Biological psychology represents a fusion of several scientific disciplines - pharmacology, neurobiology, biochemistry, genetics, physiology, anatomy, biophysics and psychology. All are focussed on acquiring an ultimate understanding of the relationships between brain and behaviour. Presented in two volumes are the papers of the 5th World Congress of Biological Psychiatry. Together they represent a significant contribution to complementary advances across a broad front of recently developed research areas. Psychiatric disorders include schizophrenia, affective disorders, the many forms of senile and presenile dementia including Alzheimer\'s disease, the anxiety disorders, childhood disorders and the variants of eating and sleeping dysfunctions. Each of these illnesses represents a complex interaction of biological, psychological and social variables. The growing number of neuroscientists adopting the biological approach to neuropsychiatric diseases has resulted in a fast expanding body of knowledge regarding brain function and pathology. Further, psychotherapeutic drugs used to treat psychiatric and neurologic disorders play a crucial role in elucidating the biological bases of these diseases. Studying the mechanism of action of these compounds should give us important clues about the normal and pathological functioning of the brain.

Excerpta medica international congress series.