Neuropsychology of Addiction

The word addict often stirs up a negative image: a person of low moral character who willfully chooses to engage in questionable behavior. The social stigma attached to addicts reflects the gap between scientific knowledge and public perception of addiction: drug addiction is seen as a character flaw instead of a biological problem. In this course we will examine addiction with emphases on the neurobiology of the disorder. We will integrate human and animal studies to assess the acute and long-term effects of drugs of abuse on neural systems and the subsequent impact on behavior and cognition. (PSYC 0301; open to junior and senior psychology and neuroscience majors) 3 hrs. sem.