Computational Neuroscience of Drug Addiction: 10 2012th Edition

From the reviews:

“This is a fascinating … new book covering mathematical modeling of various aspects of addiction. … Written and edited by experts in the field, this is a welcome addition to the neuroscientific literature of addictions. … Each chapter concludes with timely and relevant citations of the scientific literature. … This new … book is a stimulating introduction to the field for those with the computational neuroscientific background knowledge to comprehend it.” (Michael Joel Schrift, Doody’s Book Reviews, March, 2013)

Drug addiction is one of the most important public health problems in Western societies, and is a rising concern for developing nations. Over the past three decades, experimental research on the neurobiology and psychology of drug addiction has generated a tremendous amount of exciting data, from the molecular to the behavioral levels. As a result, a new and pressing challenge for addiction research is to formulate a synthetic theoretical framework that goes well beyond mere scientific eclecticism to deepen our understanding of drug addiction and to foster our capacity to prevent and to cure drug addiction.

Recently, researchers from a broad spectrum of scientific disciplines – from pharmacokinetics to neuroeconomics – have begun to take up this challenge. Computational Neuroscience of Drug Addiction collects recent mathematical and neurocomputational modeling approaches to drug self-administration and addiction. This selection of chapters illustrates how mathematical modeling can contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the transition between the different stages of addiction, from initiation of regulated drug use and subsequent loss of control over drug use to relapse after long-term abstinence. The volume provides an overview of this emerging area and will serve as a standard reference for addiction researchers and quantitative scientists entering the field.