Neurobiology of Opioids

With increasing problems of drug addiction it is necessary to know more about the principles of opioid actions. This book reports the present state of research regarding opioid interactions with cellular structures and the molecular mechanism of how opioids develop their diverse physiological actions.

Inhalt
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.