LS C30T / Neuroscience C62
Drugs and the Brain
Biological Science
Nowhere are the connections between chemistry, cell biology, physiology, psychology, sociology, public policy, and constitutional law more vividly illustrated than in understanding the effects of drugs on the human brain and human behavior. This L&S Discovery Course will deal with just that: the biology, chemistry, psychology, and sociology of psychoactive drugs. Such substances—which include stimulants, sedatives, psychedelics, analgesics, antidepressants, antipsychotics, and others—have powerful effects on the human brain and on human behavior. The origins of drugs as components of plants that have enjoyed deep historical relationships with humankind will be emphasized. The necessary biological, chemical, and psychological background material for understanding the content of this course will be contained within the course itself.