** ♥ ^_^

-----edit-----

Was just talking to some friends about it and we realized this could be the same reason why Depression physically manifests itself with aches and pains, such as back pain, joint pains, headaches etc.
 
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I'd bet money I'm one of these people. I've been hypersensitive my whole life to social rejection, and no amount of exposure to either rejection OR acceptance has thickened my skin. Reasoning it away hasn't worked either. I've long been dumbfounded by people who can tolerate the presence of people who don't like them without any apparent distress, or who can get publicly humiliated and just shrug it off.

Interestingly enough, I recently paid to do one of those commercial gene scans (in anticipation of having kids, looking for major genetic risks, etc.). The report said I'm at high risk for opiate and alcohol addiction, based on the presence of certain genotypes. Opiates have always scared me -- since I first learned about heroin and its effects in elementary school, I knew instinctively that if I ever touched it, that would be the end of me. I also had a very 'Where ya been all my life?!' reaction the first time I drank alcohol, and I've had to fight very hard not to abuse it. My brother is an alcoholic.

One reason my wife and I are such a good match is that we are both naturally hypervigilant about what others think of us, and accept each other being that way. We seldom fight, and are heavy handed with the daily hugs and reassurance. She, however, is not partial to either opiates or alcohol. She's been prescribed codeine before, and hated the psychoactive effects. She drinks one drink of booze and can barely stand, and gets wicked hangovers only a couple hours later. Therefore, though she and I relate to our life outlooks whilst sober, I'm also quite sure if I became an alcoholic or opiate addict, that would likely be the end of us relating well, and probably the beginning of the end of our marriage.
 
this fact is in my abnormal psychology textbook, it's not brand new knowledge that the opioid system is involved in social cognition/behavior and plays a role in some surprising things. it's a very big neurotransmitter type in terms of shaping our personality
 
Dude, I fit the profile perfectly too. I had always been severley shy/ social phobic. especially among girls. When I would drink the amount of EtOH (which effects the Mu receptor presumably) but probably causes dishibition through multiple mechanisms- The amount I would have to drink to be comfortable emough for a coversation was so high that I would be drunk and sloppy- turn off for chicks. (Actually not to bad looking at time.) But When I discovered opiates they made the social anxiety/ phobia evaporate. And I had energy- I was outgoing, lucid, and sometimes witty. My luck with women skyrocketed that year and I eventually met my now wife who ended up getting strung out down the line too. The weird thing, though, is that EtOH would make her outgoing and so would opiates to an extent but methadone especially, sometimes suboxone, and sometimes stuff would give her panic attacks. They laughed at her at a methadone clinic once but I was reacting to methadone 60 mg with panic attacks (could have been unrelated too at one point). 1- 2 mg Xanax tid prn and then switch to 2 mg klonopin at night cured this. But yea, I've been suspecting this for years.
 
the only problem with using opioids to fix social anxiety is that the effect doesnt last forever, and prolonged opioid use has negative consequences that most people dont know about, such as decoupling g-proteins from their respective receptors (overall effect unknown), and memory inhibition (opioids inhibit synaptic long-term potentiation), and also causing your endorphin and dynorphin levels to get out of sync. and then there's also the formation of the delta-mu recombinant receptor, although its also currently unknown what the implications of that are...

they do make for a good temporary fix though, but its really not worth the problems you'll develop if you become dependent.
 
I've been fighting a 10-year long dependence on opiates and it was NOT worth it. I would suggest anyone thinking of self medicating with opiates for their anxiety to listen to the horror stories associated with addiction. Bupe is great though. Maybe one day buprenorphine in low doses will be indicated for people with SA.
 
When I discovered opiates they made the social anxiety/ phobia evaporate. And I had energy- I was outgoing, lucid, and sometimes witty. My luck with women skyrocketed that year and I eventually met my now wife
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i believe this is probly the main reason addiction takes hold in the suburbs. same story here. lucid definitely, as my grades went up, motivation for projects like programming, etc. it is a shame how much misinformation is out there. to mainstream, opiates are just like alcohol but stronger and more addictive. it's sad

after a few years on them, the motivation and such went away... now i am stuck with a dependency 80mg methadone, hoping to be off by spring
 
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