This
book is a comprehensive resource on psychotropic medications, detailing the
latest methods for defining their characteristics, their use in different
patient populations, and drug-drug interactions; an important collection of
information forclinicians, students, researchers, and members of the
pharmaceutical industry alike.

The
first section provides the foundational principles of these drugs. Mathematical
modeling of parameters that affect their entryto,and exit from, the central
nervous system (CNS) compartment are presented on an individual basis and then
applied to target populations with specific disease states. Methods and
characteristics that inform the transfer of these drugs from the laboratory
bench to use in patient care are discussed, including imaging techniques,
genetics and physiological barriers, such as the blood-brain barrier. The second
section describes the characteristics of specific agents,nominally arranged
intodifferent therapeutic categories andwith reference crossover use in
different disease states. The pharmacologic characteristics of different drug
formulations are explored in the context of their ability to improve patient
adherence. The third section focuses on drug-drug interactions.Psychotropic medications
from different categories are frequently prescribed together,or alongside
medications used to treat comorbid conditions, and the information provided is
directly relevant to the clinic, as a result.

The
clinical application of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of CNS agents has
made significant progress over the past 50 years and new information is reported
by numerous publications in psychiatry, neurology, and pharmacology.Our
understanding of the interrelationship between these medications, receptors,
drug transporters, as well as techniques for measurement and monitoring their
interactions,isfrequently updated. However, with information presented on a
host of different platforms, and in differentformats, obtaining the full
picture can be difficult. This title aims to collate this information into a
single source that can be easily interpreted and applied towards patient care
by the clinical practitioner, and act as a reference for all others who have an
interest in psychopharmacological agents.