What are opiate receptors and how do they work?
Within the three parts of the brain mentioned above, the limbic system, brainstem, and spinal cord, as well as the large intestines, there are sites on specific nerve cells that recognize opiates. When these specific sites on the nerve cells are stimulated by opiates, the brain and body are affected. There are four major subtypes of opiate receptors: mu, delta, kappa, and recently discovered nociceptin (ORL-1). Each of these are named after letters of the Greek alphabet. According to Wikipedia, the opiate receptors were named “using the first letter of the first ligand that was found to bind to them.” Each receptor initiates a different response in the body. There are three different ways of binding to a receptor.
