BIOL 103: BIOLOGY OF ADDICTION
Spring 2012
Course Descriptions and Syllabi for lecture and laboratory components
Updated January 24, 2012
Dr.
Stan Eisen
Office: AH 112
e-mail: seisen@cbu.edu
Telephone: 901-321-3447
Office
Hours:
M: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.; 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
WF: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
To the web supplement: http://www.cbu.edu/~seisen/B103.html
Course Description for BIOL 103: Alcohol and Drug Abuse
In this course, we will
cover the biological effects of alcohol and drugs on human organ systems,
particularly the nervous, digestive, excretory and reproductive systems. We
will discuss the psychological and sociological consequences of these effects.
The use of drugs in both therapeutic and pathologic situations will be explored.
Modalities of recovery will be discussed. This course fulfills the university
graduation requirement for a science course with a lab. Three (3) credits,
offered in the Spring semester. For the
laboratory component, you must be comfortable with the idea of holding,
observing, and dissecting preserved organs and animals, specifically sheep
brains, sheep hearts, ox eyes, human brains, and fetal pigs. You must also be comfortable with the idea of
working with live animals, specifically Drosophila
melanogaster.
The lecture class meets MWF 9:00 to 9:50 p.m., while the laboratory sections meet on Mondays and Tuesdays, from 2:00 to 4:50 p.m. The textbook we will use is Eisen (2011), The Biology of Addiction, and the lab book we will use is Eisen (2011), Laboratory Workbook for BIOL 103, both available at the bookstore.
Grading in the lecture component will be on the basis of the following:
1)Short, weekly quizzes, usually given in the first 10 minutes on Fridays, covering the previous week’s material. Collectively, these quizzes will count 1/5 of your final grade;
2) 3 semester exams, each worth 1/5 of your final grade. All exams are comprehensive;
3) A comprehensive final exam scheduled during final exam week, worth 1/5 of your final grade.
Grading in the laboratory component will be on the basis of the following:
- 2 laboratory reports, each worth 1/5 of your final grade. The first one which you will be responsible for writing pertains to the effects of alcohol on the cognitive and equilibrium capabilities of humans exposed to the equivalent of 4 drinks. The second will deal with the effects of various drugs on the pulse of a microcrustacean;
- Weekly quizzes, collectively counting 1/5 of your final grade;
- A Midterm Exam, worth 1/5 of your final grade;
- A comprehensive final exam, worth 1/5 of your final grade.
Tests and laboratory reports will be graded on a 4-point scale, and final grades will be given on the basis of the following scale:
3.50 - 4.00 = A
2.75 - 3.49 = B
2.00 - 2.74 = C
1.00 - 1.99 = D
<1.00 = F
Some Useful Web Addresses:
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism -
http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/
GUIDELINES FOR LABORATORY REPORTS
- Please DOUBLE-SPACE your laboratory report, and use margin size to 1 inch.
- Place a cover sheet at the
front of your laboratory report. The cover sheet should have your name,
the report title, the course and section numbers
centered on the page. PLEASE
The laboratory report should include the following sections:
- An ABSTRACT section, in which you describe in briefest form, the purpose, primary results and conclusions of the research report. By convention, it is 200 words or 3% of the laboratory report, whichever is LESS;
- An INTRODUCTION section, in which you provide information pertaining to the problem as it is recognized and in which you discuss background information which would be pertinent to the reader. The purpose, in which you specify the questions to be addressed in THIS lab report, should be in the LAST paragraph of the introduction section;
- A MATERIALS AND METHODS section, in which you discuss the organism(s) under study and the experimental protocol in "text" form. PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE A MATERIALS LIST. If there are several parts to the experiment, each part should be described separately. Briefly describe in the text of your Materials and Methods section the protocol you followed in conducting this experiment;
- A RESULTS section, in which you discuss the data from each part of the study in the same sequence as the parts were described in the Materials and Methods section. Use a paragraph to tell the reader what the main point is, and at the end of the sentence, refer to a specific Table or Figure, as in the following: "Seedlings exposed to either .1% or .2% phosphate grew vigorously, but the controls did not (Figure 1)." It is essential to convert or present the data in an understandable format. CHARTS OF RAW DATA ARE NEITHER NECESSARY NOR DESIRABLE!;
- A DISCUSSION section, in which you relate the results of your experiment to the general body of knowledge pertinent to this area of research;
- A REFERENCES section, in which you list the references used for background information and/or protocol procedures, including your laboratory textbook. Only journal articles from refereed journals or government agency reports (e.g. NIDA) are permitted. References to web pages are NOT permitted.
