Courses:

Biochemistry and Pharmacology of Synaptic Transmission >> Content Detail



Syllabus



Syllabus

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Course Description


This course considers the process of neurotransmission, especially chemicals used in the brain and elsewhere to carry signals from nerve terminals to the structures they innervate. We focus on monoamine transmitters (acetylcholine; serotonin; dopamine and norepinephrine); we also examine amino acid and peptide transmitters and neuromodulators like adenosine. Macromolecules that mediate neurotransmitter synthesis, release, inactivation and receptor-mediated actions are discussed, as well as factors that regulate their activity and the second-messenger systems and ion fluxes that they control. The involvement of particular neurotransmitters in human diseases is considered.



Required Text


Amazon logo Cooper, Jack R., Floyd E. Bloom, and Robert H. Roth. The Biochemical Basis of Neuropharmacology. 8th ed. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2002. ISBN: 9780195140088.



Grading


  1. Undergraduate Students: The first exam will count for 50% of the final grade, and the second exam will count for the other 50% of the final grade.

  2. Graduate Students: The first exam will count as 1/3 of the final grade, and the second exam will be 1/3 of the final grade, and the term paper will count as the last 1/3 of the course grade.

  3. Undergraduate students who are less than satisfied with their performance on the first exam can write a term paper and if the grade on the paper is higher than that earned on the exam then it will be substituted for the first exam grade.

  4. All students must prepare to take the second test. There will be no make-up tests for the second test. If a student is in the infirmary on the date of that test, it can be administered at the infirmary.

  5. Any student who misses both tests will fail the course.


Calendar



SES #TOPICSKEY DATES
1Neurotransmitters, receptors, and actions
2Membranes and the blood brain barrier
3Acetylcholine: biochemistry
4Acetylcholine: Alzheimer's diseaseStudent meeting deadline
5Dopamine: biochemistry and Parkinson's disease
6Norepinephrine and epinephrine
7Serotonin: biochemistry
8Serotonin: behavior, and obesity
9Review
10Hour examination - midterm
11Melatonin
12Glutamate: biochemistry
13Glutamate: learning and toxicity
14Gaba
15Glycine and histamine
16Cannabinoids and adenosine
17PeptidesNew paper due date
18Drug development and review
19Hour examination - final

 








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