Joshua Stamos

Addiction is a significant problem facing our modern society. According to the World Health Organization, 2.6 million deaths a year are attributed to alcohol abuse alone, with another 0.6 million attributed to psychoactive drug use. In this course, we will explore the problem of addiction from a neuroscience perspective. We will study the brain’s learning and reward pathways and how addictive substances hijack these pathways for addiction to take place. We will discuss similarities and differences between different addictive substances, ranging from cocaine to highly palatable food, and how they affect the brain. We will also discuss the behavioral characteristics of addiction. We will learn about how the DSM 5 (the current psychological diagnosis handbook) defines addiction. We will learn about craving and withdrawal from addictive substances and what takes place within the brain during these events. Our primary texts for this course will be The Neuroscience of Addiction by Francesca Mapua Filby, along with significant readings from peer-reviewed scientific journals, to gain a well-rounded understanding of the topic of addiction.