CRITERIA FOR THE GRADING OF PAPERS AND EXPERIMENTAL REPORTS
The maximum grade is a 4.00 and is a composite of three grades based on spelling grammar, and content.
I. Spelling counts 10% of the total grade. Each different spelling or typographical error will usually result in a point deducted from the maximum. However, if one word is consistently misspelled, it will be deducted only once. Low grades in spelling can be avoided by keeping a dictionary on hand and proofreading your work before you submit it for review.
II. Grammar counts 20% of the total grade. Each grammar error (wrong tense, poor sentence of paragraph structure) will usually result in a point deducted from the maximum. Low grades in grammar can be avoided by proofreading your work before you submit it and by writing practice essays.
III. Content counts 30% of the total grade. The kinds of questions that are considered in evaluating content include the following:
- Is your information accurate?
- Is your discussion logical?
- Did you transform the raw data into a more useful and appropriate format?
- Do you adequately support your argument?
- Do you adequately correlate and contrast your data to previous experience?
- Do you support your conclusions with the appropriate statistical test(s)?
IV.Format counts 40% of the total grade. The kinds of questions that are considered in evaluating format include the following:
- Did you follow the appropriate protocol for writing the report?
- Are all section of the lab report complete?
- Did you transform the data into an appropriate manner?
- Did you include the appropriate tables and figures?
You should write your reports as if you were submitting them to the Transactions of the Tennessee Academy of Sciences. I, in turn, will review them as if I were an editor for the journal.
Grades
Spelling x 10% = ____________.
Grammar x 20% = ___________.
Content x 30% = ____________.
Format x 40% = _____________.
COMPOSITE GRADE ._______
BIOL
103: Alcohol & Drug Abuse
Spring 2012
Lecture and Lab Schedules
Subject to change
|
Day/
Date |
Topic (Chapter in book) |
That week’s Exercise in Laboratory Manual (includes Wednesday & Thursday labs) |
|
M 1/9 |
Risk factors (1) |
Bill Moyers’ Close to Home: Part I. |
|
W 1/11 |
Risk factors, cont’d (1) |
|
|
F 1/13 |
Basic Neuroanatomy and Physiology, cont’d
(2) Structure of neurons, and how neurotransmitters work, Neurobiology animations |
|
|
M 1/16 |
Martin
Luther King Day – No class |
5.
Nervous system |
|
W 1/18 |
Basic Neuroanatomy and Physiology, cont’d (2): Simple reflexes |
|
|
F 1/20 |
Basic Neuroanatomy and Physiology, cont’d
(2): Brain structure and function |
|
|
M 1/23 |
Basic Neuroanatomy
and Physiology, cont’d (2): Autonomic
function |
1.
Diffusion |
|
W 1/25 |
Basic Neuroanatomy and Physiology, cont’d (2): Senses |
|
|
F 1/27 |
Reward Circuits and Pathways (3): Close to Home: Part II |
|
|
M 1/30 |
Reward Circuits and Pathways (3): Close to Home: Part II, cont’d |
3.
Microscopy
|
|
W 2/1 |
CRF, the HPA axis, and the tendency towards relapse (4) |
|
|
F 2/3 |
Genetics of Addiction (5):
Fundamentals of genetics |
|
|
M 2/6 |
Lecture Exam 1 |
2.
Enzymes |
|
W 2/8 |
Genetics of Addiction (5): Genes implied or involved in affecting behaviors relating
to addiction. |
|
|
F 2/10 |
Sexual dimorphism: The differences
between men and women (6) Brain imaging (7) |
|
|
M 2/13 |
Diffusion Osmosis Active transport |
4.
