Oscillation follows drug sensitization: implications.

This paper begins with the question of whether physiological systems can sensitize indefinitely or whether, at some point, countervailing mechanisms are activated in the organism's attempt to maintain homeostasis. The question is addressed by the review and presentation of considerable data encompassing a host of systems showing that when they reach or approach their biological limits, unidirectional sensitization gives way to oscillation. The implications of this evolution to an oscillatory pattern of response are discussed with regard to cyclic disorders, addictive behavior, and the marked individual differences that characterize drug sensitization.