Behavioral Pharmacology: The Current Status

more extensive references. These points do not detract from the utility and comprehensibility of this chapter. The novelty of utilizing NMR in biologic systems precludes its presentation in an applied manner. The author of this section appropriately provides a rigorous, though understandable, account of the theory and physics behind this technique. In a logical sequence the reader is introduced to high-resolution NMR spectra in the determination of chemical structures (with carnosine as the model), the concept of nuclear relaxation, and the workings inside an NMR spectrometer, before the complex topic of applications to biologic systems is discussed. The author notes that NMR has many advantages over radioligand binding assays in the field of neuropharmacology. For instance, low-affinity binding, steric requirements for ligand binding, and the partitioning of ligands into and across membrane bilayers all can be investigated with NMR. The author concludes with several illustrative examples ofNMR's applicability to neuropharmacology. Tissue metabolism, metal ion transport and utilization, and ligand-receptor and ligand-membrane binding are among the issues addressed. Radioligand binding assays are discussed with labeled calcium channel blockers as the model ligands. Although the experimental use of many ligands is described, nitrendipine is introduced as the standard system since the tritiated form is the only ligand currently available commercially. Unfortunately, this chapter is not as interesting to read as the previous two, since there is little discussion of methods. Rather, the authors embark upon a literature review of the available binding data, i.e., Kd, Bmax, and association and dissociation constants concerning these drugs. While the review format and extensive tabularized data may be a worthwhile reference for those in the field, precious little information is provided about new techniques with radioligands. This second volume of Modern Methods in Pharmacology, although not entirely successful in providing practical insight, is generally succcessful in addressing novel research techniques. The chapters concerning monoclonal antibodies and NMR are particularly illuminating for those unfamiliar with these recent advances.