Behavioral Pharmacology and Biomedical Foundations of Chemical Dependency

From Oxycontin, methamphetamine and alcohol, to sex, video gaming and gambling, the spectrum of human addictions is vast. But in neuroscience, research now shows that while the onset of addiction begins with the voluntary act of taking drugs, continued drug exposure changes to involuntary drug taking, and to the point where the behavior is driven by compulsive craving. Discover how different drugs act on the nervous system, review basic neuroanatomy and physiology, the metabolism of drugs, and how “recovery” is described by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM). Review the Standards of Care by the National Quality Forum (NQF) for the treatment of what the DSM 5 refers to as substance use disorders (SUD) but with a particular focus on pharmacotherapy. Because substance use disorders generally co-occur with mental health disorders, this course will also review the major psychiatric illnesses to better understand the rationale for the various medications used to help stabilize both conditions.