Endogenous opioid peptides and epilepsy

In recent years a large number of pept:ides, many of which were originall.y characterized in non-neural tissues, have been reported to be present in the central nervous system ( CNS) . The detection of these peptides within the CNS has raised many questions regarding their source and mechanism of action. In view of the accumulating information, it seems that the function of the classical neurotransmitters in the CNS would be better clarified by elucidating the role of the brain neuropeptides. The classification of the major categories of the main peptides, as listed below, is a some what arbitrary one as it is based on the first localization of a given peptide, while the opioid peptide family is given separately. For many of the peptides described in brain, their major functional role is still unknown. However, even before the major discoveries in the past decade, the opiates were known to possess selective and unique pharmacological properties. It was well known that opiates were effective in the treatment of pain and were useful as cough suppressants. They are also known to depress respiration and blood pressure and to exert an effect on behaviour, like euphoria, sedation and depression. The diversity/complexity of their properties suggests that like the catecholamines, endogenous opioids may have a basic, multisystem regulation essential to the maintenance of homeostasis and to the survival of the organism. In the last years we have tried to reveal one of these petidergic secrets and focussed our attention on the opioid pe~ides, more specifically in relation to the excitatory phenomena which they might induce after systemic or intraventricular administration