Leslie Iversen – författare

The Science of Marijuana, 3rd Edition is directed at a public interested in knowing more about cannabis, how it works, and what the hazards associated with its use may be. In terms of cannabis as a medicine, it is now sanctioned by a majority of US States, with approved medical indications that often go beyond what is really known scientifically about the effectiveness of cannabis treatment. Some countries and US States have approved full legalization of cannabis for adults; the regulations needed to control such legal use are still being worked out. The pros and cons of cannabis legalization are reviewed.There have been big changes in the public perception of cannabis, and increased support for legalization. The book comes at a timely moment in this debate.

The Science of Marijuana, 3rd Edition is directed at a public interested in knowing more about cannabis, how it works, and what the hazards associated with its use may be. In terms of cannabis as a medicine, it is now sanctioned by a majority of US States, with approved medical indications that often go beyond what is really known scientifically about the effectiveness of cannabis treatment.Some countries and US States have approved full legalization of cannabis for adults; the regulations needed to control such legal use are still being worked out. The pros and cons of cannabis legalization are reviewed.There have been big changes in the public perception of cannabis, and increased support for legalization. The book comes at a timely moment in this debate.

The Science of Marijuana, 3rd Edition is directed at a public interested in knowing more about cannabis, how it works, and what the hazards associated with its use may be. In terms of cannabis as a medicine, it is now sanctioned by a majority of US States, with approved medical indications that often go beyond what is really known scientifically about the effectiveness of cannabis treatment.Some countries and US States have approved full legalization of cannabis for adults; the regulations needed to control such legal use are still being worked out. The pros and cons of cannabis legalization are reviewed.There have been big changes in the public perception of cannabis, and increased support for legalization. The book comes at a timely moment in this debate.

The discovery of dopamine in 1957-1958 was one of the seminal events in the development of modern neuroscience, and has been extremely important for the development of modern therapies of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Dopamine has a fundamental role in almost all aspects of behavior: from motor control to mood regulation, cognition and addiction and reward, and dopamine research has been unique within the neurosciences in the way it has bridged basic science and clinical practice. Over the decades research into the role of dopamine in health and disease has been in the forefront of modern neuroscience. The Dopamine Handbook is the first single-volume publication to capture current progress and excitement in this dynamic research field.

After alcohol and nicotine, marijuana is the most commonly used "recreational" drug in Western countries. There has already been a growing debate about the medical applications of marijuana and other cannabis-based preparations and increasing pressure to legalize such use; voters in several States in the US in the 1996 and 1998 elections approved prosals to implement such measures. In The Science of Marijuana the author explains the remarkable advances that have been made in scientific research on cannabis with the discovery of specific receptors and the existence of naturally occurring cannabis-like substances in the brain. The book also gives an objective and up to date assessment of the scientific basis for the medical use of cannabis and what risks this may entail. The recreational use of the drug and how it affects users is described along with some predictions about how attitudes to cannabis use may change in the future. Leslie Iversen is a scientist who has worked both in academia and in the pharmaceutical industry and has specialized in the study of drug actions on the brain. The book is written with a minimum of scientific jargon or technical language for readers who want to know more about the science that underlies the current cannabis debate.

Amphetamines have had a relatively short, though chequered history. From their use in wartime, their abuse by the beat generation, up to the popularity of Ecstasy in the late 20th century, many have found amphetamines an enjoyable, though unpredictable, stimulant. More than that though, amphetamine-based treatments have been found to have beneficial effects for those suffering from attention deficit disorders, and are now widely prescribed in the US and elsewhere as a treatment for children and adults. What is the truth behind these medical claims? What are the real effects of stimulants like Ecstasy? Just how harmful are amphetamines?In this book, a leading authority on psychoactive drugs explores the uses and abuses of amphetamines. Starting with a look at the origins of amphetamines, their use in wartime, their use by poets, musicians - even a President of the US, it presents a fascinating and accessible account of amphetamine use. It examines the evidence for the claims that drugs like Ecstasy kill, and considers the widespread use of amphetamines for ADHD, presenting a thorough account based on science and fact, rather than dogma.

