In Neuropsychological Aspects of Substance Use Disorders, internationally recognized experts provide clinicians with a translational overview of basic research and treatment findings regarding addictions, neuropsychological and neurological sequalae of the most common substances of abuse.

Substance use continues to be a major public health problem, and the ramifications of this are manifold. For instance, at present, on a yearly basis, the total economic cost of substance misuse is literally hundreds of billions of dollars. These costs are related to a number of factors, including, but not limited to, treatment and prevention, reduced job productivity and/or absenteeism, interdiction by the criminal justice, and incarceration. There are many more psychosocial consequences of substance misuse, and these have been well–documented over the past four to five decades; in contrast, with the exception of alcohol, the effects of substance misuse on the brain have received attention only in the past 10 to 15 years. An emerging body of literature has reported on the effects of various drugs on neuropsychological functioning, including benzodiazepines, cocaine, marijuana, MDMA, methamphetamine, nicotine, and opioids. Despite the fact that the neuropsychological consequences of many drugs of abuse are well–documented, to our knowledge, no one had previously published an edited volume that focused exclusively on this issue. Based on this fact, we decided to create a volume that would review the available literature regarding on this topic. Neuropsychology and Substance Misuse: State-of-the-Art and Future Directions explores cutting-edge issues, and will be of interest to clinical neuropsychologists who require the latest findings in this increasingly important area of neuropsychology.

Drug addictions are often difficult to treat. The most successful treatments begin with studying why individuals become addicted to drugs and how to change their thinking and behaviour. Cognitive, Clinical, and Neural Aspects of Drug Addiction focuses on the theories that cause drug addiction, including avoidance behavior, self-medication, reward sensitization, behavioral inhibition and impulsivity. Dr. Moustafa takes this book one step further by reviewing the psychological and neural causes of relapse including the role of stress, anxiety and depression. By examining both the causes of drug addiction and relapse, this book will help clinicians create individualized treatment options for patients suffering from drug addiction. Identifies key factors contributing to addiction, including stress, anxiety and depression Reviews inhibition and impulsivity in drug use Assesses the cognitive underpinnings of behavioral choices in addiction Discusses the argument of self-medication vs. reward sensitization Examines the psychological causes of why patients relapse

The prevalence of adult cognitive disorders will dramatically rise over the next 25 years due to the aging population. Clinical research on adult cognitive disorders has rapidly evolved, including evidence of new adult cognitive disorders and greater insight into the clinical presentation, mechanism, diagnosis, and treatment of established diseases. The Oxford Handbook of Adult Cognitive Disorders is an up-to-date, scholarly, and comprehensive volume covering most diseases, conditions, and injuries resulting in impairments in cognitive function in adults. Topics covered include normal cognitive and brain aging, the impact of medical disorders and psychiatric illnesses on cognitive function, adult neurodevelopmental disorders, and various neurological conditions. This Handbook also provides a section on unique perspectives and special considerations for clinicians and clinical researchers, covering topics such as cognitive reserve, genetics, diversity, and neuroethics. Readers will be able to draw upon this volume to facilitate clinical practice (including differential diagnosis, treatment recommendations, assessment practices), and to obtain an in-depth review of current research across a wide spectrum of disorders, provided by leaders in their fields. The Oxford Handbook of Adult Cognitive Disorders is a one-of a kind resource appropriate for both clinicians and clinical researchers, from advanced trainees to seasoned professionals.

