The roles of opioid receptors in pain and addiction have been extensively studied, but their function in mood disorders has received less attention. Accumulating evidence from animal research reveal that mu, delta and kappa opioid receptors (MORs, DORs and KORs, respectively) exert highly distinct controls over mood-related processes. DOR agonists and KOR antagonists have promising antidepressant potential, whereas the risk-benefit ratio of currently available MOR agonists as antidepressants remain difficult to evaluate, in addition to their inherent abuse liability. At present, both human and animal studies have mainly examined MORs in the etiology of depressive disorders, and future studies will address delta and kappa receptor function in established and emerging neurobiological aspects of depression, including neurogenesis, neurodevelopment and social behaviors.

The results suggest that child abuse, in part through epigenetic reprogramming of oligodendrocytes, may lastingly disrupt cortical myelination, a fundamental feature of cerebral connectivity.