Introduction to Neuropsychopharmacology expands on the molecular and cellular foundations of the classic Biochemical Basis of Neuropharmacology, Eighth Edition (Cooper, Bloom, and Roth) by now including the behavioral methods used to study psychoactive drugs in experimental animals and in humans. Authored by four founders of modern neuroscience, this concise and comprehensive text covers the current series of medications used to treat diseases of the brain and nervous system--both psychiatric and neurologic--as well as legal and illegal recreational drugs and the neuroscientific information that explains how these medications act on the brain from the molecular to the clinical level. The text ranges from drugs that affect the mood and behavior to hypnotics, narcotics, anticonvulsants, and analgesics.

Introduction to Neuropsychopharmacology expands on the molecular and cellular foundations of the classic Biochemical Basis of Neuropharmacology, Eighth Edition (Cooper, Bloom, and Roth) by now including the behavioral methods used to study psychoactive drugs in experimental animals and in humans. Authored by four founders of modern neuroscience, this concise and comprehensive text covers the current series of medications used to treat diseases of the brain and nervous system--both psychiatric and neurologic--as well as legal and illegal recreational drugs and the neuroscientific information that explains how these medications act on the brain from the molecular to the clinical level. The text ranges from drugs that affect the mood and behavior to hypnotics, narcotics, anticonvulsants, and analgesics.

Volumes 7 and 8 of the Handbook were published in 1977. In Volume 7 methods for studying unconditioned and conditioned behavior were reviewed. Attention was given to both ethological methods and operant conditioning techniques as applied to some selected aspects of behavior. Genetic, developmental, and environmental factors influencing behavior were also discussed. In Volume 8, neurotransmitter systems, and in par­ ticular brain circuits, were discussed in relation to behavior and to the effects of psychoactive drugs on behavior. The coverage was not exhaus­ tive because of space limitations. The topics selected for review were, at the time, the focus of considerable experimental effort; they included homeostasis-motivated behaviors: sleep, locomotion, feeding, drinking, and sexual behavior. Brain dopamine systems were therefore discussed in depth, since they were already known to be centrally involved in motivated behaviors. Learning mechanisms and emotion were reviewed in the remaining chapters. In 1984 we initiated an update of behavioral pharmacology to review areas of progress within the same scope as the earlier volumes. This update continues in Volume 19. Among the contributions are several that represent important advances in analyzing behavior and the use of more sophisticated methods to define the effect of drugs on particular aspects of behavior. The chapters by Blundell on feeding and Miczek on aggres­ sion illustrate the sophistication of modern ethopharmacology.

Volumes 7 and 8 of the Handbook were published in 1977. In Volume 7 methods for studying unconditioned and conditioned behavior were reviewed. Attention was given to both ethological methods and operant conditioning techniques as applied to some selected aspects of behavior. Genetic, developmental, and environmental factors influencing behavior were also discussed. In Volume 8, neurotransmitter systems, and in par­ ticular brain circuits, were discussed in relation to behavior and to the effects of psychoactive drugs on behavior. The coverage was not exhaus­ tive because of space limitations. The topics selected for review were, at the time, the focus of considerable experimental effort; they included homeostasis-motivated behaviors: sleep, locomotion, feeding, drinking, and sexual behavior. Brain dopamine systems were therefore discussed in depth, since they were already known to be centrally involved in motivated behaviors. Learning mechanisms and emotion were reviewed in the remaining chapters. In 1984 we initiated an update of behavioral pharmacology to review areas of progress within the same scope as the earlier volumes. This update continues in Volume 19. Among the contributions are several that represent important advances in analyzing behavior and the use of more sophisticated methods to define the effect of drugs on particular aspects of behavior. The chapters by Blundell on feeding and Miczek on aggres­ sion illustrate the sophistication of modern ethopharmacology.

