Molecular Characterization of Opioid Receptors and Signaling Pathways -- Molecular Cloning of Opioid Receptors by cDNA Library Screening -- Expression of Opioid Receptors in Mammalian Cell Lines -- Assessing Opioid Regulation of Adenylyl Cyclase Activity in Intact Cells -- Analysis of Opioid-Induced Kinase Activation -- Study of Opioid Receptor Phosphorylation Using Cell-Labeling Method with 32P-Orthrophosphate -- Opioid Receptor Coupling to GIRK Channels -- Identification of Alternatively Spliced Variants from Opioid Receptor Genes -- Mapping and Detection of Endogenous Opioids -- Immunohistochemical Localization of ?-, ?- and K-Opioid Receptors Within the Antinociceptive Brainstem Circuits -- In Situ Hybridization in Neural Tissues -- Quantitative Single-Cell RT-PCR for Opioid Receptors and Housekeeping Genes -- Gene Arrays and Proteomics -- Model Systems for Studies on Opioid Functions -- Opioid Receptor Oligomerization -- Recombinant Opioid Receptors -- Receptor Knock-Out and Gene Targeting -- Pharmacological Interventions at the Spinal Cord -- Opioid Tolerance in Adult and Neonatal Rats -- Animal Models of Neuropathic Pain -- Place Conditioning to Study Drug Reward and Aversion -- Opiate Self-Administration -- Clinical Applications of Opioids -- Acute, Chronic, and Cancer Pain -- Clinical Treatment of Opioid Addiction and Dependence.

Opioid research has grown enormously over the last decade, and with it, the need to apply multiple techniques from a variety of disciplines. In Opioid Research: Methods and Protocols, expert researchers and physicians provide a comprehensive collection of the major cross-disciplinary methods and protocols used in current opioid research, covering topics from molecular and genetic techniques, to behavioral analyses of animal models, to clinical practices. The well-practiced authors describe their best molecular techniques for the cloning and expression of opioid receptors, and for the quantitative characterization of their signaling pathways, as well as for mapping the distribution and detecting the expression levels of opioid receptors, opioid peptides, and their messages, in both brain tissues and individual cells. Also included are methods for the creation of in vitro and in vivo animal models to study opioid functions, as well as the clinical applications in the treatment of pain and opioid addiction. Each proven technique contains step-by-step instructions, explanations of the basic science involved, and notes on avoiding pitfalls. Comprehensive and authoritative, Opioid Research: Methods and Protocols offers researchers an indispensable guide to all the major multidisciplinary techniques needed for successful research in opioid biology and medicine today.