Introduction to Neuropharmacology

Catalog description

This course is designed as an introductory course in pharmacology and neuropharmacology for students who have majored in or who have professional interests in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, psychology, pre-health professions and pre-medicine. Pharmacology is more than the study of the therapeutic uses of drugs. It is a science which uses the basic concepts of biology and chemistry to determine how drugs affect the organism. Neuropharmacology applies the basic principles of pharmacology to the nervous system and the tissues and organs that the nervous system regulates. Pharmacology gives a unique perspective in understanding how cells, organ systems, and organisms function. Pharmacology uses a systematic approach to investigate drug mechanisms causing a biological event for therapeutic use--from the molecular level to the whole animal. These pharmacological approaches also allow us to study how biological systems fail to function, providing information on the etiology of disease. Pharmacology research is essential for the development, testing and clinical use of drugs to treat disease.