Scope and Format

The development and compilation of this series have been a truly collaborative effort. Nine internationally recognized addiction experts have served on the editorial board for this project. The board is composed of Peter Miller, PhD, Medical University of South Carolina; Mary Larimer, PhD, University of Washington; Kyle Kampman, MD, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; David Kavanagh, PhD, Queensland University of Technology; Samuel Ball, PhD, Yale University School of Medicine; Phillipe DeWitte, MD, Université Catholique de Louvain (Belgium); Marsha Bates, PhD, Rutgers University; Nancy Petry, PhD, University of Connecticut Health Center; and Arthur Blume, PhD, Washington State University. The board members were chosen to provide a wide range of interdisciplinary expertise.

The board members were responsible for selecting and inviting authors for chapters in their specialty areas and to provide editorial guidance. Chapters are authored by reputable, well-recognized authorities in the addictions field. Authors were selected for their expertise and experience, with particular emphasis placed on selecting an international group with diverse philosophies and research backgrounds.

Each chapter is approximately 6500 words in length. Chapters consist of approximately 10 printed pages each, ranging from 5 to 15 pages depending on the topic. Many chapters include tables and figures to better illustrate data. Authors were asked to summarize current knowledge in their areas without providing references within the text. Thus, the work reads like an encyclopedia, providing the reader with an overview of the state-of-the-art rather than an in-depth research report. A further reading and web site list are provided at the end of each chapter for those who require research references and more detailed information. In addition, an outline, glossary, list of keywords, and list of cross-references are provided for each chapter.

The hope is that this compendium will provide a universal platform for a more science-based approach to the study, prevention and treatment of addictions. The ultimate goal is to improve the lives of addicted individuals and their families throughout the world through a more comprehensive and detailed understanding of the addictive process.

Volume 2: Biological Research on Addiction

This second volume, Biological Research on Addiction, provides chapters on how the brain responds to addictive substances as well as how it is affected by drugs of abuse. Chapters cover behavioral and molecular biology, neuroscience, neuroimaging, neuropharmacology, and genetics as they relate to the addictive process.

Historically, the study of addiction focused on psychosocial and behavioral factors. Explanatory models were built almost exclusively on the influence of personality, learning, stress reduction, lack of coping skills, early development, and peer and family influences. Although these factors are still relevant today, the shift in research has been toward biological models to explain the development and course of use, abuse, and dependence. This is largely due to advancements in technology, the development of animal models of dependence, the search for more effective treatments (primarily pharmacological ones), and the explosive growth in the field of genomics.

Biological research has shown how addiction can change the structure and function of the brain so that initial use out of curiosity or peer influence can lead to a chronic, relapsing brain disease. Addiction scientists have begun to identify the biological and genetic factors that either predispose a person to drug dependence or contribute to the progression of drug use to a chronic disease. The search is complex since it is evident that environmental, biological, and genetic factors interact in the development and maintenance of addiction, with individual variations such as gender and ethnicity influencing the process as well.

Chapters describe and explain the neurobiological mechanisms of drug use and drug addiction. The development and use of animal models to study neurochemical, molecular and cellular brain mechanisms are described and illustrated. Other chapters discuss the effects of drug use on memory, decision making, and the developing brain (especially in adolescents).

Important neuropharmacological findings are described and interpreted in various chapters. Behavioral neuropharmacology examines how drug use and drug dependence affect the human brain. Molecular neuropharmacological chapters focus on the study of neurons and neurotransmitters with the goal of developing drugs that modify neurobiological function to reduce craving and drug use.

Basically, this volume presents current material on the key neurobiological and genetic elements in an individual’s susceptibility to drug dependence as well as the processes by which some individuals proceed from casual drug use to drug dependence. The question that is rapidly being answered is why some people mature out of substance use and why others develop compromised neurochemical and cellular brain mechanisms, leading to intense cravings and dependence.

It is apparent that continual use of substances in some individuals is detrimental to the brain reward system (so that only a particular substance provides normalcy and pleasure) and prefrontal cortex executive function (so that reasoning and judgment are affected). Brain research in these areas is demonstrating that a number of important neurobiological commonalities exist among different addictions.

Neurobiological research is expanding rapidly and is leading to a more well-defined understanding of how addictive behaviors and disorders affect the brain and how changes in brain mechanisms affect addictions. One day such research may lead to better methods of biological prevention (e.g. vaccines are being experimentally tested) and more effective treatment strategies (refer to Volume 3 for details on pharmacological...