• 1. To introduce a major branch of neurobiology,
namely neuropharmacology, which is important both
on a clinical as well as societal level.
• 2. To provide an example and exercise in integrating
material and ideas from the course; this will
involve an analysis of everything from the physiological effects of the
drug to the molecular and
biochemical effects of drug-receptor interactions.
• 3. To provide an opportunity to examine and analyze
in more depth a topic of particular interest.
The paper should assume
the format of an analytical review article that summarizes the current
state of
knowledge regarding your
drug of choice as well as proposes the critical “next step” or future direction
of
research. More specifically,
the paper should consist of three sections:
1. Introduction: (~
2 pages): In this section you should provide a brief overview of the topic
and concisely
explain the significance
of your topic.
2. Analysis of the
current status of knowledge regarding the drug (~ 3-4 pages): In this section
you should
provide a literature review
and critique. This should include an analysis of: the mechanisms
of action of your
drug; its structure;
its most effective (or usual) route of administration; the particular neurotransmitter
system
involved; whether its mimic
an endogenous substance; and its effects at the physiological, behavioral,
and
molecular level (and whether
these are explainable in light of its mechanism of action).
This section should
also contain a critique
of the literature, pointing out those areas in which research is deficient
or missing. You
should aim to use at least
10 papers from the primary literature for this section; I will ask you
to turn these in
with your paper.
3. The Next Step: Future
Directions: (~ 4-5 pages): In this section you should lay out
an experimental plan
to further the current understanding
of this drug. This should include experiments to better understand
its mode
of action; improvements,
antidotes, alternatives to the drug -- this obviously depends on substance
selected).
Be specific in this section;
avoid vague generalizations; attempt to utilize the techniques and information
discussed in class and outside
readings.
You may select any
substance that acts upon the nervous system, preferably directly, but this
is not an
absolute prerequisite.
This includes street drugs, prescription pharmaceuticals, over-the counter
remedies,
and recently developed drugs
to treat a variety of neurological syndromes. Please be forewarned:
you will most
likely need to make extensive
usage of interlibrary loan, so it is essential that you begin working on
this project
(and select your drug) as
soon as possible.
Important Dates:
10/24 selection
of drug (and a paragraph describing the drug–will be collected in class
11/21 last day
to turn in rough drafts for me to review
12/5 final version
of paper due
Hints for getting started:
1. Select a drug of
personal interest.
2. You may search
the Web using any of the following keywords or combinations thereof : drugs
and disease;
drugs and e.g. epilepsy
(or any other condition); pharmaceuticals; street drugs. But please beware:
there is a
great deal of trash on the
Web relating to this subject. You should stick to legitimate academic
or clinical
websites.
3. Search Medline
(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez) using keywords similar to those listed
above or the
name of a specific drug.
This is the best way to obtain information for your paper.
An alternative to a “drug
of choice” topic: if you have an interest in doing research on something
other than a
drug, you should feel free
to select a different (but well defined) topic. You should follow
the same format
described above for the
drug of choice paper. If you would like to choose this option, you
should discuss your
topic with me in advance.