Substance abuse and addiction have increased tremendously in the last couple of decades and have taken an enormous social toll in communities throughout North America and the world. The NIH has identified addiction research and treatment as a major area of interest and has invested billions of dollars across many of its agencies. Modern imaging techniques have allowed this research to progress rapidly and the molecular and cellular mechanisms of addiction are now beginning to be understood. Despite this flurry of research activity, there is currently no comprehensive reference work dedicated to the neuroscience of addiction although one is sorely needed. The proposed reference work will be comprised of 156 chapters in four volumes. The first volume will address substance use disorder and the genetics and molecular biology of substance addictions. The second volume will address behavioral addictions such as sex addictions and pathological gambling. The third volume will address research methodology including neuroimaging and molecular modeling. The fourth volume will address clinical and social perspectives, including various drug policies as well as treatment programs. The two editors-in-chief have already identified some of the leading addiction researchers as prospective volume editors and chapter authors.weiterlesen