BIONB 3920

Drugs and the Brain

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2025-2026 Catalog.

Introduction to neuropharmacology, with an emphasis on the neural mechanisms of psychoactive drugs. Topics include a brief introduction to neuropharmacology and a discussion of the major neurotransmitter families. The rest of the course covers the major psychoactive drugs, including cocaine, heroin, psychedelics, marijuana, and alcohol, as well as pharmaceuticals for the treatment of anxiety, schizophrenia, and depression. Includes a term paper in the form of a grant proposal to study a current problem in neuropharmacology. The course will use i-Clickers, which the students should have before the first class.

Prerequisites REF-FA25/Corequisites REF-FA25 BIONB 2220 or equivalent course in neurobiology. Corequisites: None.

Distribution Requirements (OPHLS-AG), (BIO-AS)

Last 4 terms offered (None)

Outcomes REF-FA25

• Master the basics of pharmacology and understand the biochemical, physiological, and neural pathways of drug actions in the brain.
• Understand the neural mechanisms of addiction and withdrawal of psychoactive drugs and the therapeutic actions of major psychiatric drugs in the brain.
• Critically analyze and evaluate papers from the neuropharmacology literature.
• Design research plans utilizing modern neurobiological techniques to test hypotheses in neuropharmacology.
• Search the literature, to propose solutions to currently unsolved problems in neuropharmacology, and to test them experimentally.

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