Biology Of Schizophrenia And Affective Disease

The Decade of the Brain has brought with it many advances in our understanding of the biology of major mental disorders. Biology of Schizophrenia and Affective Disease provides a state-of-the-art look at the biological bases of severe mental illness from the perspective of the researchers making these exceptional discoveries. In 17 chapters, some of the best investigators in the field furnish overviews of their ground-breaking findings and set course for future research efforts. From the biology of stress to excitotoxicity in the development of corticolimbic alterations in the schizophrenic brain, this outstanding reference tool explores the explosive progress in the fields of biochemistry, molecular genetics, neuroscience, and brain circuit anatomy and the resultant advances in nearly every aspect of the biology of the brain and mental illness. Dissolution of cerebral cortical mechanisms in patients with schizophrenia, linkage and molecular genetics in infantile autism, and postmortem studies of suicide victims and schizophrenic patients are among the topics covered. The book also discusses treatment issues, including the mechanisms of action of antidepressants and atypical antipsychotic drugs. Practitioners and students will find this volume an invaluable reference tool for understanding the mechanisms of normal and pathological brain function and potential areas for further insight into the biological bases of mental illness.

The twenty-one chapters of this volume comprise the report of the Dahlem Workshop on Biological Perspectives of Schizophrenia held in Berlin, October 1986. Contributors examine biological processes involved in the etiology and pathenogenesis of schizophrenia, define gaps in our knowledge thereof, and indicate directions for future work. Topics covered include genetic factors (possible markers and new strategies), non-genetic factors (brain diseases, obstetrical complications, viral infections, and autoimmune processes), as well as structural factors (neuromorphometric and brain imaging findings and structural deviations). The reader will find arguments pro and con for the future significance of genetic linkage studies versus association studies, the potential role of SPEM disturbances, the retrovirus/transposon hypothesis, the rCBF hypofrontality phenomenon, and the significance of both anatomical and functional deviations in limbic structures.

An international team of leading researchers and clinicians here provide a comprehensive, epidemiological overview of this multi-faceted and still perplexing disorder, and address some of the key questions it raises. How important in the genetic contribution to schizophrenia? Do pregnancy and birth complications increase the risk for schizophrenia? Is the incidence of schizophrenia changing? Why is the rate higher among immigrants and in those born in cities? Controversial issues such as the validity of discrete or dimensional classifications of schizophrenia and the continuum between psychosis and 'normality' are explored in depth, and separate chapters are devoted to topics of particular relevance to schizophrenia such as suicide, violence and substance abuse. Finally, new prospects for treatment and prevention are considered. Drawing together the findings from social, genetic, developmental and classical epidemiology of schizophrenia, this text will prove an invaluable resource for clinicians and researchers.

Our understanding of the neurobiological basis of psychiatric disease has accelerated in the past five years. The fourth edition of Neurobiology of Mental Illness has been completely revamped given these advances and discoveries on the neurobiologic foundations of psychiatry. Like its predecessors the book begins with an overview of the basic science. The emerging technologies in Section 2 have been extensively redone to match the progress in the field including new chapters on the applications of stem cells, optogenetics, and image guided stimulation to our understanding and treatment of psychiatric disorders. Sections' 3 through 8 pertain to the major psychiatric syndromes-the psychoses, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, substance use disorders, dementias, and disorders of childhood-onset. Each of these sections includes our knowledge of their etiology, pathophysiology, and treatment. The final section discusses special topic areas including the neurobiology of sleep, resilience, social attachment, aggression, personality disorders and eating disorders. In all, there are 32 new chapters in this volume including unique insights on DSM-5, the Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) from NIMH, and a perspective on the continuing challenges of diagnosis given what we know of the brain and the mechanisms pertaining to mental illness. This book provides information from numerous levels of analysis including molecular biology and genetics, cellular physiology, neuroanatomy, neuropharmacology, epidemiology, and behavior. In doing so it translates information from the basic laboratory to the clinical laboratory and finally to clinical treatment. No other book distills the basic science and underpinnings of mental disorders and explains the clinical significance to the scope and breadth of this classic text. The result is an excellent and cutting-edge resource for psychiatric residents, psychiatric researchers and doctoral students in neurochemistry and the neurosciences.

This is a major international textbook for psychiatrists and other professionals working in the field of mental healthcare. With contributions from opinion-leaders from around the globe, this book will appeal to those in training as well as to those further along the career path seeking a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of effective clinical practice backed by research evidence. The book is divided into cohesive sections moving from coverage of the tools and skills of the trade, through descriptions of the major psychiatric disorders and on to consider special topics and issues surrounding service organization. The final important section provides a comprehensive review of treatments covering all of the major modalities. Previously established as the Essentials of Postgraduate Psychiatry, this new and completely revised edition is the only book to provide this depth and breadth of coverage in an accessible, yet authoritative manner.