Understanding the phenomenon of long-lasting vulnerability to addiction is essential to developing successful treatments. Written by an international team of authorities in their respective fields, Advances in the Neuroscience of Addiction provides an excellent overview of the available and emerging approaches used to investigate the biologic mechanisms of drug addiction. It also delineates the promising research discoveries being made in relapse prevention. The book begins with current animal models of addiction, which mimic the state of humans entering treatment: recently-abstinent animals that receive common triggers for relapse (classical conditioning, stress, and neuroadaptive dysregulation). Coverage then shifts to the use of electrophysiologic approaches, which enable researchers to characterize the discharge patterns of single neurons during drug self-administration. After exploring advances in voltammetry and enzyme-linked biosensors for measuring glutamate, the book discusses the theoretical background and results of neuroimaging studies related to neuronal networks that are activated by drug-specific cues. It then describes modern genetic approaches to manipulate target proteins that influence addictive behavior. The book rounds out its coverage by illustrating how a neuroeconomic approach can inform studies of reward processing in general and addiction in particular. It is a comprehensive introduction to the methodologies of the field for students and beginning researchers and an essential reference source for established investigators.

Le campagne di informazione sulla droga sono spesso troppo semplificate e sbilanciate verso atteggiamenti di preconcetta condanna o assoluzione, basati piu su criteri di tipo ideologico che di tipo scientifico. Ma le persone, in particolare gli adolescenti che si trovano ad affrontare il problema, vogliono capire prima di decidere: non "basta dire di no" (come suggeriva la moglie del presidente Reagan negli anni '80), c'e bisogno di sapere come stanno le cose per fare delle scelte consapevoli.

Questa edizione italiana di Buzzed, grande successo editoriale internazionale, rappresenta una fonte comprensibile ed essenziale per capire come agiscono le droghe e quali sono i loro effetti sull'organismo e sul comportamento. Scientificamente accurato e facile da leggere, il libro fornisce dati equilibrati, oggettivi e aggiornati sulle sostanze piu usate e abusate - dall'alcol alla caffeina, dalla nicotina all'eroina, all'ecstasy, alla metamfetamina. Arricchito da indici che velocizzano la ricerca delle informazioni e da capitoli di approfondimento, il volume spiega come le droghe si muovono nell'organismo e descrive i loro effetti immediati e a lungo termine, il tipo di "sballo" che provocano, le circostanze in cui possono essere molto pericolose. Forse unico nel panorama dei libri sulla droga, presta inoltre una particolare attenzione agli effetti spesso insidiosi che alcune droghe esercitano sul cervello ancora in sviluppo dell'adolescente.

Questa edizione e stata calata nella realta italiana attraverso la completa riscrittura di alcuni capitoli, l'aggiunta di moltissime note sulla situazione in Italia e, soprattutto, attraverso il coinvolgimento di studenti liceali, ai quali e stato chiesto di valutare e commentare il testo.

Insomma, un libro per capire, per dire, all'occorrenza, "lo so.""

Understanding the phenomenon of long-lasting vulnerability to addiction is essential to developing successful treatments. Written by an international team of authorities in their respective fields, Advances in the Neuroscience of Addiction provides an excellent overview of the available and emerging approaches used to investigate the biologic mechanisms of drug addiction. It also delineates the promising research discoveries being made in relapse prevention. The book begins with current animal models of addiction, which mimic the state of humans entering treatment: recently-abstinent animals that receive common triggers for relapse (classical conditioning, stress, and neuroadaptive dysregulation). Coverage then shifts to the use of electrophysiologic approaches, which enable researchers to characterize the discharge patterns of single neurons during drug self-administration. After exploring advances in voltammetry and enzyme-linked biosensors for measuring glutamate, the book discusses the theoretical background and results of neuroimaging studies related to neuronal networks that are activated by drug-specific cues. It then describes modern genetic approaches to manipulate target proteins that influence addictive behavior. The book rounds out its coverage by illustrating how a neuroeconomic approach can inform studies of reward processing in general and addiction in particular. It is a comprehensive introduction to the methodologies of the field for students and beginning researchers and an essential reference source for established investigators.