Learning objectives
At the end of the course, students should know the main characteristics of psychotropic medicaments, as well as of the most common substances of abuse, so that they could predict their pharmacologic effects, when applied in the clinical settings and/or when taken as recreational drugs. All these things are crucial, when considering that the treatment of central nervous system diseases should be multidisciplinary, where psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy coexist as non-alternative, but complementary options.
Prerequisites
- - -
Course unit content
The course describes the main features of psychotropic drugs and how these drugs affect human behavior.
Full programme
1. Psichotropic and neurotropic drugs. An overview.
2. Actions of psychotropic drugs. a) Access of drugs to the central nervous system; b) Mechanisms of action at the neuronal level; c) Variability in the response to psychotropic drugs: desensitization, tolerance, physical and psychological dependence; d) Overview of pharmacogenetics.
3. Main classes of psychotropic drugs: Sedative-hypnotics, anxiolytics, antipsychotics, antimaniacals, antidepressants.
4). Psychostimulants of the central nervous system, with reference to cocaine and congeners, caffeine and nicotine.
5). Psychodyslectic drugs (psychotomimetics). Therapeutic and recreational properties of Cannabis sativa derivatives.
6). Neuropsychopharmacology of morphine and opiate analgesics.
7). Pharmacology of the central cholinergic system: nootropic drugs, drugs in the treatment of dementias.
8). Behavioral drug neurotoxicology.
Bibliography
Students can refer to textbooks for postgraduate courses, such as: BG Katzung: Basic & clinical Pharmacology, Twelfth edition, Secion V: Drugs acting on the central nervous system, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc, 2015.
Slides of lessons are available at the end of the course.
Students can refer to textbooks for postgraduate courses, such as: BG Katzung: Basic & clinical Pharmacology, Twelfth edition, Secion V: Drugs acting on the central nervous system, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc, 2012.
Slides of lessons are available at the end of the course.
Teaching methods
Ex-cathedra lectures
Assessment methods and criteria
The exam consists of an oral discussion and critical analysis of topics covered in class by the teacher. The answer is considered sufficient if the student proves to know the main properties of the classes of psychotropic drugs, their actions on the central nervous system and the effects deriving from them, both in physiological and physiopathological conditions.
From the academic year 2018-19, the oral exam was replaced by a multiple choice quiz exam. The assessment methods will be notified at the beginning of the course. However, the objectives of the verification will not change.
Other information
Learning objectives (in relation to the Dublin descriptors)
1 Knowledge and understanding. Students will be teached about the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of the main psychotropic drugs, as well as signs and symptoms that develop when drugs are administered to (or taken by) human beings.
2 Applying knowledge and understanding. Students will be able to apply the knowledge gained in the functional context of the central nervous system.
3 Making judgments. Students will gain the concept of drug treatment as a complement (and not as an alternative) to psychotherapy (and vice-versa).
4 Communication. Students will acquire the knowledge and terminology to describe behavioural and cognitive actions of drugs.
5 Lifelong learning skills. Students should be able to use the acquired knowledge to understand and interpret data in the literature relative of drugs acting at the central nervous system and their cognitive and behavioral effects.
