I decided to take Drugs and the Brain, my third Coursera class, late last year when I saw it in the list of offerings. The 7-week course by Henry Lester of the California Institute of Technology began on January 5.
Week 1
Videos 1 and 2 provide an overview of the course.
Video 3, What is a drug, presents information about nicotine, lidocaine, morphine, and botulinum toxin as examples of drugs. In the context of the brain, drugs:
Week 1
Videos 1 and 2 provide an overview of the course.
Video 3, What is a drug, presents information about nicotine, lidocaine, morphine, and botulinum toxin as examples of drugs. In the context of the brain, drugs:
- Activate (e.g., nicotine) and block (lidocaine) ion channels.
- Act on G-protein coupled receptor pathways (e.g., morphine).
- Activate genes (e.g., nicotine, morphine).
- Protein drugs (e.g., botulinum toxin) may become more useful for neuroscience diseases.
- Act on neurotransmitter transporters.