Question

Peptides produced by nerve cells of the brain which overcome the feeling of pain are?
A) Encephalins
B) Endorphins
C) Growth hormone
D) Insulin

Answer 1

Peptides are short chains of amino acids connected to each other in a sequence by peptide bonds. In the brain, they are released by neurons in the central nervous system and by the cells in adrenal medulla.

Complete answer:
The International association for the Study of Pain defined pain as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage“. There are two types of pain:- acute and chronic. Acute pain comes suddenly and can be diagnosed and treated, though sometimes it can become chronic. Chronic pain lasts for long and may cause severe problems.
When pain signals are sent to the brain, it releases a lot of neurotransmitters to overcome the feeling of pain. Peptides are a type of neurotransmitter which transmits messages from a nerve cell across the synapse to a target cell. It is a chemical made by nerve cells to transmit the message. Many of the peptides are hormones which also acts as a neurotransmitter. Their activity depends on their amino acid sequence.
Encephalin (enkephalin) is an endorphin consisting of five amino acids. They are endogenous opioid peptides produced by the body and have powerful pain killing properties. Hence the correct option is option A, ‘Encephalins’.
Enkephalins are majorly produced in the central nervous system, adrenal medullas, gut and other peripheral tissues. They bind to the opiate receptors in the brain and control the levels of pain and other sensations. There are two forms of enkephalins, one containing leucine and the other has methionine. It has been shown that during a stress response, several Met-enkephalins showed increased activity in the hippocampus, whereas Leu-enkephalins analogs showed decreased activity during stress. In some neurons, norepinephrine co-exists with enkephalins. Norepinephrine is a hormone that is activated in fight or flight response.

Hence the correct answer is option ‘A’.

Note: Encephalitis regulates the nociception of the body. Nociception is the detection of a painful stimuli and hence, enkephalins are called the natural opioids of our body which acts as analgesics to pain.