Full Description
Dedicated to Professor Albert Herz, a leading investigator in opioid research, this book provides comprehensive information on the biology of exogenous and endogenous opioids. Contributions by experts in the field discuss recent advances and provide systematic, up-to-date reviews of the physiology and pharmacology of opioids, as well as on the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying opioid actions. In recognition of the diverse methodologies now available to researchers, each chapter details the approaches used to address a specific issue and provides an in-depth analysis of the data obtained by these various experimental approaches. The clinical relevance of recent findings, as well as future directions, in opioid research are also discussed. This volume thus represents a timely and invaluable sourcebook for researchers, clinicians, and students interested in opioids and peptidergic systems.
Contents
Section I General Aspects.- 1 Opioid Receptor Subtypes: Past, Present and Future.- 2 Opioid Peptide Genes: Structure and Regulation.- 3 Distribution of Opioids in Brain and Peripheral Tissues.- Section II Opioid Receptor Biochemistry and Signal Transduction.- 4 Multiple Opioid Receptors.- 5 Molecular Approaches to Isolating Opioid Receptors.- 6 Interactions Between Opioid Receptors and Guanine Nucleotide Regulatory Proteins in Intact Membranes: Studies in a Neurotumor Cell Line.- 7 Guanine Nucleotide Binding Proteins and Their Coupling to Opioid Receptors.- 8 Opioid Receptors and Ion Channels.- 9 Cellular Signaling Mechanisms Regulating Opioid Peptide Gene Expression.- Section III CNS Opioidergic Systems: Distribution and Modulation.- 10 Central Distribution of Opioid Receptors: A Cross-Species Comparison of the Multiple Opioid Systems of the Basal Ganglia.- 11 Modulation of Central Opioid Receptors.- 12 The Control of Hypothalamic Opioid Peptide Release.- 13 Modulation of Catecholamine Release in the Central Nervous System by Multiple Opioid Receptors.- Section IV Functional Aspects.- 14 Adaptation of Opioid Systems to Stress.- 15 Endogenous Opioid Systems in the Control of Pain.- 16 Opioid Interactions with Other Neuropeptides in the Spinal Cord: Relevance to Nociception.- 17 Opioid Analgesia at Peripheral Sites.- 18 Regulation of Intestinal Motility by Peripheral Opioids: Facts and Hypotheses.- 19 A Neuroendocrine Perspective of Sex and Drugs.- 20 Motivational Aspects of Opioids: Neurochemical and Neuroanatomical Substrates.- 21 Psychotomimetic Effects of Opioids.- 22 Psychiatric Aspects of Opioid Research.- 23 Functional Correlates of Opioid Receptor Activation as Measured by Local Cerebral Glucose Utilization.- Section V Opioid Tolerance and Dependence.- 24 Tolerance and Physical Dependence: Physiological Manifestations of Chronic Exposure to Opioids.- 25 Aspects of Opioid Tolerance and Dependence in Peripheral Nervous Tissues.- 26 Overview of Opioid Tolerance and Physical Dependence.- Section VI Epilogue.- 27 Some Thoughts on the Present Status and Future of Opioid Research.
