Susan D. Iversen – författare

"Psychopharmacology of the Aging Nervous System" was selected as the topic for Volume 20 of the Handbook of PsychopharmacoloffY. Senile dementia is now widely recognized as a medical and social problem likely to reach epidemic proportions by the turn of the century. By that time it is esti­ mated that almost 20% of the population in most developed countries will be over the age of 65 and at a conservative estimate 1 in 10 of them will suffer from a dementing illness. Many symposia have appeared over the last few years describing the neuropathological and neurochemical deficiencies in Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia, the neuropsychological features of the disease, and attempts to treat it. In this volume, we have selected topics and authors who are beginning to question some of the earlier assumptions and to ask different questions about dementia. In the first four chapters the neuropathology and neu­ rochemistry of dementia are reevaluated. It is important to understand the relationship between the formation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, the progressive degeneration in cortex, and the neurochemical deafferentation of cortex. In particular, the possibility is considered that the most severe pathology is seen in a well-defined limbo/cortical circuitry known to be involved in mnemonic processing. The growing interest in the genetic determinants of familial Alz­ heimer's is reviewed. It is also recognized that detailed comparisons of the neural and psychological characteristics of the various degenerative dis­ eases that impair cognitive processing may be valuable.

"Psychopharmacology of the Aging Nervous System" was selected as the topic for Volume 20 of the Handbook of PsychopharmacoloffY. Senile dementia is now widely recognized as a medical and social problem likely to reach epidemic proportions by the turn of the century. By that time it is esti­ mated that almost 20% of the population in most developed countries will be over the age of 65 and at a conservative estimate 1 in 10 of them will suffer from a dementing illness. Many symposia have appeared over the last few years describing the neuropathological and neurochemical deficiencies in Alzheimer''s and other forms of dementia, the neuropsychological features of the disease, and attempts to treat it. In this volume, we have selected topics and authors who are beginning to question some of the earlier assumptions and to ask different questions about dementia. In the first four chapters the neuropathology and neu­ rochemistry of dementia are reevaluated. It is important to understand the relationship between the formation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, the progressive degeneration in cortex, and the neurochemical deafferentation of cortex. In particular, the possibility is considered that the most severe pathology is seen in a well-defined limbo/cortical circuitry known to be involved in mnemonic processing. The growing interest in the genetic determinants of familial Alz­ heimer''s is reviewed. It is also recognized that detailed comparisons of the neural and psychological characteristics of the various degenerative dis­ eases that impair cognitive processing may be valuable.

Volume 15 of Handbook of Psychopharmacology represents the first of a new series of volumes whose aim is to bring earlier sections of the work up to date by describing the latest developments in the field. It is now seven years since the first Handbook volumes on Basic Neuropharmacology were published, and there have been many important advances. As in many other areas in science, progress in this field has depended to a considerable extent on the availability of new experimental methods, and Volume 15 reviews some major recent developments, including new autoradiographic techniques that allow direct visualization of drug and transmitter receptors in the nervous system, and the pinpointing of the precise locations of the changes in brain metabolism elicited by various drug treatments. Volumes 16 and 17 will cover two of the most active areas for basic research in psychopharmacology at the moment: the characterization of drug and transmitter receptors in brain by radioligand binding techniques, and studies of the role of small peptides in brain function. The latter area, in particular, illustrates how rapidly progress continues to be made in basic research on the mechanisms of chemical communication within the nervous system. Seven years ago when the Handbook first appeared none of the opioid peptides (enkephalins and endorphins) had yet been identified. Since then a whole new area of basic biological research has focused on these substances, and in addition we know of more than thirty other neuropeptides with putative eNS transmitter functions.

