Psychopharmacology Update

From methamphetamine to sex to gambling, the spectrum of human addictions is vast. But in neuroscience, addiction is all about the dopamine. The pleasure, pain and problem of control are simply the detritus left by waves of this molecule surging and retreating deep in the brain. Research now shows that addiction requires a genetic vulnerability whose variables may include the quantity of dopamine receptors in the brain; too few receptors and taking the drug is not particularly memorable, too many and it is actually unpleasant. Repeated assaults to the spectrum of circuits regulated by dopamine involving motivation, expectation, memory and learning, and many others appear to fundamentally alter the brain's workings. In this workshop, you get an update and overview of the major medications used in treatment and gain a better understanding of the rationale for various medicines used in both psychiatry and addictions treatment.