Opioids such as morphine, oxycodone, and fentanyl effectively relieve acute and post-operative pain, but long-term use can lead to tolerance. Chronic opioid use leads to [...]

Opioids are highly effective analgesics but frequently lead to tolerance and dependence. Opioid effects are mediated by the μ‑opioid receptor (MOR), whose regulation thro [...]

Opioids such as morphine are still the most effective analgesics for many types of pain. However, clinical utility of opioids is limited because long-term use leads to an [...]

The bulk of this dissertation focuses on D2 receptor-GIRK channel coupling. Chapter topics include how structural variants of the D2 receptor modulate G protein engagemen [...]

This dissertation characterizes the effects of endogenous opioid peptide enkephalin on excitability in the hippocampus. It also investigates the regulation of enkephalin [...]

Information is transmitted between neurons through a process known as synaptic transmission. We are resolved to study synaptic transmission as an effort to understand t [...]

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) modulate the activity of neurons in many ways on both short and long timescales. These receptors initiate intracellular signaling ca [...]

Morphine has a potency and efficacy for producing analgesia and a pharmacokinetic profile that make it favorable for use in pain treatment. Continued use of morphine a [...]

This dissertation explores the regulation and adaptation of mu-opioid receptors (MORs) within the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (PVT), a brain region critical f [...]