Anatomy of Internal organs:
Dissection of fetal pig |
|
W 2/15 |
Pharmacokinetics and physiology (8) Structure & Function of the excretory system Drug metabolites Commercial drug testing kits Attainment of Steady State: |
|
|
F 2/17 |
Ethanol, (9): Mode of action, metabolism, and toxicity “Beer goggle” Effect: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gvgAy76aGs Alcoholic Vervet
Monkeys! - Weird Nature - BBC animals http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSm7BcQHWXk Dean Martin and http://pageperso.aol.fr/marcbrecy/deanmartin.html How not to rob a liquor store MO, Metabolism & Toxicity of Alcohol It’s a business, you know: St. Patrick’s Day…for biologists: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oax3cUFsBSw&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Yoga and drinking: http://www.cbu.edu/~seisen/YogaAndDrinking.htm |
|
|
M 2/20 |
Causes and Effects of Cirrhosis of the Liver Ethanol, cont’d (9): Liver
transplant surgery “Wet brain” syndromes |
10.
Ethanol. I. Effects on humans: Gross anatomy of liver |
|
W 2/22 |
Ethanol, cont’d (9) Fetal Alcohol Syndrome |
|
|
F 2/24 |
Drug testing protocol (10) |
|
|
M 2/27 |
Practice lab midterm exam: |
MIDTERM EXAM |
|
W 2/29 |
Depressants (11): Barbiturates |
|
|
F 3/2 |
***EXAM 2*** |
|
|
M 3/5 – F 3/9 |
SPRING BREAK |
|
|
M 3/12 |
Depressants (10): Benzodiazepines |
11. Effects of ethanol on reproduction of Drosophila |
|
W 3/14 |
Depressants (11): Inhalants and anesthetics More kids turning to inhalants to
get high: David after Dentist: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txqiwrbYGrs&NR=1 |
|
|
F 3/16 |
Psychostimulants (12):
Cocaine and amphetamines (10) Are you inhaling secondhand coke? http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/12/are-you-inhaling-secondhand-coke.html
|
|
|
M 3/19 |
Psychostimulants (12):
Amphetamines and Methylphenidate Faces of meth |
6. Respiratory system; Initiate vital capacity experiment |
|
W 3/21 |
Chocolate Tasting Session,
featuring Dinstuhl’s chocolates |
|
|
F 3/23 |
Lecture Exam 3 |
|
|
M 3/26 |
Nicotine (13) |
9.
Effects of selected drugs on Daphnia magna, a micro-
crustacean. I. |
|
W 3/28 |
Opioids (14) Summary of drug effects: http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/drugs/mouse.html |
|
|
F 3/30 |
Opioids (14), continued Can poppy seeds influence urine
tests? |
|
|
M 4/2 |
Marijuana/Cannabis (15) First-rate student goes to
pot: CME credit from Medscape. |
|
|
W 4/4 |
From MedscapeCME
Clinical Briefs
|
|
|
F 4/6 |
Easter Break – No Classes |
12. Excretory system & demonstration of urine test for opiates |
|
M 4/9 |
Easter Break – No Classes |
7.
Tar content of selected cigarettes. Final draft of caffeine lab report due. |
|
W 4/11 |
Food compulsions
(Caffeine/chocolate) (17) Problem and Pathological gambling
(18) Top 10 best gambling songs, according to Virgin records: Kenny Rogers – The Gambler The Clash – Three card trick Electric Light Orchestra – Poker Frank Sinatra – Luck be a Lady Motorhead – Ace of Spades How to play blackjack: |
|
|
F 4/13 |
Passover – No Class |
|
|
M 4/16 |
Lecture Exam 4 |
Dinstuhl’s Chocolate tasting session. (YAY!!) |
|
W 4/18 |
Anabolic/Androgenic Steroids (19) |
|
|
F 4/20 |
Behavioral compulsions (20): Exercise bulimia Anorexia Nervosa Part I: Anorexia Nervosa Part II: Anorexia’s Childhood Roots (CBS
News): Anorexic Male Model: Exercise bulimia: |
|
|
M 4/23 |
Behavioral compulsions (21): Cybersex |
Mild cardiovascular
effects of caffeine Effects of gambling
on physiology. (Not in your lab
books.) |
|
W 4/25 |
Treatment modalities (22): Medical treatment Treatment modalities (22):
Complementary and alternative medicine; Support groups, and the
treatment center experience. |
|
|
F 4/27 |
Prevention (22): Vaccines |
|
|
M 4/30 |
Prevention (22): Communication and education Monitoring the Future Overview-
2009 |
|
|
T 5/1 |
Study Day |
|
|
W 5/2 through T 5/8 |
Final exams for lecture and lab will be given during Final Exam Week. |
|