Drugs and Behavior

DRUGS and BEHAVIOR Neuroscience 0081 Tuesday Thursday 6:00 pm – 9:15 pm Summer 2011 (2117)

Instructors: Dr. A. Dukes Email: [email protected] Office: 7045-9B BST3

Office hours: I have an office that is not easily accessible, therefore pre-set office hours will not be held. I am happy to set up appointments, stay after class, or come early to meet with anyone seeking some guidance. I am very easily reached by email and can arrange times and places for meetings.

Course Web Site: http://courseweb.pitt.edu

Recommended Text: Buzzed: The Straight Facts about the Most Used and Abused Drugs from Alcohol to Ecstasy; AUTHOR: Kuhn, Swartzwelder, Wilson, and Foster; 2008; ISBN: 0393329852; PUBLISHER: W. W. Norton & Company

Required Texts: Psychopharmacology: Drugs, the Brain, and Behavior; AUTHOR: Meyer and Quenzer; 2005; ISBN: 0878935347; PUBLISHER: Sinauer Associates, Inc.

On Reserve: The textbooks are on reserve at the library in Langley Hall.

Course Objectives: The overall goal of this course is to provide you with a broad overview of the relationship between drugs and behavior. The specific goals are to teach you the basic concepts and principles of brain anatomy and physiology, how the brain is modified by drugs, how drugs alter behaviors, and how disorders of brain function can be affected by a variety of drugs. You will become acquainted with the major issues in the field of behavioral neuroscience and be better able to evaluate the various claims made about brain research and function, particularly those pertaining to drugs.

My Approach to the course: While the nature of the material necessitates the general format of this course be lecture, we will attempt to make the course more of a dialogue/conversation. So, please feel free to interrupt me, even if I seem as though I am focused and unresponsive.

Course Requirements: You will be required to take periodic quizzes, hand in homework assignments, and complete two exams. Attendance: You are STRONGLY encouraged you to attend all classes. Although the lecture slides will be made available, there will be information covered in class that is not on the slides.

Class Format: The majority of course format will be lecture, but again I strongly encourage you to ask questions at any time about material that you do not understand, and also encourage you to raise questions for class discussion regarding material we cover in class, or that you encounter outside of class. In general, due to the length of each class period, lecture will be broken up into two parts with a short break in between.

Quizzes & Exams: Quizzes are designed to encourage you to attend class, to pay attention, and to assess you comprehension of the chapter material. You can drop your lowest quiz/homework grade. Exams may be a combination of multiple choices, short answer/fill-in the blank, and short essay questions. All material covered in lecture is considered testable material, unless indicated by the instructor. If you do not complete a quiz, that quiz will be counted as a 0; you may NOT make up a quiz, regardless of the reason.

You may not make up a missed exam unless 1) you have a health crisis requiring medical attention, 2) you must make a court appearance, 3) you experience a serious family or personal crisis, or 4) you are involved in an off-campus activity sponsored by the University. All excuses must be verifiable BEFORE you miss the exam. Please do not plan to explain your absence for an exam at the beginning of the next class. You have our email, feel free to use it. All assignments and quizzes are the responsibility of the STUDENT. If you miss class, it is your responsibility to find out what you missed, what assignments have been given and when they are due. Missing class is not an excuse for not handing in an assignment or completing a quiz on time.

Graded exams MUST BE RETURNED or you will receive a 0 for that exam.

Grading: Your final grade will be calculated from your scores on the quizzes homework, Midterm and Final Exam. The proportion each will contribute to your final grade is as follows: Quizzes, 25%, Homework, 25%; Exams, 50% (25% each).

Grade Breakdown:

Category Points Points Applied to Final Average Midterm 110 pts 100 Final 110 pts 100 Quiz 15 pts each / 120 possible pts 100 Homework 25 pts each / 125 possible pts 100 Grading scale: Letter Grade Percentage Range Letter Grade Percentage Range A+ 97-100 C+ 77-79 A 93-96 C 72-76 A- 90-92 C- 70-71 B+ 87-89 D 60-69 B 82-86 F Below 60 B- 80-81

Academic Integrity: Please see the College of General Studies web page for details on academic integrity www.cgs.pitt.edu. Students are expected to comply with the University of Pittsburgh's Policy on Academic Integrity. Any student suspected of violating this obligation for any reason during the semester will be required to participate in the procedural process, initiated at the instructor level, as outlined in the University Guidelines on Academic Integrity. This may include, but is not limited to, the confiscation of the examination of any individual suspected of violating University Policy. Furthermore, no student may bring any unauthorized materials to an exam, including dictionaries and programmable calculators or cell phones.

Disabilities: If you have a disability that requires special testing accommodations or other classroom modifications, you need to notify both the instructor and the Disability Resources and Services no later than the 2nd week of the term. You may be asked to provide documentation of your disability to determine the appropriateness of accommodations. To notify Disability Resources and Services, call 648-7890 (Voice or TTD) to schedule an appointment. The Office is located in 216 William Pitt Union. Course Schedule:

Homework Date Topics Reading Assignment Quiz Assignments Introduction to Course May Meyer: Chapter 1 Introduction Pharmacological HW 1 10 Kuhn: Chapter 14 Concepts Nervous System Organization May Meyer: Chapters 2, 3 Cells of the Nervous System Quiz 1 HW 1 due 12 Kuhn: Chapter 13 Chemical Transmission Neurotransmitters May Meyer: Chapters 5 - 8 Tolerance, Drug Dependence, and Quiz 2 HW 2 17 Kuhn: Chapters 15, 16 Addiction Depressants- Alcohol May Meyer: Chapters 9, 15, 17 Depressants- Tranquilizers, Quiz 3 HW 2 due 19 Kuhn: Chapters 1, 6, 10 Sedative Hypnotics, and Inhalants May Meyer: Chapter 10 Opiates Quiz 4 HW 3 24 Kuhn: Chapter 9 May Psychedelics and Hallucinogens Meyer: Chapter 14, 18 Quiz 5 HW 3 due 26 Psychosis and Schizophrenia Kuhn: Chapters 4, 6 May 31 MIDTERM

June Stimulants: Cocaine; Meyer: Chapters 11, 12 HW 4 2 Amphetamine; Nicotine; Caffeine Kuhn: Chapters 2, 8, 12 June Meyer: Chapters 13, 15 Cannabis; Herbal Drugs; Steroids Quiz 6 HW 4 due 7 Kuhn: Chapters 5, 7, 11 June 9 Depression and Anxiety Meyer: Chapter 16, 17 Quiz 7 HW 5

June Neurodegenerative diseases Quiz 8 HW 5 due 14 Final Exam Review June 16 FINAL EXAM