Abstract
In the spinal cord, there appears to be a relationship between the enkephalins and the control of pain. The enkephalins appear to act as inhibitory transmitters, and the anatomical evidence which finds enkephalin-like immunoreactive material in terminals making normal synaptic contacts supports this observation [4], Similarly, the opioid neurons that appear to be the most intimately involved in the regulation of nociceptive information are those containing the enkephalin peptides [13]. Immunochemical studies have revealed many enkephalin-containing neurons and nerve terminals concentrated in laminae I and II of the dorsal horn in the spinal cord [10]. Autoradiographic mapping studies have shown that the spinal distribution of opiate receptors, which is the subclass most closely linked with pain pathways, parallels that of the enkephalins [11]. Consequently, there is now general agreement that the enkephalins have a pain-modulating role and are involved in a major proportion of the opioid activity found in the brain and spinal cord.
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References
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Budd, K. (1986). The Use of D-Phenylalanine in the Treatment of Chronic Pain. In: Hossli, G., Frey, P., Kreienbühl, G. (eds) ZAK Zürich. Anaesthesiologie und Intensivmedizin / Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, vol 188. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-71269-2_48
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-71269-2_48
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