Neuropsychopharmacology

Neuropsychopharmacology is the branch of science that deals with the effects of drugs on the brain and nervous system. As the name indicates, it is a blend of psychopharmacology (the study of how drugs affect the mind) and neurology. It is a recent discipline, its origins dating back to the 1950s and the discovery of drugs that could be used to treat various mental illnesses. One of the fundamental premises of neuropsychopharmacology is that there is a neurochemical basis for every state of mind, whether it occurs normally or is caused by drugs.

The American College of Neuropsychopharmacology was founded in 1961 to advance research in the field, encouraging the interaction of a variety of disciplines to discover the causes and possible cures of neural diseases, and encouraging scientists to pursue such disciplines.

The institute's monthly periodical is also called Neuropsychopharmacology. As an example of what this journal covers, just this month an article appeared in it titled "Perturbation of the Glutamate–Glutamine System in Alcohol Dependence and Remission" citing as a consequence of alcohol abuse abnormalities in the glutamate metabolism, and also mentioning that proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy can be a valuable tool in the investigation of glutamate concentration in those suffering from alcohol use disorder (AUD).

Every year, a thirteenth issue is also published, and appears in Neuropsychopharmacology Review. Some of the articles in its most recent issue include:

1. "How Placebos Change the Patient's Brain" — There are not one, but several placebo effects, each with its own brain mechanisms and requiring its own therapeutic solutions. What is involved here is the psychological stimulation caused by the belief that one is being given something beneficial.
2. "Glutamatergic Model Psychoses: Prediction Error, Learning, and Inference" — The article deals with how psychotomimetic drugs such as PCP can produce effects ranging from disorganized thinking, apathy, and an inability to distinguish self from others in healthy subjects to delusions and hallucinations.

The International College of Neuropsychopharmacology (CINP) has an even longer history than the ACN, dating back to 1949. Its goal is to enable scholarly debate on current issues in the field. Within the CINP are a number of executive, constitutional, and regional committees, particularly in the second group, which includes an International Scientific Program Committee and a History Committee. The College regularly hold regional meetings throughout the world. In 2009 the Thematic Meeting in Edinburgh focused on major psychoses and substance abuse.