Drugs and Behavior : An Introduction to Behavioral Pharmacology

Especially designed for those with minimal knowledge of behavioral pharmacology, this book presents a review of the basic principles and concepts of pharmacology, psychology and neurophysiology in an historical and societal context. Readers will gain a greater understanding of drug use and addiction as they explore how the basic psychological concepts of learning and conditioning apply to understanding drug effects. Drugs are compared in many dimensions including their neuropharmacology, abuse potential, subjective properties and behavioral effects. Basic pharmacology of drugs; research design and behavioral analysis of drug effects; drug state conditioning, behavioral tolerance and dissociation; neurophysiology, neurotransmitters, and the nervous system; dependence, addiction, and self-administration; alcohol; barbiturates and benzodiazepines; tobacco; caffeine and methylxanthines, psychomotor stimulants, opiates, antipsychotic drugs, antidepressants and mood stabilizers, cannabis, and hallucinogens. : For readers interested in a comprehensive discussion of behavior pharmacology.