noun
- a natural painkilling substance produced in the brain and nervous system that binds to the same receptors as morphine
Usage: biochemistry; neuroscience
Examples
- Enkephalins are released during exercise to reduce pain perception.
- The researcher studied how enkephalin levels change during stress.
- Enkephalins help regulate the body’s natural pain response.
- Scientists discovered that enkephalins have morphine-like effects.
- The brain produces enkephalins to cope with physical trauma.
- Enkephalin receptors are found throughout the central nervous system.