Join us for an interdisciplinary exploration of addiction through a neuroscience and social work lens! These asynchronous, online courses can be completed independently or as part of the Neurobiology of Addiction Microcredential. Courses are open to learners at all levels. Learn at your own pace! Some courses may be eligible for continuing education credit hours.

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Visit our EventBright page to register for the self-paced courses

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Individual Lectures

Addiction: Impact, Prevalence, Ethics (1:04:00)

• Latest trends in chemical dependence & substance use
• Social & cultural factors shaping substance use in the U.S.
• The community & economic impact of addiction
• Ethical concerns: racism, mass incarceration, stigma & health care access
• Incarceration trends & their intersection with race, class, and gender
• Barriers to seeking treatment – insights from the NSDUH (2024)
• Social work solutions at macro, mezzo & clinical levels

Neuroscience Behind Change (56:01)

• Chemical and electrical signaling between neurons
• Types of synapses and their functions
• Action potentials: How chemical signals propagate
• Neurotransmission: chemical structures and functions, dopamine synthesis, phasic activity
• Structural and functional plasticity
• Mechanisms of Change: synaptogenesis, neurogenesis, pruning, LTP, LTD
• Plasticity throughout the life span and in the context of chemical dependence

Neurobiology of Chemical Dependence (1:22:25)

• Classification of substance use disorders (ICD, DSM, etc.) and differentiation between "addiction, misuse, abuse and dependence"
• Structural and functional changes to the brain at each stage of substance use: acute, post-acute and prolonged effects
• Anatomical (structural) and functional (connectivity) changes resultant from substance use
• Mechanisms of substance-related changes at both molecular and cellular levels (delta-fosB, GluR1, CREB)
• Connect all the above neurobiological changes to common cognitive, affective and behavioral symptoms that characterize substance use disorders
• Genetics, epigenetics & heritability
• Risk and protective factors and prevention strategies