Fewer receptors for the anti-stress brain chemical nociceptin is associated with less severe posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in college women who have experienced sexual violence, according to a study in Biological Psychiatry, published by Elsevier. The relationship between nociceptin receptor density and PTSD severity was present in women with recent PTSD symptoms but not those with past symptoms, suggesting a role for the receptors in recovery after sexual violence.
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