Perhaps more than any other group of psychotropic drugs, the neuroleptics are a focus for integrating clinical application, neurotransmitter disposition, and pathophysiologic mechanisms of mental illness. Neuroleptic is a term referring to drugs of several chemical classes-phenothiazines, thioxan- thenes, and butyrophenones-which have in common a selective ability to alleviate schizophrenic symptoms. Delay and Deniker derived the word neuroleptic from the Greek meaning "to grasp the neuron. " They coined the name because they noted that therapeutic responses to chlorpromazine tended to accompany the onset of neurological, extrapyramidal side effects, which they therefore felt related to the essence of the drug's antischizo- phrenic actions. Subsequent research, particularly relating to neuroleptic effects on dopamine receptors, suggests that both therapeutic and neurologic untoward effects involve dopaminergic mechanisms, explaining their close though not invariant association. The chapter by Davis and Garver summa- rizes clinical facets of neuroleptics, analyzing their apparently specific clinical effects as well as reviewing practical features of drug use.Crane's chapter deals with tardive dyskinesia and other neurological side effects. Fielding and Lal discuss behavioral studies in animals which provide models for assessing the drugs' therapeutic efficacy. Janssen and Van Bever deal with the remarkable structure-activity relationships of the butyrophenones, the most potent and selective neuroleptics which were almost single-handedly devel- oped through the brilliant efforts of Paul Janssen. Shore and Giachetti describe basic and clinical features of reserpine, the neurotransmitter effects of which differ from .

Underlying the design of the Handbook of Psychopharmacology is a prejudice that the study of drug influences on the mind has advanced to a stage where basic research and clinical application truly mesh. These later volumes of the Handbook are structured according to this conception. In certain volumes, groups of drugs are treated as classes with chapters ranging from basic chemistry to clinical application. Other volumes are assembled around topic areas such as anxiety or affective disorders. Thus, besides chapters on individual drug classes, we have included essays addressing broad areas such as "The Limbic-Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal System and Human Be­ havior" and "Peptides and the Central Nervous System. " Surveying these diverse contributions, one comes away with a sentiment that, far from being an "applied" science borrowing from fundamental brain chemistry and physiology, psychopharmacology has instead provided basic researchers with the tools and conceptual approaches which now are advancing neurobiology to a central role in modern biology. Especially gratifying is the sense that, while contributing to an understanding of how the brain functions, psychopharmacology is a discipline whose fruits offer genuine help to the mentally ill with promises of escalating benefits in the future. L. L. 1. S. D. 1. S. H. S. VB CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors: Animal Pharmacology RICHARD F. SQUIRES 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1. 1. Localization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1. 2. Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1. 3. Mechanisms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 3 2. Inhibition of 5-HT and Catecholamine Synthesis. . . . . . . . 5 3. Inhibition of Spontaneous Firing of 5-HT Neurons. . . . . .

Underlying the design of the Handbook of Psychopharmacology is a prejudice that the study of drug influences on the mind has advanced to a stage where basic research and clinical application truly mesh. These later volumes of the Handbook are structured according to this conception. In certain volumes, groups of drugs are treated as classes with chapters ranging from basic chemistry to clinical application. Other volumes are assembled around topic areas such as anxiety or affective disorders. Thus, besides chapters on individual drug classes, we have included essays addressing broad areas such as "The Limbic-Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal System and Human Be­ havior" and "Peptides and the Central Nervous System. " Surveying these diverse contributions, one comes away with a sentiment that, far from being an "applied" science borrowing from fundamental brain chemistry and physiology, psychopharmacology has instead provided basic researchers with the tools and conceptual approaches which now are advancing neurobiology to a central role in modern biology. Especially gratifying is the sense that, while contributing to an understanding of how the brain functions, psychopharmacology is a discipline whose fruits offer genuine help to the mentally ill with promises of escalating benefits in the future. L. L. 1. S. D. 1. S. H. S. VB CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors: Animal Pharmacology RICHARD F. SQUIRES 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1. 1. Localization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1. 2. Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1. 3. Mechanisms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . 3 2. Inhibition of 5-HT and Catecholamine Synthesis. . . . . . . . 5 3. Inhibition of Spontaneous Firing of 5-HT Neurons. . . . . .

