title: Opioid tolerance-in search of the holy grail.
abstract: Tolerance, one of several behavioral adaptations to prolonged opioid treatment, has long been explained by desensitization of opioid receptor signaling and loss of surface receptors. However, recent evidence presents an alternative hypothesis, suggesting that receptor internalization could in fact reduce tolerance in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, 67400 Illkirch, France. briki@igbmc.u-strasbg.fr
authors.forename: Brigitte L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Kieffer
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Evans
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004361:Drug Tolerance / Q000502:physiology*; D004705:Endocytosis / Q000502:physiology; D020875:Enkephalin, Ala(2)-MePhe(4)-Gly(5)- / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009294:Narcotics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011957:Receptors, Opioid / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D009294:Narcotics; D011957:Receptors, Opioid; D020875:Enkephalin, Ala(2)-MePhe(4)-Gly(5)-