Endogenous opioids and fever: a hypothesis.
The explosion of knowledge set off by the characterization of endorphins and their receptors has created opportunities for new perspectives on a variety of phenomena. This brief essay examines one such phenomenon--the human febrile response--and proposes an alteration of the current model of the neuroendocrine circuitry controlling body temperature. Using behavioral thermoregulation as a starting point, we shall touch upon implications of this model for describing other forms of goal-directed motor activity.
D001833:Body Temperature Regulation; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004723:Endorphins / Q000502:physiology*; D005334:Fever / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents / Q000502:physiology; D011957:Receptors, Opioid / Q000502:physiology*
D004723:Endorphins; D018377:Neurotransmitter Agents; D011957:Receptors, Opioid