The first six volumes of the Handbook reviewed basic neuropharmacology, drawing on expertise in biochemistry, pharmacology and electrophysiology. The next three volumes focus attention on the functional importance of these basic neuropharmacological mechanisms for normal behavior. In order to study this interface in the intact functioning organism, appropriate methods for describing and quantifying behavior must be developed. The past twenty years have witnessed a revolution in the study of behavior which has taken us away from the often fruitless theoretical arguments to descriptive behaviorism. Technical achievements in the design of apparatus and the recording of behavior played an important role in these developments, and the resultant behavioral methods have been accepted and found useful in studying the effects of drugs. The development of psycho­ pharmacology as a discipline owes as much to these behavioral methods as it does to the basic neuropharmacological techniques pioneered for in vitro studies. In the first section of Volume 7, an effort has been made to provide reviews both of theory and practice in behavioral science. Milner''s chapter deals with the concept of motivation in a theoretical framework. By contrast, the chapters by Morse et al. and Dews and DeWeese provide a more descriptive view of the various ways in which aversive stimuli control behavior and the importance of schedules of reinforcement in determining the profile of responding in the animal. The equal importance of observational behav­ ioral methods is well illustrated by Mackintosh et al.

The first six volumes of the Handbook reviewed basic neuropharmacology, drawing on expertise in biochemistry, pharmacology and electrophysiology. The next three volumes focus attention on the functional importance of these basic neuropharmacological mechanisms for normal behavior. In order to study this interface in the intact functioning organism, appropriate methods for describing and quantifying behavior must be developed. The past twenty years have witnessed a revolution in the study of behavior which has taken us away from the often fruitless theoretical arguments to descriptive behaviorism. Technical achievements in the design of apparatus and the recording of behavior played an important role in these developments, and the resultant behavioral methods have been accepted and found useful in studying the effects of drugs. The development of psycho­ pharmacology as a discipline owes as much to these behavioral methods as it does to the basic neuropharmacological techniques pioneered for in vitro studies. In the first section of Volume 7, an effort has been made to provide reviews both of theory and practice in behavioral science. Milner's chapter deals with the concept of motivation in a theoretical framework. By contrast, the chapters by Morse et al. and Dews and DeWeese provide a more descriptive view of the various ways in which aversive stimuli control behavior and the importance of schedules of reinforcement in determining the profile of responding in the animal. The equal importance of observational behav­ ioral methods is well illustrated by Mackintosh et al.

It is difficult to imagine an era in which there were no selective drugs for treating anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, and other mental ailments. Yet in a remarkably short time these drugs have come to occupy a position of prominence in medical practice throughout the world, and they now account for a major portion of all prescriptions. Most psychotropic drugs were discovered with little premeditation on the part of the inves~ tigator. The drugs simply "worked," often with little rationale, and psychopharmacology has been for many years an empirical discipline in search of scientific underpinnings. In the past decade, a basic science of psychopharmacology has de­ veloped and grown rapidly. Though psychotropic drugs are exceedingly "young" as drugs in medical practice go, we probably know more about their various mechanisms of action than we know about most drugs in clinical use. Advances in understanding effects of psychopharmaceuticals on the brain have been so prodigious that a new research paradigm has evolved. Instead of being concerned solely with understanding how the drugs act, many researchers now employ psychotropic drugs as tools-often the most powerful ones-to elucidate brain function. Consequently, psychophar­ macology is central to neurobiology, which in turn has emerged as an important discipline, heir to the preeminent glamor of molecular biology.

The first six volumes of the Handbook reviewed basic neuropharmacology, drawing on expertise in biochemistry, pharmacology and electrophysiology. The next three volumes focus attention on the functional importance of these basic neuropharmacological mechanisms for normal behavior. In order to study this interface in the intact functioning organism, appropriate methods for describing and quantifying behavior must be developed. The past twenty years have witnessed a revolution in the study of behavior which has taken us away from the often fruitless theoretical arguments to descriptive behaviorism. Technical achievements in the design of apparatus and the recording of behavior played an important role in these and the resultant behavioral methods have been accepted and developments, found useful in studying the effects of drugs. The development of psycho­ pharmacology as a discipline owes as much to these behavioral methods as it does to the basic neuropharmacological techniques pioneered for in vitro studies. In the first section of Volume 7, an effort has been made to provide reviews both of theory and practice in behavioral science. Milner''s chapter deals with the concept of motivation in a theoretical framework. By contrast, the chapters by Morse et ai. and Dews and DeWeese provide a more descriptive view of the various ways in which aversive stimuli control behavior and the importance of schedules of reinforcement in determining the profile of responding in the animal. The equal importance of observational behav­ ioral methods is well illustrated by Mackintosh et ai.

