Focus 5:151-162, Spring 2007
© 2007 American Psychiatric Association
Preclinical Development and Clinical Implementation of Treatments for Substance Abuse Disorders
Robert N. Pechnick, Ph.D.,
Suzette Glasner-Edwards, Ph.D.,
Mark Hrymoc, M.D., and
Jeffery N. Wilkins, M.D.
Correspondence: Address Correspondence to: Robert Pechnick, Ph.D., Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8730 Alden Dr., Room E-123, Los Angeles, 90048; pechnickr{at}cshs.org
Substance abuse continues to be a major source of morbidity and mortality around the world. Preclinical research on substance abuse continues to focus on determining the neurobiological substrates underlying this disorder and using this information to develop new and more efficacious treatment strategies. Studying drug self-administration in laboratory animals is a powerful approach with clear-cut and dynamic links between preclinical findings and substance abuse in humans. It has been and will continue to be a valuable procedure for developing pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatment modalities for substance abuse. Currently, pharmacological treatment of substance abuse disorders includes drugs for replacement therapy, drugs that produce aversive effects, or drugs that alter or modulate neurotransmission in systems involved in the rewarding effects of abused drugs. Pharmacological agents are in various stages of testing or are now available for the treatment of nicotine, opioid, ethanol, and stimulant dependence. The most effective treatments of substance abuse disorders also include psychosocial interventions. Cognitive behavior therapy has been found to be efficacious and comparable to other psychosocial intervention approaches, including 12-step facilitation and motivational enhancement therapy. Family therapy and 12-step involvement appear to have positive incremental effects on treatment outcomes, and motivational interventions promote improvement in substance use largely through their effects on treatment adherence. The development and implementation of more successful treatments for substance abuse disorders will involve new discoveries on the fundamental mechanisms underlying substance abuse combined with the refinement of psychosocial interventions.
CME Disclosure
Robert N. Pechnick, Ph.D., Associate Director of Research, Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Professor of Psychiatry, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; Member, Brain Research Institute, UCLA. Grants/Research Support: NIDA, NIMH, NINDS, Forest Research Institute, Philip Morris, Sepracor, Inc. Suzette Glasner-Edwards ME, Ph.D., Research Psychologist, Integrated Substance Abuse Programs, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. No significant conflict of interest of affiliation to report. Mark Hrymoc, M.D., Addiction Psychiatry Fellow, Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. No significant conflict of interest of affiliation to report. Jeffery N. Wilkins, M.D., Vice Chair, Dept. of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences; Lincy/Heyward-Moynihan Endowed Chair in Addiction Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; Professor of Psychiatry, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Grants/Research Support: Hythiam, Inc.; Consultant: Alkermes, Inc., Cephalon, Inc., Hythiam, Inc., Honoraria: CME LLC.
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
|
|
 
Reference List for FOCUS Self-Assessment Examination
PsychiatryOnline CME,
October 10, 2007;
2007(3):
2 - 2.
[Full Text]
|
|
|
Get information about faster international access.
Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2007
American Psychiatric Association.
All rights reserved.
Home
| Search
| Current Issue
| Past Issues
| Subscribe
| All APPI Journals
| Help
| Contact Us
|
