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      Activation of hypothalamic beta-endorphin pools by reward induced by highly palatable food.

      Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior
      Animals, Drinking, Dynorphins, Eating, Endorphins, metabolism, Etorphine, Hypothalamus, physiology, Male, Motivation, Rats, Rats, Inbred Strains, Receptors, Opioid, Reward, Taste, beta-Endorphin

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          Abstract

          Experiments were performed to find biochemical evidence of an activation of endogenous opiate peptides in the brain by incentive reward. A method used to estimate specific in vivo opiate binding in rats using the labelled opiate agonist, 3H-etorphine, indicated a considerable reduction in opiate binding exclusively in the hypothalamus of non-deprived animals given a highly palatable food to eat for 20 min. Radioimmunoassay of the hypothalamus of rats under similar conditions found a pronounced drop in the concentration of beta-endorphin, but not in dynorphin, in the hypothalamus, indicating a release and breakdown of beta-endorphin. Therefore, the reduction in opiate binding in the hypothalamus may at least be partially explained by an occupation of opiate receptors by beta-endorphin, causing a reduced availability of receptors to etorphine. A possible role of hypothalamic beta-endorphin in the facilitation of reward pathways in the brain is discussed.

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