All Learning Objectives Flash Cards

Lesson 3: Use basic pharmacology terms such as drug mechanism of action, drug site of action, drug effects, therapeutic effects, side effects when describing drugs

Lesson 3: Describe the placebo effect and explain how it is relevant to clinical research

Lesson 3: Use principal pharmacokinetic factors to predict the bioavailability & time course of drug action (cont. in part II)

Lesson 3: Diagram different drug routes of administration and describe the advantages & disadvantages of each

Lesson 3: Design an animal experiment to determine how route of administration influences the addiction potential of a drug

Lesson 3: Illustrate how size, lipid solubility, and ionization influence drug absorption & distribution (also consider the blood-brain barrier)

Lesson 4: Use principal pharmacokinetic factors to predict the bioavailability & time course of drug action (cont. from part I)

Lesson 4: Describe depot binding and its influence on magnitude and duration of drug action

Lesson 4: Interpret graphs of drug clearance and describe the reasons for the kinetics

Lesson 4: Describe the two different phases of drug metabolism

Lesson 4: Predict how liver enzyme interactions can impact drug effects

Lesson 5: Define the main types of receptors and their function

Lesson 5: Explain drug-receptor interactions such as agonism, antagonism, and allosterism using illustrations that model affinity and efficacy

Lesson 5: Predict clinical implications of receptor upregulation and downregulation

Lesson 6: Understand dose-response curves as exhibited by:

Lesson 6: Designing an experiment to collect dose-response data

Lesson 6: Drawing and labeling a dose-response curve based on a description of receptor activity

Lesson 6: Interpreting a dose-response curve (or multiple dose-response curves) and explain receptor activity & drug-receptor interactions from the data presented

Lesson 6: Describing the difference between potency & efficacy and representing it graphically

Lesson 6: Calculate and interpret a therapeutic index

Lesson 7: List the neurotransmitters within the categories of monoamines and catecholamines.  Explain why they are categorized this way.

Lesson 7: Diagram a catecholamine synapse and use it to describe the synthesis, storage, release, and degradation of catecholamines.

Lesson 7: Describe the steps of biosynthesis of each catecholamine—know the precursors & enzymes.

Lesson 7: Describe which factors can regulate the rate of synthesis of catecholamines.

Lesson 7: Describe how catecholamines are loaded into vesicles

Lesson 7: Describe how catecholamine signaling can be terminated

Lesson 7: Describe how drugs can affect each step in the synthesis, storage, release, and degradation process and how this gives rise to their behavioral effects.

Lesson 8: Know the different DA & NE receptor subtypes, their signaling pathways, and involvement in behavior

Lesson 8: Understand the mechanisms of action and predict the behavioral effects of drugs that target the DA & NE receptor subtypes

Lesson 9: Diagram a serotonin synapse and use it to describe the synthesis, storage, release, and degradation of serotonin

Lesson 9: Describe the steps of biosynthesis of serotonin—know the precursor & enzymes

Lesson 9: Describe which factors can regulate the rate of synthesis of serotonin

Lesson 9: Describe how serotonin is loaded into vesicles

Lesson 9: Describe how serotonin signaling can be terminated

Lesson 9: Know the different 5-HT receptor subtypes, their signaling pathways, and involvement in behavior.

Lesson 9: Understand the mechanisms of action and predict the behavioral effects of drugs that target the 5-HT receptor subtypes.

Lesson 10: Diagram the neuroanatomy and describe the function of monoamine pathways in the brain

Lesson 10: Discuss and compare the primary approaches neuroscientists use to study connectivity between brain regions

Lesson 10: Explain how proteins involved in synthesis, storage, release, re-uptake, and degradation of monoamines can be used as biomarkers

Lesson 12: Describe the localization and functions of acetylcholine

Lesson 12: Diagram a cholinergic synapse and use it to describe the synthesis, storage, release, and degradation of acetylcholine

Lesson 12: Describe the steps of biosynthesis of acetylcholine—know the precursor & enzymes

Lesson 12: Describe how acetylcholine is loaded into vesicles

Lesson 12: Describe how acetylcholine signaling can be terminated

Lesson 12: Describe how drugs can affect synthesis and degradation of acetylcholine and how this gives rise to their behavioral effects 

Lesson 12: Describe the structure and signaling of both the ionotropic and metabotropic cholinergic receptors

Lesson 12: nAChRs have multiple functional states—describe the properties of each state, including whether agonist is bound or not

Lesson 12: Describe the interactions of both types of cholinergic receptors with other neurotransmitter systems—especially regarding changes in neurotransmitter release

Lesson 12: Understand the mechanisms of action and predict the behavioral effects of drugs that target nAChR subtypes & mAChR subtypes

Lesson 13: Diagram a glutamate synapse and use it to describe the synthesis, storage, release, and degradation of glutamate

Lesson 13: Describe the steps of biosynthesis of glutamate—know the precursor & enzymes

Lesson 13: Describe how glutamate is loaded into vesicles

Lesson 13: Describe how glutamate signaling can be terminated

Lesson 13: Describe how drugs can affect synthesis and degradation of glutamate and how this gives rise to their behavioral effects.

