This book deals with recent perspectives on the panel of addiction behavior in a vast amount of population (young and adult). Thanks to the contribution of experts of the topic of addiction the volume will furnish new perspectives to formulate assessment, diagnosis and intervention in response to the increasing variety of addictions. It focuses the assessment of executive functions in substance and behavioral addictions. More specifically, this assessment consists of a new approach not only inherent to the diagnosis, but also to the treatment and prevention of addictions. In fact, there is a strict relationship between executive functions (EF) and addictive behavior: EF plays a remarkable role in significant phenomena for the treatment of addictions, such as craving, relapse and compliance to treatment.

Autorentext

Michela Balconi,is an Associate Professor of Psychophysiology and Cognitive Neuroscience, and Neuroscience of Well-being at the Faculty of Psychology of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Milano. She also regularly gives classes at the 2nd-level post-graduate master's degree in clinical Neurosciences and at the Doctoral School in Psychology at the Università Cattolica di Milano. She is Scientific Director of the 2nd-level post-graduate master's degree in clinical Neurosciences. She is Director of the International Research Center for Cognitive Applied Neuroscience (IrcCAN) and of the Research Unit in Affective and Social Neuroscience, where she supervises research activities of a large group of young researchers, Ph.D. students, and trainees. Further, she is member of the Ethics Committee of the Department of Psychology at the Università Cattolica diMilano. She took part in and coordinated many scientific projects in collaboration with national and international researchers and practitioners. She is primarily interested in: functional and dysfunctional manifestations of affective processes and emotional experience; integrated multi-method analysis (EEG, fNIRS, eye-tracking, autonomic indices) of physiological correlates of such processes and experiences; physiological and pathological modulation of the state of consciousness; and relative potential application of methods and techniques borrowed from clinical and cognitive-affective neurosciences. She is also Editor-in-Chief of the indexed international scientific journal Neuropsychological Trends, and she acts as reviewer or member of the editorial board of many other international journals. Again, she is member or part of the management committee of many national and international scientific societies (e.g. SIPF, SINP, AIP, INS, IBRO, FESN). She is author of more than 250 scientific papers, 17 books, and more than 30 book chapters, and part of more than 400 invited talks, oral presentations or poster presentations. H-index (Scopus): 31 Number of citations (Scopus): 3211.

Salvatore Campanella, is a full-time researcher and senior research associate. He is Officer since 2011 of the WPA (World Psychiatric Association) Section Psychophysiology (re-named Psychiatric Electrophysiology Section since 2014). He is part of the scientific board, since 2014, of MindWay Neuroscience Research Centre at Università Cattolica di Milano, Milano, Italy and director of a FNRS contact group entitled Psychopathologie Neuro-Cognitive (Cognitive Neuro-Psychopathology), involving members of all Belgian universities (Ghent, Liège, Brussels, Louvain-la-Neuve, Mons). His main interest consists in finding neural biomarkers (by means of brain imagery techniques such as ERP, fMRI) that can help to optimize treatment for many psychiatric populations, such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and addiction to drugs or alcohol. He is also associate editor for Neuropsychiatric Electrophysiology, Frontiers in Psychopathology and Neuropsychological Trends**.**

Inhalt
Part 1 The executive functions in traditional and behavioral addictions

Chapter 1. Similarities and differences between old and behavioral addictions: Focus on executive functions

Chapter 2. The assessment of executive functions: A new neuropsychological tool for the assessment of executive functions)

2.1. Structure of neuropsychological battery

2.2. Potential applications: Salience and innovativeness

2.3. An empirical study

Chapter 3. Analysis of executive functions in pathological gambling disorder

3.1. Data analysis: A comparison between a control group and a pathological group

3.2. A further comparison between substance use disorder and pathological gambling disorder

Part 2

Prevention and treatment of addictions

Chapter 4. Neuroenhancement of executive functions in addictions