Neuropharmacology Innovations
Neuropharmacology is the scientific study of the effects of drugs on the nervous system. Its primary focus is the actions of medications for psychiatric and neurologic disorders as well as those of drugs of abuse. Neuropharmacology also uses drugs as tools to form a better understanding of normal nervous system functioning. The goal of neuropharmacology is to apply information about drugs and their mechanisms of action to develop safer, more effective treatments and eventually curative and preventive measures for a host of nervous system abnormalities. The importance of neuropharmacology to medical practice, and to society at large, is difficult to overstate. Drugs that act on the nervous system, including antidepressant, antianxiety, anticonvulsant, and antipsychotic agents, are among the most widely prescribed medications. Moreover, commonly prescribed medications that act on other organ systems often are associated with side effects that involve the nervous system and in turn may limit their clinical utility. In addition, a substantial number of individuals use common substances, such as caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine, that are included in the domain of neuropharmacology because of their effects on the central nervous system (CNS). In a much smaller fraction of the population, these and other drugs are used compulsively, in a manner that constitutes an addiction. Drug abuse and addiction exact an astoundingly high financial and human toll on society through direct adverse effects, such as lung cancer and hepatic cirrhosis, and indirect adverse effects—for example, accidents and AIDS—on health and productivity. This information can be published in our peer-reviewed journal with impact factors and are calculated using citations not only from research articles but also review articles (which tend to receive more citations), editorials, letters, meeting abstracts, short communications, and case reports. The inclusion of these publications provides the opportunity for editors and publishers to manipulate the ratio used to calculate the impact factor and try to increase their number rapidly. The impact factor plays a major role in a particular journal. Journal with a higher impact factor is considered to be more important than other ones.
Last Updated on: Nov 28, 2024