Heavy use of alcohol and other drugs has been shown to influence neuropsychological (NP) functioning of adults. However, few sound studies have documented how substance use affects NP performance among youth. Conversely, cognitive impairments have been suggested to influence substance use patterns. This study examined the reciprocal effects of NP functioning and substance involvement in youth over an 8-year period. Participants were teens recruited from inpatient substance abuse treatment centers and demographically matched community teens without substance abuse at project intake. Exclusion criteria for both groups include head trauma, neurological illness, and psychiatric disorders. Participants were administered NP tests and substance involvement interviews at 7 time points spanning 8 years, from age 16 to 24, on average. The NP battery covered five domains of functioning as derived from principal axis factoring (PAF): Language, Visuospatial, Memory, Attention, and Executive functioning. Substance use involvement was assessed by self-report and corroboration from collateral reports. Experiment 1 investigated the influence of protracted adolescent substance use on subsequent NP functioning. Participants were excluded for recent substance use, leaving 47 treatment and 26 community youth. Oneway ANOVAs revealed group differences on measures of psychomotor processing (Trails B and Symbol Digit Modalities Test). Hierarchical regression analyses determined the influence of cumulative alcohol and drug involvement on subsequent performance on each NP domain, controlling for age, education, potential practice effects, and baseline NP functioning. General substance use over the 8-year follow-ups predicted 8-year Memory. After controlling for past 3-month substance use, alcohol use over the follow-up period predicted 8-year Attention, cumulative marijuana use predicted 8-year Attention and Executive functioning, and cumulative stimulant use predicted 8-year Attention. Alcohol and drug withdrawal over the 8-year follow-ups predicted Visuospatial and Attention functioning, above and beyond effects of past 3-month substance use and covariates. Experiment 2 examined the influence of early cognitive impairments on development and maintenance of substance abuse problems for community (n = 65) and treatment (n = 97) youth. Regression analyses controlled for gender, education, and baseline substance involvement. In the community sample, poor Language, Attention, and Executive functioning in adolescence predicted greater substance involvement in young adulthood. In the treatment sample, good Language and Executive functioning in adolescence predicted greater subsequent substance involvement. This effect was moderated by alcohol expectancies. Conclusions. Substance use in adolescence was associated with significant cognitive decrements in young adulthood. In a community sample, poor cognitive functioning was associated with substance involvement 8 years later. However, in a clinical treatment sample, good cognitive functioning was associated with poorer treatment outcome if alcohol expectancies were positive.

This book presents the main concepts and tools for the adoption of a biopsychosocial approach to psychotropic substances use and abuse management, prevention and treatment. It aims to provide resources for the design and implementation of health strategies and public policies to deal with psychotropic substances use in a way that fully recognizes the complex articulations between its biological, psychological and social aspects, taking these three dimensions into account to develop both health and social care policies and strategies aimed at psychotropic substance users. The book is organized in five parts. Part one presents a historical overview of psychotropic substances use throughout human history and introduces key concepts to understand the phenomenon from a biopsychosocial perspective. The next three parts approach psychotropic substances use from one of the interrelated dimensions of the biopsychosocial perspective: part two focuses on the neurobiological aspects; part three, on the psychological aspects; and part four, on the social aspects and its implications for public policy design. Finally, a fifth part is dedicated to special topics related to psychotropic substances use. Drugs and Human Behavior: Biopsychosocial Aspects of Psychotropic Substances Use is a guide to public agents, health professionals and social workers interested in adopting the biopsychosocial perspective to develop and implement both health and social care strategies and policies based on an interdisciplinary approach and aimed at dealing with psychotropic substance users in a more humanized way.

Cognition and Addiction: A Researcher’s Guide from Mechanisms Towards Interventions provides researchers with a guide to recent cognitive neuroscience advances in addiction theory, phenotyping, treatments and new vistas, including both substance and behavioral addictions. This book focuses on “what to know and “how to apply information, prioritizing novel principles and delineating cutting-edge assessment, phenotyping and treatment tools. Written by world renowned researcher Antonio Verdejo-Garcia, this resource will become a go-to guide for researchers in the field of cognitive neuroscience and addiction. Examines cognitive neuroscience advances in addiction theory, including both substance and behavioral addictions Discusses primary principles of cutting-edge assessment, phenotyping and treatment tools Includes detailed chapters on neuro-epidemiology and genetic imaging