A comprehensive multidisciplinary review of the most relevant molecular,
genetic, and behavioral approaches used to investigate the
neurobiological basis of drug addiction. The authors explore the latest
findings on opioid, psychostimulant, cannabinoid, alcohol, and nicotine
addiction, provide fresh insights into the genetic basis of drug
addiction and the new therapeutic perspectives these have opened. They
describe the technology available to generate conditional knockout mice
and show how these mice can reveal the molecular basis of opioid,
psychostimulant, and cannabinoid addiction. They also review the
different behavioral models available to evaluate the rewarding effects
of drugs and analyze the genes involved in alcohol dependence.