1st Edition

Planaria: A Model for Drug Action and Abuse

By Robert B. Raffa Copyright 2008
    150 Pages
    by CRC Press

    150 Pages 34 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    The study of drug action has benefitted greatly from the development and use of in vivo model systems. In model systems, manipulations and observations can be more rigorously controlled and screens of novel therapeutic agents can be more safely conducted.

    No single model system provides all of the possible advantages. At one end, mammalian models allow the study of complex behavioral patterns and the most complex of cognitive functioning. At the other end, models using simple organisms such as C. elegans allow the application of the most sophisticated and recent molecular biology and other innovative techniques. The major purpose of the present book is to highlight another model—one that we believe occupies a uniquely important position.

    1. Planaria: Short Introduction 2. Brain and Neural Networks 3. Gene Expression in the Brain and Central Nervous System in Planarians 4. Catecholamines in Planaria 5. Opioids in Planaria 6. Nitric Oxide in Lower Invertebrates 7. Second Messenger Systems in Planaria 8. Planaria as Model in Drug Abuse Research 9. Physical Dependence and Withdrawal in Planarians 10. Drug Combinations and Isoboles 11. Analysis of Behavior in the Planarian Model 12. The Planarian Regeneration Model as a Context for the Study of Drug Effects and Mechanisms

    Biography

    Raffa\, Robert B.