Human Psychopharmacology (Wiley Medical Publication) (Volume 1)

One of the basic assumptions of the human psychopharmacologist is that the effects of psychoactive drugs can be judged by the changes they produce in human behaviour, whether in psychiatric patients or in healthy volunteers. The measurement of these changes to the disorders themselves often have to be made in subjects whose behaviour is not consistent. For example, circuadian variations, age, sex, personality, biological rhythms, motivation expectation and genetic predisposition are all capable of affecting behaviour. Assessment techniques must therefore be both sensitive and robust. This book brings together internationally respected researchers to discuss, within their own specialities, the use and development of test systems, the definition of research domains, the pragmatics of human experimentation, the application of experimental findings to therapeutics, the establishment of risk- benefit ratios and of appropriate measures whereby the efficacy and safety of modern psychopharmaceuticals can be assessed.