Natural products as tools for neuroscience: Discovery and development of novel agents to treat drug abuse

Much of what we know about the neurosciences is the direct result of studying psychoactive natural products. Unfortunately, there are many gaps in our understanding of the basic biological processes that contribute to the etiology of many CNS disorders. The investigation of psychoactive natural products offers an excellent approach to identify novel agents to treat CNS disorders and to find new chemical tools to better elucidate their biological mechanisms. This review will detail recent progress in a program directed toward investigating psychoactive natural products with the goal of treating drug abuse by targeting κopioid receptors.