Instructor: Professor Senqi Hu Office: 120E HGH Phone No.: (707) 826-5262 Office Hours: TR 11:00-12:30 Location of Class Meetings: HGH SCIA 460 Time of Class Meetings: W: 16:00-18:30 e-mail: sh4@axe.humboldt.edu
Required textbook:
Robert M Julien, 1995
A primer of drug action:
a concise, nontechnical guide to
the actions, uses, and side effects of psychoactive drugs,
7th edition, W. H. Freeman and
Company, New York.
Course Objective:
Psychopharmacology can be defined
as the study of drugs that affect mental states and is one of the most
rapidly advancing field in health science. The objective of this course
for students is to acquire the updated knowledge about biochemical basis
of psycho- pharmacology, aspects of major neurotransmitters, and clinical
applications of psychotropic drugs. To reach that goal, students are required
to familiar fundamental background information for studying psychopharmacology
and to develop a research ideas for the applications of psychopharmacology.
Course Requirements:
Students are required to take four
exams (three mid-term exams and one final exam). Students are also required
to give an oral presentation to the class. The topics of oral presentation
should be decided in the first three or four weeks. The topics of your
oral presentation should be the new drugs are currently used in the treatment
of depression, mania, anxiety and panic disorders, insomnia, schizophrenia
and the psychoses, epilepsies, parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease,
and drug abuse. The sources of your presentation must be updated (not from
your textbook). You are required to provide the list of the source of literature
of your talk to the instructor. Your library research should begin early,
especially if you will be using the inter-library loan service (2 weeks
per request). To obtain information you can begin a search by accessing
the computer information system, which is located on the first floor. The
librarians can provide additional assistance.
Grading Procedures:
Course grade is based on three
exams and an oral presentation. Each exam will count 100 points. The oral
presentation will count 20 points.
By completing above requirements,
you will earn a total of 420 points. Letter grades will be based on this
420 points with:
A = 392-420
A- = 380-391
B+ = 368-379
B = 352-367
B- = 340-351
C+ = 328-339
C = 312-337
C- = 300-311
D+ = 288-299
D = 272-287
D- = 260-271
F = 0-259.
Tentative Class Schedule:
Aug. 27 and Sept. 3
Appendix I: Basic anatomy of
the central nervous system Appendix II: Physiology of the
neuron Appendix III: Neurotransmitters
Sept. 10
Ch. 1: Classification of psychoactive
drugs Ch. 2: Principles of drug action
Sept. 17
EXAM 1
Sept. 24
Ch. 3: Central nervous system
depressants: concepts and traditional agents Ch. 4: Central nervous system
depressants: benzodiazepines "second generation", anxiolytics, and antiepileptic
drugs
Oct. 1
Ch. 5: Central nervous system
depressants: alcohol
Oct. 8
Ch. 6: Psychostimulants: cocaine
and the amphetamine Ch. 7: Psychostimulants: caffeine
and nicotine
Oct. 15
EXAM 2
Oct. 22
Ch. 8: Pharmacotherapy of mood
disorders: drugs for treating major depression Ch. 9: Pharmacotherapy of mood
disorders: drugs for treating bipolar disorders Student presentations
Oct. 29
Ch. 10: Analgesics: narcotics
and nonnarcotic drugs Student presentations
Nov. 5
Ch. 11: Antipsychotic (neuroleptic)
and antiparkinsonian drugs Student presentations
Nov. 12
EXAM 3
Nov. 19
Ch. 12: Psychedelic drugs: mescaline,
LSD, and other "mind expanding" hallucinogens Ch. 13: Marijuana: a unique
sedative-euphoriant- psychedelic drug Student presentations
Dec. 3
Ch. 14: Fertility-regulating
drugs and anabolic- androgenic steroids Student presentations
Dec. 10
Special Topics: Drug treatment
for Alzheimer's disease Drug treatment for motion sickness Student presentations
