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.

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.