Drugs, the Brain, and Behavior The Pharmacology of Drug Use Disorders

"Drugs, the Brain, and Behavior uses a balance of instruction, illustrations, and tables and formulas that will give you a broad, lasting introduction to this intriguing subject. Whether you're a nurse, chemical dependency counselor, psychologist, or clinician, this book will be a quick reference guide long after the first reading"--

Explore the brain and discover the clinical and pharmacological issues surrounding drug abuse and dependence. The authors, research scientists with years of experience in alcohol and drug studies, provide definitions, historic discoveries about the nervous system, and original, eye-catching illustrations to discuss the brain/behavior relationship, basic neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and the mechanistic actions of mood-altering drugs. You will learn about:•how psychoactive drugs affect cognition, behavior, and emotion•the brain/behavior relationship •the specific effects of major addictive and psychoactive drug groups •new definitions and thinking about abuse and dependence•the medical and forensic consequences of drugs useDrugs, the Brain, and Behavior uses a balance of instruction, illustrations, and tables and formulas that will give you a broad, lasting introduction to this intriguing subject. Whether you're a nurse, chemical dependency counselor, psychologist, or clinician, this book will be a quick reference guide long after the first reading.

1. What Is a Drug? 2. Is There a Brain-Behavior Relationship? 3. Pharmacokinetics: How Do Drugs Get There and What Do They Do? 4. Functional Neuroanatomy: Where Do Psychoactive Drugs Act? 5. Neurophysiology: How Do Psychoactive Drugs Act? 6. Alcohol: The Socially Accepted Addictive Drug 7. Cocaine and Other Stimulants: Drugs That Make Us High 8. Opioids: Drugs That Calm Our Pain 9. Nicotine: Of What Value? 10. Marijuana: The Illegal Recreational Plant 11. Inhalants: Not Just Bad Breath! 12. Hallucinogens: Drugs That Make Us Crazy 13. Antipsychotics: Drugs That Make Us Sane 14. Anxiolytics: Drugs That Calm Us Down 15. Antidepressants: Drugs That Lift Us Up 16. Addiction: The Chronic Medical Illness 17. Forensic Issues in Psychopharmacology

John Brick, PhD, is a research scientist and educator with over 35 years of experience in alcohol and drug studies. Dr. Brick is Executive Director of Intoxikon International, and former Chief of Research, Center of Alcohol Studies, Education and Training Division, and Chairman of the Graduate Curriculum on the Biology of Alcohol at Rutgers University. Carlton (Carl) K. Erickson, PhD, a research scientist, has been studying the effects of alcohol on the brain for over 45 years. He presently is the Pfizer Centennial Professor of Pharmacology/Toxicology, Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, and Director of the Addiction Science Research and Education Center in the College of Pharmacy at the University of Texas at Austin.