Author Description

This volume highlights recent progress in understanding the biology of neurological and psychiatric disorders and developing more effective drug therapies. Included are reports on new strategies for treatment of Parkinson's disease, refractory epilepsy, and postnatal and childhood psychiatric disorders, as well as on the biology and treatment of dementia and related conditions, drug addiction and alcoholism, post-traumatic stress, impulse control disorders, panic, and anxiety states. Leading experts reassess the mechanisms of action and the rational use of antidepressants, antipsychotics, lithium and other mood stabilizers, and anxiolytics and present extensive findings on new drugs such as atypical antipsychotics, reversible MAO-inhibitors, anxiolytics not acting at the benzodiazepine receptor, and antiepileptics that are effective as mood stabilizers. Other topics covered include brain imaging studies, molecular genetics of CNS diseases, stress-induced neurochemical changes, molecular aspects of receptors and psychotropic drugs, and biological markers for psychiatric diseases.