Biochemistry and Pharmacology of Synaptic Transmission
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this graduate-level course on how nerve cells communicate chemically. The material covers monoamine transmitters such as acetylcholine, serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, plus amino acid transmitters, peptides, and neuromodulators like adenosine. Lectures examine the macromolecules that synthesize, release, and inactivate neurotransmitters, receptor-mediated signaling, second-messenger cascades, and ion flux mechanisms, along with how disruptions in these systems contribute to human neurological and psychiatric disease. As an OCW offering, the course provides lecture notes and readings drawn from MIT's Brain and Cognitive Sciences curriculum, free to access with no certificate attached. It suits students with a background in neuroscience or biochemistry who want the molecular detail behind synaptic transmission rather than a general survey of brain function.