Ian P. Stolerman – Encyclopedia of Psychopharmacology (second edition, 2015)

Описание

This second edition of the Encyclopedia of Psychopharmacology is intended
to reflect the many advances that have occurred in the field since the publication
of the first edition in 2010. In the preclinical arena, this includes not
only the substantial progress that has been made in the psychopharmacology
of complex psychological and behavioral processes, such as cognition and
drug self-administration, but also the introduction and refinement of novel
methods and areas of inquiry, such as optogenetics and ultrasonic vocalization.
At the clinical level, the release of the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and
Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) by theAmerican Psychiatric
Association signals the first major change in psychiatric diagnostic taxonomy
since the publication of DSM-IV in 1994. Whatever one’s opinion as to the
wisdom, necessity, or execution of that change (and contributors to the
Encyclopedia reflect the full range of diversity in this regard), there can be
no disputing the need for an up-to-date compendium of psychopharmacology
to fully take it into account. It should be noted that some of the definitions
given are based on those in the DSM or other standard sources of reference;
we therefore acknowledge the role of such important works in the development
of the Encyclopedia.
All of the 252 essays and approximately 1,150 brief definitions of the first
edition have been reviewed and, as needed, revised to accommodate new
findings and understanding or even just to improve readability. In addition,
32 new essays and about 10 new brief definitions have been added in order to
more fully address topics that were either insufficiently covered in the first
edition or have since emerged as important in their own right. Both old and
new contributors were enlisted to accomplish this massive undertaking that
has increased the size of the Encyclopedia by more than 30%. The panel of
section editors was also expanded so that it now includes a member based in
Asia and an expert to coordinate and develop the entries on substance abuse
and dependence. Readers should be aware that there are areas in any active
scientific field where experts do not agree with each other; our policy has not
required authors to adhere strictly to the views of the section editors or the
editors in chief; rather, we have aimed to allow scope for expert contributors
to express their own views on the field and have encouraged them to indicate
in their contributions the areas where controversy exists.
We extend our thanks, again, to the many staff members at Springer for
their unflagging support of this project; to our exceptional section editors,
whose careful oversight, detailed suggestions, and substantive essays so
profoundly shaped the final product; and, finally, to our many contributing
authors, who labored with such dedication to distill the broad and deep
knowledge they have of their subjects into entries which, we hope, will be
readily accessible and efficiently informative to the nonspecialist readers of
this work.