Neuropsychology and Substance Use: State-of-the-Art and Future Directions (Studies on Neuropsychology, Neurology and Cognition) - Tapa dura

Substance use continues to be a major public health problem, and the ramifications of this are manifold. For instance, at present, on a yearly basis, the total economic cost of substance misuse is literally hundreds of billions of dollars. These costs are related to a number of factors, including, but not limited to, treatment and prevention, reduced job productivity and/or absenteeism, interdiction by the criminal justice, and incarceration.

There are many more psychosocial consequences of substance misuse, and these have been well–documented over the past four to five decades; in contrast, with the exception of alcohol, the effects of substance misuse on the brain have received attention only in the past 10 to 15 years. An emerging body of literature has reported on the effects of various drugs on neuropsychological functioning, including benzodiazepines, cocaine, marijuana, MDMA, methamphetamine, nicotine, and opioids. Despite the fact that the neuropsychological consequences of many drugs of abuse are well–documented, to our knowledge, no one had previously published an edited volume that focused exclusively on this issue. Based on this fact, we decided to create a volume that would review the available literature regarding on this topic.

Neuropsychology and Substance Misuse: State-of-the-Art and Future Directions explores cutting-edge issues, and will be of interest to clinical neuropsychologists who require the latest findings in this increasingly important area of neuropsychology.

Wilfred G. van Gorp, PhD, ABPP, is Associate Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at the Cornell University Medical College and Director of the Neuropsychology Assessment Service for the New York Hospital Mental Health System. A member of the Executive Committee of Division 40 of the American Psychological Association, he also serves on the boards of directors of the American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology, of which he is the current President, and the Association of Postdoctoral Programs in Clinical Neuropsychology.
Stephan L. Buckingham, MSSW, ACSW, developed the first psychosocial treatment program for persons with HIV/AIDS at the UCLA Medical Center in 1983. He has also served as Director of Psychosocial Services at Pacific Oaks Medical Group, and Director of Mental Health at AIDS Project Los Angeles. He currently maintains an independent practice in New York City and consults to the healthcare communications industry around the unique psychosocial issues associated with HIV/AIDS.