A cutting-edge collection of updated and core techniques for the neurological study of drugs of abuse. Described in step-by-step detail by hands-on experts, these readily reproducible protocols cover a wide variety of coherent methods for gathering information on quantitative changes in protein and mRNA at both tissue and cellular levels. There are various methods for detecting single and multiple alterations in single and multiple gene expression, for analyzing the functional roles of genes and proteins, for studying the release kinetics of striatal dopamine, and for the quantitative measurement of such neurotransmitters as acetylcholine. Insightful review articles address key current topics on the effect of drugs of abuse on the brain.