Some classes of behaviors, including gambling, Internet gaming, and sexual behaviors, may lead to compulsive engagement for a minority of individuals. In extreme cases where individuals may feel unable to control these behaviors without external influence, these behaviors may be considered non-substance or behavioral addictions. Many such behaviors may occur predominantly online, such as gaming, social media, shopping, and pornography, and may be driven by constant accessibility via smartphone and other mobile device technologies. This Research Topic presents diverse papers on neurobiological evidence of behavioral addictions, encompassing gambling disorder, Internet-based disorders, including Internet gaming disorder and smartphone addiction, and compulsive sexual behaviors.

The Behavioral Addictions provides a pragmatic and engaging guide to help clinicians understand and contextualize conditions that may not be clearly delineated in the DSM-5 diagnostic system. Although not accorded a specific classification, the behaviors addressed in this book share the accepted hallmarks of addiction—continued engagement in an action despite negative consequences and loss of control over one’s own life. The editors begin with an overview of the behavioral addictions from neurobiological, theoretical, clinical, and forensic perspectives and then present 12 case studies focused on a variety of behaviors, from exercising to Internet gaming and from kleptomania to tanning. These real-life case studies are both fascinating and instructive, and along with accompanying videos, they help trainees and practicing clinicians alike to digest current research and gain “hands-on” experience with the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions. In the realm of behavioral addictions, there is much work to be done: figuring out reliable diagnostic criteria, building useful assessment tools, and developing effective psychosocial and pharmacological treatments, to name a few critical tasks. The Behavioral Addictions is an indispensable, case-based resource to guide clinicians in this rapidly changing field.

Neurobiology of Addiction is conceived as a current survey and synthesis of the most important findings in our understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms of addiction over the past 50 years. The book includes a scholarly introduction, thorough descriptions of animal models of addiction, and separate chapters on the neurobiological mechanisms of addiction for psychostimulants, opioids, alcohol, nicotine and cannabinoids. Key information is provided about the history, sources, and pharmacokinetics and psychopathology of addiction of each drug class, as well as the behavioral and neurobiological mechanism of action for each drug class at the molecular, cellular and neurocircuitry level of analysis. A chapter on neuroimaging and drug addiction provides a synthesis of exciting new data from neuroimaging in human addicts a unique perspective unavailable from animal studies. The final chapters explore theories of addiction at the neurobiological and neuroadaptational level both from a historical and integrative perspective. The book incorporates diverse finding with an emphasis on integration and synthesis rather than discrepancies or differences in the literature. - Presents a unique perspective on addiction that emphasizes molecular, cellular and neurocircuitry changes in the transition to addiction - Synthesizes diverse findings on the neurobiology of addiction to provide a heuristic framework for future work - Features extensive documentation through numerous original figures and tables that that will be useful for understanding and teaching

Drug addiction is a chronically relapsing mental illness involving severe motivational disturbances and loss of behavioral control leading to personal dev- tation. The disorder af?icts millions of people, often co-occurring with other mental illnesses with enormous social and economic costs to society. Several decades of research have established that drugs of abuse hijack the brain’s natural reward substrates, and that chronic drug use causes aberrant alterations in these rewa- processing systems. Such aberrations may be demonstrated at the cellular, neu- transmitter, and regional levels of information processing using either animal models or neuroimaging in humans following chronic drug exposure. Behaviorally, these neural aberrations manifest as exaggerated, altered or dysfunctional expr- sion of learned behavioral responses related to the pursuit of drug rewards, or to environmental factors that precipitate craving and relapse during periods of drug withdrawal. Current research efforts are aimed at understanding the associative and causal relationships between these neurobiological and behavioral events, such that treatment options will ultimately employ therapeutic amelioration of neural de?cits and restoration of normal brain processing to promote efforts to abstain from further drug use. The Behavioral Neuroscience of Drug Addiction, part of the Springer series on Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences, contains scholarly reviews by noted experts on multiple topics from both basic and clinical neuroscience ?elds.

Drugs, Addiction, and the Brain explores the molecular, cellular, and neurocircuitry systems in the brain that are responsible for drug addiction. Common neurobiological elements are emphasized that provide novel insights into how the brain mediates the acute rewarding effects of drugs of abuse and how it changes during the transition from initial drug use to compulsive drug use and addiction. The book provides a detailed overview of the pathophysiology of the disease. The information provided will be useful for neuroscientists in the field of addiction, drug abuse treatment providers, and undergraduate and postgraduate students who are interested in learning the diverse effects of drugs of abuse on the brain. - Full-color circuitry diagrams of brain regions implicated in each stage of the addiction cycle - Actual data figures from original sources illustrating key concepts and findings - Introduction to basic neuropharmacology terms and concepts - Introduction to numerous animal models used to study diverse aspects of drug use. - Thorough review of extant work on the neurobiology of addiction

All across the United States, individuals, families, communities, and health care systems are struggling to cope with substance use, misuse, and substance use disorders. Substance misuse and substance use disorders have devastating effects, disrupt the future plans of too many young people, and all too often, end lives prematurely and tragically. Substance misuse is a major public health challenge and a priority for our nation to address. The effects of substance use are cumulative and costly for our society, placing burdens on workplaces, the health care system, families, states, and communities. The Report discusses opportunities to bring substance use disorder treatment and mainstream health care systems into alignment so that they can address a person's overall health, rather than a substance misuse or a physical health condition alone or in isolation. It also provides suggestions and recommendations for action that everyone-individuals, families, community leaders, law enforcement, health care professionals, policymakers, and researchers-can take to prevent substance misuse and reduce its consequences.