Intracellular cell signaling is a well understood process. However, extracellular signals such as hormones, adipokines, cytokines and neurotransmitters are vital to the process and have been largely ignored in other works on signaling. They are causative agents in hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and other diseases. Aimed at medical professionals and pharmaceutical specialists, this book integrates for the first time extracellular and intracellular signaling processes and offers a fresh perspective on new targets for drug development. With contributions from leading international authorities, it is the result of close cooperation between the authors of the various chapters. Readers are introduced to a new approach to disease causation by adipokines and toxic lipids. Heart disease, migraines, stroke, Alzheimer's Disease, diabetes, cancer, and arthritis are approached from the perspective of toxic lifestyles and accumulation of toxic proteins and lipids. Evidence is presented that by alterations in toxic lifestyles you can reduce the incidence of such diseases. New therapeutic targets involving adipokines, ceramide and endocannabinoids are also discussed.

James David Adams, Jr. has over 160 peer reviewed publications and abstracts to his name and has written two books. He is the Editor of several journals and has reviewed many manuscripts for journals and grant applications. Dr Adams received his PhD in Pharmacology from the University of California at San Francisco and has 22 years of experience as a faculty member in a School of Pharmacy. He has taught many Pharmacy Students, Medical Students and Physicians in Hospitals and consulted for various Pharmaceutical Companies. An undergraduate degree in Psychology at Montana State University triggered Keith K. Parker's interest in the nervous system and led to graduate work in pharmacology at UCSF, where he completed his Ph.D. He then undertook two post-doctoral research posts in Denver. The first was at the Department of Pharmacology in the University of Colorado Health Science Center, and the second was at the University of Denver Department of Chemistry. He has been at The University of Montana since 1993 and is an expert on serotonin receptors and migraine headaches.

Introduction; Adipokine regulation in metabolic disorders; G Receptor coupled signaling and interactions with extracellular ligands; Diabetes, endocannabinoids and adipokines; Hypertension and adipokines; Heart disease and adipokines; Arthritis and adipokines; Aging, protein modification and receptor signalling; Alcoholism and GABA receptor signalling; Estrogen, progestin and receptor signaling in neurodegeneration; Role of extracellular and intracellular ligands in astrocyte related disorders; DNA, nuclear cell signaling and neurodegeneration; Adipokines in Alzheimer's disease; Extracellular and intracellular ligands in Parkinson's disease; Role of adipokines in mood disorders; Involvement of adipokines in migraine headache; Intracellular and extracellular signaling in pain mechanisms; Cell signaling, extracellular ligands and cancer; Metastasis regulation by cell signaling