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.

Register

Registration is ongoing, year round. Visit our EventBright page to register for the self-paced courses. Courses may be taken individually, or bundled together as a microcredential. Prices are listed on eventbrite; discounts may be offered for students and professionals.

Content is designed for persons with diverse educational backgrounds; there are no prerequisites necessary.

Courses are delivered online, in an asynchronous format via pre-recorded lectures followed by a brief quiz. In order to achieve CE credit, you must pass the quiz with at least 70%

Please contact the Director of the Microcredential Program, Kathryn Irish, at irishkat@msu.edu, if you require accessibility accommodations.

Review our Microcredential Policies including requesting certificates and requesting a refund or cancellation. 

---

Individual Lectures

Neurobiology of Addiction: Impact, Prevalence & Ethics

1.25 ASWB ETHICS CE/ 1.5 SPECIFIC MCBAP

• 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

1 CE ASWB/1 SPECIFIC MCBAP

• 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 Addiction

1.5 CE ASWB/1.5 SPECIFIC MCBAP

• 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

Instructor

Kathryn Irish, PhD, LMSW, CAADC holds appointments as an Assistant Professor in Neuroscience at Michigan State and at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor (Social Work, LEO II). She has 10+ years of clinical practice experience across a diverse range of settingsincluding community mental health, private practice and methadone maintenance. She has also worked as a clinician for the U.S. Federal Criminal Justice System and held administrative roles in managed health care as a senior clinical-quality consultant. Irish has a clinical specialization in alcohol and drug treatment (CAADC) recently completed her PhD in social work at Michigan State University with a doctoral cognate in neuroscience. Her research focus is on improving interpersonal relationships, health care, inter-group relations and diplomacy through transdisciplinary research, technology and education.