Drugs and the Brain

3 Units

Drugs and the Brain explores how both medicinal and illicit drugs influence the structure and function of the nervous system. Topics include mechanisms of action, therapeutic applications, side effects, and the neurobiology of addiction. Students will investigate drug effects on systems such as mood, perception, movement, and consciousness through a combination of traditional lectures and problem-based learning (PBL). In weekly PBL sessions, students collaborate to solve real-world clinical and societal scenarios, integrating neuroscience concepts with ethical and public health perspectives. Prereq: NEUR 201 and NEUR 202 .