Adult attachment style is associated with cerebral  -opioid receptor availability in XXXX .

@entity1 @entity148 @entity6254 @entity6253
UNASSIGNED: @entity1 attachment behavior mediates establishment and maintenance of social relationships. Adult attachment characteristically varies on @entity148 and avoidance dimensions, reflecting the tendencies to worry about the partner breaking the social bond ( @entity148 ) and feeling uncomfortable about depending on others (avoidance). In primates and other mammals, the endogenous  -opioid system is linked to long-term social bonding, but evidence of its role in @entity1 adult attachment remains more limited. We used in vivo positron emission tomography to reveal how variability in  -opioid receptor ( @entity6253 ) availability is associated with adult attachment in @entity1 . We scanned 49 healthy subjects using a @entity6253 -specific ligand @entity6254 and measured their attachment avoidance and @entity148 with the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised scale. The avoidance dimension of attachment correlated negatively with @entity6253 availability in the thalamus and anterior cingulate cortex, as well as the frontal cortex, amygdala, and insula. No associations were observed between @entity6253 availability and the @entity148 dimension of attachment. Our results suggest that the endogenous opioid system may underlie interindividual differences in avoidant attachment style in @entity1 adults, and that differences in @entity6253 availability are associated with the individuals' social relationships and psychosocial well-being. Hum Brain Mapp, 2015.    2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
