The Addicted Brain

The Addicted Brain

Instructor: Michael Kuhar, Ph.D.

185,428 already enrolled

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8 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

2,238 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

Flexible schedule

2 weeks at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

97%

Most learners liked this course

8 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

2,238 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

Flexible schedule

2 weeks at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

97%

Most learners liked this course

Skills you'll gain

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Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

8 assignments

Taught in English

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There are 8 modules in this course

This is a course about addiction to drugs and other behaviors. It will describe what happens in the brain and how this information helps us deal with and overcome addiction. It will also discuss other topics, such as government policy and our vulnerability to take drugs.

In this first week, we'll explore drug abuse, types of addictions, and the behaviors associated with them.

What's included

6 videos5 readings1 assignment

6 videos Total 36 minutes

Course Overview 7 minutes
Definitions and Terminology 8 minutes
The Historical Evidence 4 minutes
The Ten Classes of Drugs 5 minutes
Drug Use: A Serious Problem 5 minutes
Behavioral Addictions 6 minutes

5 readings Total 70 minutes

Instructor Bio & Acknowledgements 10 minutes
Recommended Readings 40 minutes
Case: A Life on Hold 5 minutes
Case: An Ancient Story About a Gambling Addiction 5 minutes
Notes 10 minutes

1 assignment Total 30 minutes

The Background and Overview of Drug Use 30 minutes

In this second week, we'll get a glimpse at why certain drugs are addicting and how they affect different regions of the brain.

What's included

6 videos3 readings1 assignment

6 videos Total 41 minutes

Drug Dynamics: The Fate of Drugs in the Body 6 minutes
Detecting Drugs in the Body 5 minutes
Synaptic Transmission: The Target of Addicting Drugs 10 minutes
Neurotransmitters: The Chemical Messengers in the Brain 5 minutes
Cocaine & Nicotine 7 minutes
Drugs are Multifunctional 8 minutes

3 readings Total 80 minutes

Case: Cocaine 10 minutes
Recommended Readings 30 minutes
Notes 40 minutes

1 assignment Total 30 minutes

Drugs & How the Brain Works 30 minutes

In this third week, we'll take a deep dive into the different types of drugs and their individual effects.

What's included

7 videos4 readings1 assignment

7 videos Total 47 minutes

Alcohol 9 minutes
Nicotine 8 minutes
Marijuana 5 minutes
Psychostimulants 8 minutes
Hallucinogens 5 minutes
Opiate Drugs 7 minutes
Sedatives, Anti-Anxiety Agents, & Hypnotics 6 minutes

4 readings Total 50 minutes

Case: Veteran with Stress Syndrome 5 minutes
Case: Psychedelic Drug 5 minutes
Recommended Readings 30 minutes
Notes 10 minutes

1 assignment Total 30 minutes

Classes of Drugs, Part 1 30 minutes

In this fourth week, we'll take a look at the drug self-administration model in animals and the implications of these results.

What's included

8 videos3 readings1 assignment

8 videos Total 47 minutes

Inhalants 7 minutes
Caffeine 5 minutes
New and Other Substances 5 minutes
Review of Ten Classes of Drugs 6 minutes
Animals in Drug Addiction Research 5 minutes
Animal Model of Drug Self-Administration, Part 1 9 minutes
Animal Model of Drug Self-Adminstration, Part 2 5 minutes
Conditioned Place Preference 5 minutes

3 readings Total 80 minutes

Case: The Powerful "Cue" 5 minutes
Recommended Readings 45 minutes
Notes 30 minutes

1 assignment Total 30 minutes

Classes of Drugs, Part 2 & Animal Models 30 minutes

In this fifth week, we'll consider synaptic transmission and how drugs alter it.

What's included

7 videos4 readings1 assignment

7 videos Total 54 minutes

Dopamine, Reward, & Survival 8 minutes
Dopamine & Natural Rewards 6 minutes
Brain Imaging & PET Scanning 9 minutes
Dopamine Receptors in Vulnerability & Healing 6 minutes
Neuroplasticity & How Drugs Change the Brain 7 minutes
How Drugs Alter Gene Expression: Signaling and Epigenetics 11 minutes
Neurotransmission & Brain Imaging Review 7 minutes

4 readings Total 80 minutes

Case: From Success to Desperation 10 minutes
Epigenetics Supplement 20 minutes
Recommended Readings 40 minutes
Notes 10 minutes

1 assignment Total 30 minutes

Neurotransmission & Brain Imaging 30 minutes

In this sixth week, we'll have the chance to consider the concept of vulnerability and the value and effectiveness of treatment.

What's included

8 videos3 readings1 assignment

8 videos Total 43 minutes

Will I Become an Addict? 6 minutes
Risk Factors 10 minutes
Self-Medication & Co-Morbidity 4 minutes
The Interaction of Vulnerabilities & Risk Factors 7 minutes
Environmental Risk Factors 4 minutes
Personality & Judgment Risk Factors 4 minutes
Protective Factors 3 minutes
Prevention 5 minutes

3 readings Total 120 minutes

Case: Drugs for Life: What Went Wrong? 5 minutes
Recommended Readings 60 minutes
Notes 55 minutes

1 assignment Total 30 minutes

Vulnerability: Drug Use, Abuse, & Prevention 30 minutes

In this seventh week, we'll explore drug treatment and government drug policies that exist.

What's included

6 videos3 readings1 assignment

6 videos Total 67 minutes

Treatment, Part 1 6 minutes
Treatment, Part 2 15 minutes
Government Drug Policy 10 minutes
Drugs & Criminality 9 minutes
Recap, Part 1 15 minutes
Recap, Part 2 12 minutes

3 readings Total 60 minutes

Case: The Scare of a Lifetime and the Difference a Policy can Make 15 minutes
Recommended Readings 40 minutes
Notes 5 minutes

1 assignment Total 30 minutes

Treatment, Policy, & Decriminalization 30 minutes

In this final week, we'll explore the recent opioid epidemic as well as the topic of medical and recreational marijuana.

What's included

6 videos5 readings1 assignment

6 videos Total 38 minutes

Drugs & Society: An Introduction 3 minutes
Causes of the Opioid Epidemic 8 minutes
Getting Addicted & Getting Treatment 7 minutes
What Is "Medical" Marijuana? 8 minutes
Legalization & Marijuana Products 5 minutes
What Should Our Attitudes Be? 6 minutes

5 readings Total 150 minutes

Opioid Peptides 20 minutes
Partial Agonists vs Full Agonists 10 minutes
Cannabinoids in the Brain 30 minutes
The FDA 30 minutes
Recommended Readings 60 minutes

1 assignment Total 20 minutes

Drugs & Society 20 minutes

Instructor

Instructor ratings

(356 ratings)

Michael Kuhar, Ph.D.

Emory University

1 Course 185,428 learners

Offered by

Emory University

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Showing 3 of 2238

Reviewed on Nov 26, 2020

very informative and well constructedHowever, a bit biased towards negative effects of certain drugs without talking about their positive effects that are supported by research as well

Reviewed on Apr 19, 2023

I found the course very informative . The lectures were very descriptive The subject was broken down To make the context more informative and Understandable. Thank

Reviewed on May 24, 2020

This course was a perfect beginning to understand the basics of how drugs affect the brain and to elicit the interest in knowing more about about these drugs. Thank you

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