The μ-opioid receptor: an electrophysiologist's perspective from the sharp end.

UNLABELLED: Morphine, the prototypical opioid analgesic drug, produces its behavioural effects primarily through activation of μ-opioid receptors expressed in neurones of the central and peripheral nervous systems. This perspective provides a historical view of how, over the past 40 years, the use of electrophysiological recording techniques has helped to reveal the molecular mechanisms by which acute and chronic activation of μ-opioid receptors by morphine and other opioid drugs modify neuronal function. LINKED ARTICLES: This article is part of a themed section on Opioids: New Pathways to Functional Selectivity. To view the other articles in this section visit http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bph.2015.172.issue-2.