Neuronal Dysfunction Induced by Drugs of Abuse : Cellular and Molecular Approach

ISBN-13: 9783639176698 / Angielski / Miękka / 2009 / 204 str.

Teresa Cunha-Oliveira

Opis

Substance abuse and addiction are the most costly of all neuropsychiatric disorders. In the last decades, much progress has been achieved in the understanding the effects of the drugs of abuse on the brain. However, efficient treatments that prevent relapse have not been developed. Understanding the mechanisms that underlie brain dysfunction observed in these individuals may contribute to improve the treatment of drug addiction, which may have serious social and economical consequences. This book presents a review of the literature on this subject, as well as studies on the neurotoxic effects of the drugs of abuse amphetamine, cocaine and heroin, exploring their cellular and molecular mechanisms of action, with a focus on oxidative stress and apoptosis. The role of mitochondria and ionotropic glutamate receptors in the neuronal dysfunction induced by these drugs is also explored. This book should be useful to anyone interested in the molecular mechanisms of drug addiction.

O autorze

PhD in Cell Biology. Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Portugal.