Treatment with drugs is fundamental to modern therapy of psychiatric disorders. The number of disorders responsive to drug treatment is increasing, reflecting the extensive synthesis of novel compounds and the greater understanding of the aetiology of the disorders.

 

This third edition provides new and updated material, including an additional chapter on clinical trials and their importance in assessing the efficacy and safety of psychotropic drugs. As molecular biology and imaging techniques are of increasing importance to basic and clinical neuroscience, these areas have also been extended to illustrate their relevance to our understanding of psychopharmacology.

 

This book is essential reading for undergraduates in pharmacology and the neurosciences, postgraduate neuropharmacologists, psychiatrists in training and in practice and medical researchers.

FUNDAMENTALS OF Psychopharmacology; 

Contents; 

Preface to Third Edition; 

Preface to Second Edition; 

Preface to First Edition; 

Introduction; 

1 Functional Neuroanatomy of the Brain; 

2 Basic Aspects of Neurotransmitter Function; 

3 Pharmacokinetic Aspects of Psychopharmacology; 

4 Clinical Trials and their Importance in Assessing the Efficacy and Safety of Psychotropic Drugs; 

5 Molecular Genetics and Psychopharmacology; 

6 Psychotropic Drugs that Modify the Serotonergic System; 

7 Drug Treatment of Depression; 

8 Drug Treatment of Mania; 

9 Anxiolytics and the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders; 

10 Drug Treatment of Insomnia;

11 Drug Treatment of Schizophrenia and the Psychoses; 

12 Drug Treatment of the Epilepsies; 

13 Drug Treatment of Parkinson's Disease; 

14 Alzheimer's Disease and Stroke: Possible Biochemical Causes and Treatment Strategies; 

15 Psychopharmacology of Drugs of Abuse; 

16 Paediatric Psychopharmacology; 

17 Geriatric Psychopharmacology; 

18 The Inter-relationship Between Psychopharmacology and Psychoneuroimmunology; 

19 Endocoids and their Importance in Psychopharmacology; 

Appendix 1 Some Important Psychotropic Drug Interactions; 

Appendix 2 Glossary of some Common Terms Used in Psychopharmacology;

Appendix 3 Generic and Proprietary Names of Some Common Psychotropic Drugs; 

Appendix 4 Key References for Further Reading; 

Index