The first six volumes of the Handbook reviewed basic neuropharmacology, drawing on expertise in biochemistry, pharmacology and electrophysiology. The next three volumes focus attention on the functional importance of these basic neuropharmacological mechanisms for normal behavior. In order to study this interface in the intact functioning organism, appropriate methods for describing and quantifying behavior must be developed. The past twenty years have witnessed a revolution in the study of behavior which has taken us away from the often fruitless theoretical arguments to descriptive behaviorism. Technical achievements in the design of apparatus and the recording of behavior played an important role in these and the resultant behavioral methods have been accepted and developments, found useful in studying the effects of drugs. The development of psycho­ pharmacology as a discipline owes as much to these behavioral methods as it does to the basic neuropharmacological techniques pioneered for in vitro studies. In the first section of Volume 7, an effort has been made to provide reviews both of theory and practice in behavioral science. Milner's chapter deals with the concept of motivation in a theoretical framework. By contrast, the chapters by Morse et ai. and Dews and DeWeese provide a more descriptive view of the various ways in which aversive stimuli control behavior and the importance of schedules of reinforcement in determining the profile of responding in the animal. The equal importance of observational behav­ ioral methods is well illustrated by Mackintosh et ai.

The first six volumes of the Handbook reviewed basic neuropharmacology, drawing on expertise in biochemistry, pharmacology and electrophysiology. The next three volumes focus attention on the functional importance of these basic neuropharmacological mechanisms for normal behavior. In order to study this interface in the intact functioning organism, appropriate methods for describing and quantifying behavior must be developed. The past twenty years have witnessed a revolution in the study of behavior which has taken us away from the often fruitless theoretical arguments to descriptive behaviorism. Technical achievements in the design of apparatus and the recording of behavior played an important role in these developments, and the resultant behavioral methods have been accepted and found useful in studying the effects of drugs. The development of psycho­ pharmacology as a discipline owes as much to these behavioral methods as it does to the basic neuropharmacological techniques pioneered for in vitra studies. In the first section of Volume 7, an effort has been made to provide reviews both of theory and practice in behavioral science. Milner's chapter deals with the concept of motivation in a theoretical framework. By contrast, the chapters by Morse et at. and Dews and DeWeese provide a more descriptive view of the various ways in which aversive stimuli control behavior and the importance of schedules of reinforcement in determining the profile of responding in the animal. The equal importance of observational behav­ ioral methods is well illustrated by Mackintosh et at.

Underlying the design of the Handbook of Psychopharmacology is a prejudice that the study of drug influences on the mind has advanced to a stage where basic research and clinical application truly mesh. These later volumes of the Handbook are structured according to this conception. In certain volumes, groups of drugs are treated as classes with chapters ranging from basic chemistry to clinical application. Other volumes are assembled around topic areas such as anxiety or affective disorders. Thus, besides chapters on individual drug classes, we have included essays addressing broad areas such as "The Limbic-Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal System and Human Be­ havior" and "Peptides and the Central Nervous System. " Surveying these diverse contributions, one comes away with a sentiment that, far from being an "applied" science borrowing from fundamental brain chemistry and physiology, psychopharmacology has instead provided basic researchers with the tools and conceptual approaches which now are advancing neurobiology to a central role in modern biology. Especially gratifying is the sense that, while contributing to an understanding of how the brain functions, psychopharmacology is a discipline whose fruits offer genuine help to the mentally ill with promises of escalating benefits in the future. L. L. 1. S. D. I. S. H. S. VII CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 Drug Self-Administration: An Analysis of the Reinforcing Effects of Drugs Roy PICKENS, RICHARD A. MEISCH, and TRAVIS THOMPSON 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I 2. Methods of Self-Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 3. Establishing Drugs as Reinforcers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 4. Characteristics of Self-Administration . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 4. 1. Ethanol. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .