About this course: This is a course about addiction to drugs and other behaviors. It will describe what happens in the brain and how this information helps us deal with and overcome addiction. It will also discuss other topics such as government policy and our vulnerability to take drugs.
Created by: Emory University
Taught by: Michael Kuhar, Ph.D., Professor
Yerkes/Emory Pharmacology and Neuroscience
| Commitment | 3-4 hours/week |
| Language | English, Subtitles: Chinese (Simplified) |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
The Background and Overview of Drug Use
Upon completion of this module, learners will be able to: define drug abuse, addiction, and dependence; describe what the behavior of addiction looks like; review some of the history of drug use, compare the statistics of addiction, recognize the ten classes of addicting drugs; and explore other types of addictions including gambling, food, Internet, sex, etc.
6 videos, 5 readings
- Reading: Instructor Bio & Acknowledgements
- Video: Course Overview
- Video: Definitions and Terminology
- Video: The Historical Evidence
- Video: The Ten Classes of Drugs
- Video: Drug Use: A Serious Problem
- Video: Behavioral Addictions
- Reading: Recommended Readings
- Reading: Case: A Life on Hold
- Reading: Case: An Ancient Story About a Gambling Addiction
- Reading: Notes
Graded: The Background and Overview of Drug Use
WEEK 2
Drugs & How the Brain Works
Upon completion of this module, learners will be able to: Recognize the processes that control the fate of drugs in the body; identify how drugs are detected in the body; examine how the brain works by employing neurotransmission; and explore the role of neurotransmission in the brain and how drugs work by altering neurotransmission.
6 videos, 3 readings
- Video: Drug Dynamics: The Fate of Drugs in the Body
- Video: Detecting Drugs in the Body
- Video: Synaptic Transmission: The Target of Addicting Drugs
- Video: Neurotransmitters: The Chemical Messengers in the Brain
- Video: Cocaine & Nicotine
- Video: Drugs are Multifunctional
- Reading: Recommended Readings
- Reading: Case: Cocaine
- Reading: Notes
Graded: Drugs & How the Brain Works
WEEK 3
Classes of Drugs, Part 1
Upon completion of this module, learners will be able to: Identify what a receptor is; draw a connection between chemical neurotransmitters and drugs; recognize why addicts take drugs; and describe what alcohol, nicotine, THC, opiates, sedatives, hallucinogens, and cocaine do in the brain.
7 videos, 5 readings
- Video: Alcohol
- Video: Nicotine
- Video: Marijuana
- Video: Psychostimulants
- Video: Hallucinogens
- Video: Opiate Drugs
- Video: Sedatives, Anti-Anxiety Agents, & Hypnotics
- Reading: Recommended Readings
- Reading: Case: Psychedelic Drug
- Reading: Case: Sedatives
- Reading: Case: Veteran with Stress Syndrome
- Reading: Notes
Graded: Classes of Drugs, Part 1
WEEK 4
Classes of Drugs, Part 2 & Animal Models
Upon completion of this module, learners will be able to: Become familiar with the last three classes of abusable drugs: the inhalants, caffeine and others; review the 10 classes of abused and addicting drugs, their effects, and toxicities; recognize the importance of using animals in research on addicting drugs; compare two important animal models, self-administration and conditioned place preference (CPP); and recognize how both animal drug self-administration and conditioned place preference (CPP) are used to understand how drugs work in the brain and how they are used to screen for and develop new treatments and medications.
8 videos, 3 readings
- Video: Inhalants
- Video: Caffeine
- Video: New and Other Substances
- Video: Review of Ten Classes of Drugs
- Video: Animals in Drug Addiction Research
- Video: Animal Model of Drug Self-Administration, Part 1
- Video: Animal Model of Drug Self-Adminstration, Part 2
- Video: Conditioned Place Preference
- Reading: Recommended Readings
- Reading: Case: The Powerful "Cue"
- Reading: Notes
Graded: Classes of Drugs, Part 2 & Animal Models
WEEK 5
Neurotransmission & Brain Imaging
Upon completion of this module, learners will be able to: Recognize dopamine as a major neurotransmitter, specifically how it is involved in both drug and natural rewards; associate low levels of D2 dopamine receptors in the brain with greater vulnerability to addiction; define neuroplasticity and discuss its importance to the brain; examine how drugs alter neurotransmission and signal transduction; and describe how signal transduction and epigenetic mechanisms alter the protein composition and function of the brain.
7 videos, 4 readings
- Video: Dopamine, Reward, & Survival
- Video: Dopamine & Natural Rewards
- Video: Brain Imaging & PET Scanning
- Video: Dopamine Receptors in Vulnerability & Healing
- Video: Neuroplasticity & How Drugs Change the Brain
- Video: How Drugs Alter Gene Expression: Signaling and Epigenetics
- Video: Neurotransmission & Brain Imaging Review
- Reading: Recommended Readings
- Reading: Case: From Success to Desperation
- Reading: Notes
- Reading: Epigenetics Supplement
Graded: Neurotransmission & Brain Imaging
WEEK 6
Vulnerability: Drug Use, Abuse, & Prevention
Upon completion of this module, learners will be able to: Define and identify the different types of risk factors; explain how co-morbid (coexisting) medical/mental problems can lead to self-medication and drug abuse; identify the most important risk factors and explain why these are more significant risks than others; explain why the judgment of an addict gets worse with drug use, identify protective factors; and define prevention and point out why it is important.
8 videos, 3 readings
- Video: Will I Become an Addict?
- Video: Risk Factors
- Video: Self-Medication & Co-Morbidity
- Video: The Interaction of Vulnerabilities & Risk Factors
- Video: Environmental Risk Factors
- Video: Personality & Judgment Risk Factors
- Video: Protective Factors
- Video: Prevention
- Reading: Recommended Readings
- Reading: Case: Drugs for Life: What Went Wrong?
- Reading: Notes
Graded: Vulnerability: Drug Use, Abuse, & Prevention
WEEK 7
Treatment, Policy, & Decriminalization
Upon completion of this module, learners will be able to: See the impact of stigma on drug users; describe the kinds of treatment that are available; differentiate between legalization and decriminalization, and its impact on society; and recognize the impact of various kinds of policies on public health, including the policy of harm reduction.
6 videos, 4 readings
- Video: Treatment, Part 1
- Video: Treatment, Part 2
- Video: Government Drug Policy
- Video: Drugs & Criminality
- Video: Course Summary, Part 1
- Video: Course Summary, Part 2
- Reading: Recommended Readings
- Reading: Case: The Scare of a Lifetime and the Difference a Policy can Make
- Reading: Notes
- Reading: Image Attributions
Graded: Treatment, Policy, & Decriminalization
FAQs
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Creators
Emory University
Emory University, located in Atlanta, Georgia, is one of the world's leading research universities. Its mission is to create, preserve, teach and apply knowledge in the service of humanity.
Pricing
| Purchase Course | Audit | |
|---|---|---|
| Access to course materials | Available | Available |
| Access to graded materials | Available | Not available |
| Receive a final grade | Available | Not available |
| Earn a shareable Course Certificate | Available | Not available |
Ratings and Reviews
Addiction is a major problem in the U.S. I wanted to gather as much information as possible to understand both the problem and some the major solutions to successfully attack the problem. This course is one I highly recommend to anyone who is concerned and who may wish to work to help reduce drug addiction. Dr Kuhar has offered a great learning experience.
I am very pleased with this course, it´s very clear, concised and got to the point. I love the way is taught. Thank you
Excellent course; Michael Kuhar presented the information in an easy-to-understand manner and I learned lots about addiction from this MOOC.
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great course, i learned a lot and will continue work on it!
it's very usefull.