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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1978 Oct;75(10):5170–5172. doi: 10.1073/pnas.75.10.5170

Appearance of beta-endorphin-like immunoreactivity in human ventricular cerebrospinal fluid upon analgesic electrical stimulation.

H Akil, D E Richardson, J D Barchas, C H Li
PMCID: PMC336286  PMID: 283422

Abstract

beta-Endorphin-like immunoreactivity in human ventricular cerebrospinal fluid was measured with a specific radioimmunoassay. The subjects were undergoing a surgical procedure for relief of chronic intractable pain. This procedure involved the focal stimulation of a medial thalamic site adjacent to the wall of the third ventricle. Samples were collected before and during the analgesic stimulation. No beta-endorphin-like immunoreactivity could be detected prior to stimulation, suggesting that baseline levels are below 25 fmol/ml of cerebrospinal fluid. Electrical stimulation led to substantial increases (13- to 20-fold) in immunoreactive material in every subject. These results suggest that beta-endorphin-like material can be released into the ventricular system and may contribute to the pain blockade that results from periventricular stimulation.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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