Effect of transganglionic degenerative atrophy on opiate receptors in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord

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Abstract
We investigated alterations in opiate‐binding sites in the upper dorsal horn after transection of the related peripheral sensory nerve in rats. The binding of (3H)diprenorphine was measured autoradiographically. The findings indicated a shift of the binding sites, rather than a degenerating disappearance, with a decrease in nerve fibers but an increase in nerve cells. This may be due to latent opiate‐binding sites becoming manifest.