Methods in Drug Abuse Research: Cellular and Circuit Level Analyses

The field of drug addiction and substance abuse, which was initially confined to behavioral studies, has broadened dramatically. It now includes a vast array of cellular and molecular approaches as well as sophisticated electrophysiological and neurochemical methodologies that bridge the gap between cellular/molecular events and behavior. In many cases, these techniques are used to clarify and characterize specific dimensions of the addictive process or actions of potential abuse. Methods of Drug Abuse Research: Cellular and Circuit Level Analyses assembles this information in one volume. It bridges the gap between cellular and molecular studies of drug actions and behavioral approaches to questions in drug abuse research. The book presents state-of-the-art technical information and critical reviews of the experimental strategies used to dissect the problem of compulsive drug use and addiction at the systems or whole brain level. Chapters provide examples of the use of neurochemical and delectrophysiological the techniques in drug studies, as well as insight into the pros and cons of these various experimental strategies. Focusing on neurochemical and neurophysiological techniques that assess drug actions on neural circuits and neural networks in intact animals, this state-of-the-art reference provides detailed descriptions of procedures as well as methods and equipment used in experiments that often employ multiple technical approaches. Methods of Drug Abuse Research brings together pertinent issues in drug abuse research and systems level investigative techniques, thus allowing you to effectively grasp the critical conceptual and technical issues associated with modern drug abuse studies.