Neuropharmacology
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this short course on how drugs alter the functioning of the nervous system, taught during MIT's Independent Activities Period, a compressed four week term each January. The material covers the cellular and molecular actions of drugs on synaptic transmission, how neurotransmitter systems can be manipulated, and how specific nervous system diseases are treated pharmacologically. It also surveys the laboratory techniques researchers use to study neuropharmacology, from receptor binding assays to electrophysiological recording. As with other MIT OCW offerings, the course includes lecture materials and readings free to access, with no certificate offered. It suits students who already have background in neuroscience or pharmacology and want a focused treatment of drug action at the synapse rather than a general introduction to the nervous system.