Szeto Yi Ki. / Thesis submitted in: December 2000. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 83-113). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Acknowledgement --- p.iv / Abstract --- p.v / List of Abbreviations --- p.ix / Chapter CHATPER ONE --- INTRODUCTION / Chapter 1.1 --- Heroin --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1.1 --- Historical Background --- p.2 / Chapter 1.1.2 --- Manufacturing of Heroin --- p.5 / Chapter 1.1.3 --- Route of Administration and Absorption Rate --- p.6 / Chapter 1.1.4 --- Metabolism of Heroin --- p.8 / Chapter 1.1.5 --- Physical and Psychological Effects of Heroin --- p.9 / Chapter 1.2 --- Opioid Receptors --- p.10 / Chapter 1.2.1 --- Mu Opioid Receptors (MOR) --- p.11 / Chapter 1.2.2 --- Kappa Opioid Receptors (KOR) --- p.14 / Chapter 1.2.3 --- Delta Opioid Receptors (DOR) --- p.15 / Chapter 1.3 --- Dopamine Receptors --- p.17 / Chapter 1.4 --- Dopamine Transporter (DAT) --- p.19 / Chapter 1.5 --- Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) Receptors --- p.21 / Chapter 1.6 --- Mesocorticolimbic Pathway --- p.22 / Chapter 1.6.1 --- Neural Substrates of Drug Reinforcement --- p.25 / Chapter 1.6.2 --- Molecular and Cellular Basis of Addiction --- p.26 / Chapter 1.6.3 --- Intracellular Substrates of Relapse --- p.29 / Chapter 1.7 --- Environmental Factors in Drug Addiction --- p.30 / Chapter 1.8 --- Genetic Factors in Drug Addiction --- p.32 / Chapter 1.9 --- Aim of Project --- p.35 / Chapter CHAPTER TWO --- MATERIALS AND METHODS / Chapter 2.1 --- Recruitment of Subjects 、 --- p.39 / Chapter 2.1.1 --- Heroin-dependent Subjects --- p.39 / Chapter 2.1.1.1 --- Phenotype Assessment --- p.39 / Chapter 2.1.1.2 --- Establishment of Socio-demographic Data --- p.40 / Chapter 2.1.2 --- Control Subjects --- p.42 / Chapter 2.2 --- DNA Extraction --- p.42 / Chapter 2.3 --- Genotyping --- p.43 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- A118G Polymorphism in Exon 1 of the Human MOR (hMOR) Gene --- p.43 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- C1031G Polymorphism in Intron 2 of the hMOR Gene --- p.45 / Chapter 2.3.3 --- T921C Polymorphism in Exon 3 of the Human DOR (hDOR) Gene --- p.46 / Chapter 2.3.4 --- 3'VNTR Polymorphism of the DAT Gene --- p.47 / Chapter 2.3.5 --- TaqI A Polymorphism of the DRD2 Gene --- p.48 / Chapter 2.3.6 --- NciI Polymorphism of the GABRG2 Gene --- p.48 / Chapter 2.4 --- DNA Sequencing --- p.49 / Chapter 2.5 --- Statistical Analysis --- p.50 / Chapter CHAPTER THREE --- RESULTS / Chapter 3.1 --- Socio-demographic Data --- p.52 / Chapter 3.1.1 --- Age of the Control and Heroin-dependent Subjects --- p.52 / Chapter 3.1.2 --- Education Standard of the Heroin-dependent Subjects --- p.52 / Chapter 3.1.3 --- Years of Heroin Use --- p.53 / Chapter 3.2 --- Addition Severity Index (ASI) --- p.53 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- ASI-Medical --- p.53 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- ASI-Employment --- p.54 / Chapter 3.2.3 --- ASI-Drug --- p.54 / Chapter 3.2.4 --- ASI-Legal --- p.54 / Chapter 3.2.5 --- ASI-Family/Social Relationships --- p.55 / Chapter 3.2.6 --- ASI-Psychiatry --- p.55 / Chapter 3.2.7 --- Correlation Among the Factors of ASI --- p.55 / Chapter 3.3 --- A118G Polymorphism in Exon 1 of the Human Mu Opioid Receptor (hMOR) Gene --- p.56 / Chapter 3.4 --- C1031G Polymorphism in Intron 2 of the hMOR Gene --- p.58 / Chapter 3.5 --- T921C Polymorphism in Exon 3 of the Human Delta Opioid Receptor (hDOR) Gene --- p.59 / Chapter 3.6 --- Interaction Between Genotypes --- p.60 / Chapter 3.6.1 --- Combined Genotypes of A118G and C1031G Polymorphisms of the hMOR Gene --- p.60 / Chapter 3.6.2 --- Combined Genotypes of A118G Polymorphism of the hMOR Gene and T921C Polymorphism of the hDOR Gene --- p.61 / Chapter 3.6.3 --- Combined Genotypes of C1031G Polymorphism of the hMOR Gene and T921C Polymorphism of the hDOR Gene --- p.61 / Chapter 3.7 --- Correlation Between Allelic Frequencies and Factors of the ASI --- p.62 / Chapter 3.8 --- 3'VNTR Polymorphism of DAT Gene --- p.62 / Chapter 3.9 --- TαqI A Polymorphism of DRD2 Gene --- p.63 / Chapter 3.10 --- NciI Polymorphism of GABRG2 Gene --- p.64 / Chapter CHAPTER FOUR --- DISCUSSION & CONCLUSION --- p.66 / REFERENCES --- p.83 / APPENDIX I The Addiction Severity Index / APPENDIX II Table of Severity Ratings / APPENDIX III Allelic Frequency of A118G Polymorphism in Different Populations / APPENDIX IV Details Information About the Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms In Present Study