Volume 15 of Handbook of Psychopharmacology represents the first of a new series of volumes whose aim is to bring earlier sections of the work up to date by describing the latest developments in the field. It is now seven years since the first Handbook volumes on Basic Neuropharmacology were published, and there have been many important advances. As in many other areas in science, progress in this field has depended to a considerable extent on the availability of new experimental methods, and Volume 15 reviews some major recent developments, including new autoradiographic techniques that allow direct visualization of drug and transmitter receptors in the nervous system, and the pinpointing of the precise locations of the changes in brain metabolism elicited by various drug treatments. Volumes 16 and 17 will cover two of the most active areas for basic research in psychopharmacology at the moment: the characterization of drug and transmitter receptors in brain by radioligand binding techniques, and studies of the role of small peptides in brain function. The latter area, in particular, illustrates how rapidly progress continues to be made in basic research on the mechanisms of chemical communication within the nervous system. Seven years ago when the Handbook first appeared none of the opioid peptides (enkephalins and endorphins) had yet been identified. Since then a whole new area of basic biological research has focused on these substances, and in addition we know of more than thirty other neuropeptides with putative eNS transmitter functions.

It is now eight years since the first Handbook volumes on Basic Neuro­ pharmacology were published, and there have been many important advances. As in many other areas in science, progress in this field has depended to a considerable extent on the availability of new experimental methods, and Volume 15 reviews some major recent developments, including new autoradiographic techniques that allow direct visualization of drug and transmitter receptors in the nervous system, and the pin­ pointing of the precise locations of the changes in brain metabolism elicited by various drug treatments. Volumes 16 and 17 cover two of the most active areas for basic research in psychopharmacology at the moment: the characterization of drug and transmitter receptors in brain by radioligand binding techniques, and studies of the role of small peptides in brain function. The latter area, in particular, illustrates how rapidly progress continues to be made in basic research on the mechanisms of chemical communication within the nervous system. Eight years ago when the Handbook first appeared none of the opioid peptides (enkephalins and endorphins) had yet been identified. Since then a whole new area of basic biological research has focused on these substances, and in addition we know of more than thirty other neuropeptides with putative eNS trans­ mitter functions.

It is now eight years since the first Handbook volumes on Basic Neuro­ pharmacology were published, and there have been many important advances. As in many other areas in science, progress in this field has depended to a considerable extent on the availability of new experimental methods, and Volume 15 reviews some major recent developments, including new autoradiographic techniques that allow direct visualization of drug and transmitter receptors in the nervous system, and the pin­ pointing of the precise locations of the changes in brain metabolism elicited by various drug treatments. Volumes 16 and 17 cover two of the most active areas for basic research in psychopharmacology at the moment: the characterization of drug and transmitter receptors in brain by radioligand binding techniques, and studies of the role of small peptides in brain function. The latter area, in particular, illustrates how rapidly progress continues to be made in basic research on the mechanisms of chemical communication within the nervous system. Eight years ago when the Handbook first appeared none of the opioid peptides (enkephalins and endorphins) had yet been identified. Since then a whole new area of basic biological research has focused on these substances, and in addition we know of more than thirty other neuropeptides with putative eNS trans­ mitter functions.

Volume 18 of the Handbook of Psychopharmacology represents the first of a series of volumes intended to bring earlier sections of the work up to date. Volumes 7, 8, and 9, published in 1977 and 1978, dealt with principles of behavior, drugs and neurotransmitters, and neuroanatomy. In subsequent volumes dedicated to these issues, a mixture of topics will be covered in a given volume, covering both advances in basic knowledge in these three areas of the subject and reviews of theoretical and meth­ odological issues deemed to be of particular relevance at present. L. L. !. S. D. !. S. H. S. vii CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 Behavior as a Measure of Adverse Responses to Environmental Contaminants BERNARD WEISS 1. Special Perspectives 1 1. 1. Pharmacology and Toxicology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1. 2. Origins of Behavioral Toxicology . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1. 3. Special Problems 2 2. Specific Substances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 2. 1. Heavy Metals 5 2. 2. Volatile Solvents 20 2. 3. Pesticides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 2. 4. Air Pollutants 36 2. 5. Nonspecific Poisons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 2. 6. Food Additives 44 3. Future Prospects 47 3. 1. Chemical Waste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 3. 2. Susceptible Populations . . . . 48 3. 3. The Statistics of Risk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 3. 4. Screening 49 3. 5. Implications for Psychopharmacology 51 4. References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 CHAPTER 2 State Dependent Learning and Drug Discriminations DONALD A. OVERTON 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 2. Description of State Dependent Learning . . . . . . . . . . 59ix x CONTENTS 3. History of Development of Knowledge about SDL 60 3. 1. Nineteenth Century Reports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .