The Neuroscience of Addiction

by Francesca Filbey

This book addresses a growing need for accessible information on the neuroscience of addiction. In the past decade, neuroscientific research has greatly advanced our understanding of the brain mechanisms of addiction. However this information still remains largely confined to scientific outlets. As legislation continues to evolve and the stigma surrounding addiction persists, new findings on the impact of substances on the brain are an important public health issue. Francesca Mapua Filbey gives readers an overview of research on addiction including classic theories as well as current neuroscientific studies. A variety of textual supports - including a glossary, learning objectives and review questions - help students better reinforce their reading and make the text a ready-made complement to undergraduate and graduate courses on addiction.

Genres: Neuroscience, Science, Addiction, Psychology, Brain

210 pages, Paperback

Published February 28, 2019

Reviews

[Morgan Blackledge · Rating 5 out of 5]

I looked for a book like this for a long dang time.

Technical, but not too ridiculously technical.

Perfect for the advanced non specialist.

Really really good.

This is a first edition so it’s not too expensive.

It’s a little under developed in areas.

That being said, there’s lots of room for this text to grow in future editions.

LOVED IT!

[Hendrik Strauss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Am currently browsing through it again, and using it as a ressource for a video essay on decision making in the addictive process.
And I dare say, I still really like it.

In the process of working on this video essay, I am realizing how little of neuroscience I actually have absorbed deeply. The things I thought I knew were broad schematic oversimplifications.
Now I am less certain, but once again deeply intrigued.

[Bookish Hedgehog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very readable introduction to this field [as long as you have some bg in sciences]. It's surprising how easy it was to read this book cover to cover, and I really appreciated:

*Ordering of chapters along progression of addiction: intoxication, withdrawal, treatment, etc.
*Short explanations for even basic concepts
*Spotlight sections were actually useful
*The summary/into sections did a good job — weren't half-hearted frills for meeting contract requirements

In terms of criticism, I'd note that the colour plate (with full-fledged polychrome versions of figures) did not repeat captions. Also, I'd have preferred a more curated suggested readings section, e.g., by highlighting review papers or ordering by difficulty (some of the classics cited in main text didn't even figure there).

Note: I might be biased because addiction is super interesting.

[Samichtime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing read. This is an escape the matrix quality book. Neo would be proud. It even has some cutting edge theories on addiction like withdraw symptoms spanning several years, and genetic explanations for addictions and impulsive behavior. The book self identifies as a “textbook” but it’s only about 100-150 pages without all the sources cited/ bibliography and index.

[Essam Ali]

While I'm far from equipped to understand the extensive technicalities of this book, it was nice to see the brain's complexity behind addiction, craving, withdrawal, and how we behave. It almost makes me want to study neuroscience

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introduction to the neurological underpinnings of addiction. The reader might need some background in neuroscience/neuroanatomy to fully profit from this book.