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Course Description

The neuropharmacology course will discuss the drug-induced changes in functioning of the nervous system. The specific focus of this course will be to provide a description of the cellular and molecular actions of drugs on synaptic transmission. This course will also refer to specific diseases of the nervous system and their treatment in addition to giving an overview of the techniques used for the study of neuropharmacology.

Lecture Schedule

Four 1 hour lectures in January.

Course Prerequisites and Requirements

This course is open to both graduate and undergraduate students with a basic knowledge of neuroscience principles.

Course Requirements

Outline

The key topics covered in this course are listed below:

• Introduction to neuropharmacology
• Principles of neurobiology
• Neurotransmitter systems:
  • Glutamate and GABA
  • Catecholamines
  • Acetylcholine and serotonin
  • Disorders of the nervous systems and their treatment
  • Techniques in neuropharmacology

Recommended Texts

The following texts are recommended for this course:

Meyer, Jerrold S., and Linda F. Quenzer. Psychopharmacology: Drugs, the Brain and Behavior. 1st ed. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, 2004. ISBN: 9780878935345.

Nestler, Eric, Steven Hyman, and Robert Malenka. Molecular Neuropharmacology: A Foundation for Clinical Neuroscience. 2nd ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Professional, 2008. ISBN: 9780071481274.

Cooper, Jack R., Floyd E. Bloom, and Robert H. Roth. The Biochemical Basis of Neuropharmacology. 8th ed. Oxford, USA: Oxford University Press, 2002. ISBN: 9780195140088.

Grading

There will be a final exam for this course. The exam will be a pass/fail multiple choice exam.

Calendar