BBH 451Pharmacological Influences on Health

3 credits · Biobehavioral Health · Penn State

Biological and behavioral aspects of therapeutic and recreational drug use and misuse, and their relationships to health. BB H 451 Pharmacological Influences on Health (3) The primary theme of this course is to review and integrate information relevant to the actions, uses, and biobehavioral influences of psychoactive drugs. Concepts relevant to pharmacology, biobehavioral health, and drug use and abuse will be learned. The primary objectives of this course are:1. To provide an understanding of the concepts relevant to pharmacology, including: principles of drug action (pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics), drug safety, and drug effectiveness.2. To provide a descriptive representation of the breadth of topics relating to behavioral and biological influences of psychoactive (i.e., therapeutic, recreational) drugs on human health and disease.3. To provide exposure to and enhance critical thinking skills in current research related to the biobehavioral effects of psychoactive (i.e., therapeutic, recreational) drugs, including: psychoactive drug use and abuse, therapeutic drug use, and drug addiction treatments.