Lesson 13: Describe the functions of glutamate in the nervous system

Lesson 13: Know the different ionotropic & metabotropic glutamate receptor subtypes, their signaling pathways, and involvement in behavior.

Lesson 13: Describe the properties of the NMDA receptor specifically with regard to long-term potentiation

Lesson 13: Predict behavioral effects of drugs that target ionotropic glutamate receptor subtypes based on their mechanisms of action.

Lesson 13: Describe the effects and primary mechanism of action for PCP & ketamine.  How is this mechanism related theoretically to the neurochemical basis of schizophrenia?

Lesson 13: Describe the firing pattern & structure of glutamate -> lesson 15

Lesson 14: Diagram a GABA synapse and use it to describe the synthesis, storage, release, and degradation of GABA

Lesson 14: Describe the steps of biosynthesis of GABA—know the precursor & enzymes

Lesson 14: Describe how GABA is loaded into vesicles

Lesson 14: Describe how GABA signaling can be terminated

Lesson 14: Describe how drugs can affect synthesis and degradation of GABA and how this gives rise to their behavioral effects.

Lesson 14: Describe the functions of GABA in the nervous system

Lesson 14: Know the different GABA receptor subtypes, their signaling pathways, and involvement in behavior

Lesson 14: Describe the properties of the GABA-A receptor specifically with regards to allosteric modulation

Lesson 14: Understand the mechanisms of action and predict the behavioral effects of drugs that target the GABA receptor subtypes

Lesson 15: Identify and label the major phases of a neuronal action potential and explain, at a conceptual level, how ion movement across the membrane generates these phases.

Lesson 15: Explain how differences in neuronal morphology support distinct functional roles in excitation and inhibition within neural circuits.

Lesson 15: Compare electrophysiological firing patterns across neuron types and use these patterns to distinguish between likely glutamatergic (excitatory) and GABAergic (inhibitory) neurons.

Lesson 15: Predict how changes in morphology due to chronic stress or depression could affect neurotransmission

Lesson 16: Diagram the components of the reward circuit.

Lesson 16: Integrate the reward circuit with neurochemical information about how all drugs of abuse we’ll cover will specifically interact with it

Lesson 16: Explain incentive salience and incentive sensitization

Lesson 16: Provide evidence for why dopamine is not the “pleasure neurotransmitter”

Lesson 16: Identify neuroadaptations involved in addiction

Lesson 16: Discuss Koob & LeMoal's application of the opponent-process model of motivation and the process of allostasis in addiction

Lesson 17: Categorize the drugs listed in the schedule at the end of the syllabus into the five drug classifications in the Schedule of Controlled Substances

Lesson 17: Connect the criteria for diagnosing someone with substance use disorder (DSM-5) with what you've learned about reward & motivation pathways

Lesson 17: Define the terms relapse and remission. Define abstinence syndrome--what is the role of craving in relapse?

Lesson 17: Design an animal experiment to determine how route of administration influences the addiction potential of a drug

Lesson 17: Describe the three stages associated with substance use that can lead to a downward spiral resulting in addiction

Lesson 18: Describe alcohol pharmacokinetics (including absorption, distribution, and metabolism)

Lesson 18: Understand the effects of alcohol on the NMDARs, GABAARs, and CRF and the impact on behavior

Lesson 18: Understand how the concepts of tolerance & withdrawal apply to alcohol use

Lesson 18: Describe the animal models of alcohol self-administration

Lesson 18: Understand how stress and other risk factors increase vulnerability to alcohol use disorder

Lesson 18: Compare and contrast treatments for alcohol use disorder

Lesson 19: Describe opioid effects on the brain

Lesson 19: Name the four opioid receptor subtypes, match them with their endogenous ligands, and describe their functions. 

Lesson 19: Illustrate how opioid receptors work and be able to predict the types of cellular inhibition that may arise when activated

Lesson 19: Describe the neurochemical basis of opioid reinforcement

Lesson 19: Predict what withdrawal from opioids would look like behaviorally and neurochemically

Lesson 19: Apply their knowledge to identify potential treatments for opioid withdrawal

Lesson 19: Compare and contrast treatments for opioid use disorder.

Lesson 20: Compare the behavioral CNS-related effects of cocaine & amphetamines

Lesson 20: Compare and contrast the typical routes of administration for cocaine & amphetamines as well as the pharmacokinetics (including absorption, distribution, and metabolism)

Lesson 20: Compare and contrast cocaine & methamphetamine mechanisms of action