Transcript Slide 1 - SlideBoom

Endorphins
Nica Siegel,
Lorelei Tavzel,
Lauren Jonas
“Exercise gives you
endorphins.
Endorphins make you
happy.
Happy people just
don't shoot their
husbands, they just
don't.”
-Elle Woods
Synthesis
• Large molecule neurotransmitters made of peptides (chains of amino
acids)
• AKA Neuro-peptides
• endogenous (formed by the body) opioid polypeptide compounds
• 3 Types:
• beta endorphin (pituitary and hypothalamus)
• enkephalins (adrenal medulla and throughout the nervous system)
• dynorphin (throughout nervous system)
• Neuromodulators-travel to other parts of the brain
• Instantly after interaction with receptor, peptides are broken down into
AA’s, making it hard to clinically control them
Beta-endophin using optical microscopy
Function
• Released at various times
• Pain
• Stress
• Exercise
• Laughter
• Sex
Pain
• morphine like substance that originates
from the body—Endorphins interact with
opiate receptor neurons to reduce the
intensity of pain
• They resemble the opiates in their abilities to
produce analgesia (painkillers)
• Neurons in regions of brain related to pain
perception are more likely to bind with
endorphins
Stress
• High stress events can cause an endorphin
rush
ex. Childbirth
• Beta endorphin and adrenocorticotropin, a
common stress hormone, are thought to be
released at the same time and originate
from the pituitary gland
• Fight-or-Flight
Exercise
• “runner’s high”
• Endorphin levels higher after test subjects
adhere to regimen of regular running
• Question of whether endorphins are
released specifically because of exercise or
because the stress of physical exertion
releases adrenocorticotropin which causes
the release of beta-endorphin as well
Placebo Effect
• In painkiller trials, the control group is often told
that they have received the treatment being given
to the experimental group, in order to test for
placebo effect
• When the placebo effect occurs, researchers often
find higher levels of endorphins, released by the
body, that accounts for the decrease in pain
• Subjects treated with nalaxon, which blocks
endorphin behavior, placebo effect essentially
disappears
Negative Effects
• Too much endorphins-people can become addicted to this
high, whether it be a runner’s high, or the high they get off
a sugar rush or even drug abuse.
• Once they get this high of endorphins rushing into their
system, they may want to feel it again. Therefore they may
keep exercising (to a point where they exercise too much)
and hurt their body.
• When an athlete sustains a serious injury during a game or
competition, the endorphin release may cause them to
ignore the issue more than they should
• When people cut themselves/self-injure, the release of
endorphins is why many people say the behavior makes
them feel better/ releases stress
• Food:
• Eating a lot (bingeing) releases endorphins, and constantly
eating could then lead to obesity, simply because people
feel so good when ingesting tasty foods
• Eating disorders, part of the reason they are addictive
behaviors is because endorphins are released when
someone is incredibly hungry/feels starved (anorexia) and
also when a person throws up (bulimia)
Endorphins and Drugs
• Drugs affect brain activity by interfering with
neurotransmitter functioning in the synapse
• may also effect the synaptic transmission by
increasing or decreasing the amount of the
endorphins produced
• Drugs can mimic endorphins
• beta endorphin -- increases significantly in
response to alcohol, reasons unsure
• Cocaine and Endorphins can produce similar
effects in the human body, and when
someone is addicted to cocaine, it takes the
place of endogenous endorphins and
disrupts the “feedback loop” that causes
endorphins to be released
• Morphine and heroin combine with the
endorphin receptors in the brain, resulting in
reduced natural endorphin production
• the drugs are needed to replace the
naturally produced endorphins and
addiction occurs
Disease and Disorders
• Many disorders, specifically epilepsy
(seizures) and schizophrenia, research
shows really increased levels of endorphins
but it isn’t clear if it is:
• A trigger
• A symptom/ side effect
• Result of stress/pain of situation
• Autism- One theory states that autistic
individuals have too much beta-endorphins in
their central nervous system. But opposing
evidence contradicts this hypothesis stating that
perhaps it is not a lack of endorphins, but rather
an excess of endorphins
• Depression-It is possible that endorphins are
linked with depression. Endorphins can help a
person come out of a depression (by exercising
one can increase their endorphin levels which
can then give them a rush of pleasure of
happiness)