Summary of Symposium on “Endorphins”

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a summary of symposium on endorphins. The symposium on endorphins breached basic sciences with psychiatry and included presentations of the basic issues and of the first clinical trials with beta-lipotropin 61-91. It must first be considered whether it is justifiable to assume that a defect in the metabolism or storage of beta–lipotropin 61–65 or 61–91 in brain should be accompanied by a change in the spinal fluid or plasma content of beta-lipotropin 61-65 or 61-91-like immunoreactive material. It was found from an earlier study that the antibodies cross-react with beta-lipotropin 61-91 and that this material reaches the blood following secretion from pituitary. The brain pools of beta-lipotropin 61-91 and beta-lipotropin 61-65 are metabolically independent from the pituitary pool and presumably from the plasma levels of beta-lipotropin 1-91. It is possible that the pituitary secretes beta–lipotropin into the spinal fluid and by this mechanism influences brain biosynthesis of beta–lipotropin 61–91 and 61–65. If the blood and spinal fluid levels reflect pituitary secretion, they could be in equilibrium, and, therefore, blood levels could mirror the precursor concentrations reaching the brain.