Abstract
Tolerance and physical dependence are complex biological responses to the chronic administration of drugs and are probably intimately related to basic neurophysiological processes such as habituation and accomodation. Chemical stimuli and receptive mechanisms were probably among the first sensory mechanisms to evolve to assist in satisfying food needs and in avoiding toxic chemicals. To facilitate acquisitive and avoidance movements, negative feedback mechanisms probably developed at a very early stage of evolution. Further, a large portion, perhaps all, of the communication between neurons in the central nervous system is conducted using chemical (neurotransmitters, modulators, and hormones) stimuli and receptors. Finally, virtually all drugs that induce tolerance and dependence exert their actions, either directly or indirectly, by altering neurotransmitter-receptor interactions (Table 1).
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Further reading
Jaffe JH (1980): Drug addiction and drug abuse. In: The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 6th ed, Gilman AG, Goodman LS, Gilman A, eds. New York: Macmillan
Jones RT (1980): Human effects: An overview. NID A Research Monograph 31, 54–80
Kalant H, LeBlanc AE, Gibbins RJ (1971): Tolerance to, and dependence on, some non-opiate psychotropic drugs. Pharmacol Rev 23(3): 135–191
Martin WR (1982): Hypnotics. In: Psychotropic Agents Part III, Hoffmeister F, Stille G, eds. Berlin: Springer-Verlag
Martin WR, Sloan JW (1977): Neuropharmacology and neurochemistry of subjective effects, analgesia, tolerance, and dependence produced by narcotic analgesics. In: Drug Addiction I, Martin WR, ed. Berlin: Springer-Verlag
Wikler A (1968): The Addictive States. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins
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Martin, W.R. (1989). Tolerance and Physical Dependence. In: Abnormal States of Brain and Mind. Readings from the Encyclopedia of Neuroscience . Birkhäuser, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-6768-8_50
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-6768-8_50
Publisher Name: Birkhäuser, Boston, MA
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