Pharmacology &
Experimental Therapeutics
List of Courses

GMS PM 700 Molecular Neurobiology and Pharmacology
Prereq: consent of instructor. Examines a spectrum of topics ranging from the regulation of gene expression in the nervous system to the structure and function of receptors and ion channels. Emphasis is placed on theoretical foundations of pharmacological methods in neurobiology. Farb, staff. 4 cr, 2nd sem.

GMS PM 710 Laboratory Techniques in Modern Pharmacology
Prereq: consent of instructor. Supervised laboratory rotation emphasizing modern research techniques in molecular, cellular, and behavioral pharmacology. Problems of collection, summary, and interpretation of data are addressed. Russek, staff. 2 cr, either sem.

GMS PM 720 General Medical Pharmacology
Prereq: GMS BI 751, GMS PH 740, GMS MS 703 or equivalent, and consent of instructor. Pharmacologic principles and properties of chemical agents of interest to human medicine are presented in lectures and workshops. Lectures provide a complete survey of drug classes affecting organ systems such as the nervous system, as well as antimicrobial and cancer chemotherapeutic agents. Workshops emphasize interpretation of pharmacologic data and patient-oriented problem solving. Walsh, staff. 8 cr, 1st sem.

GMS PM 730 Introduction to Medical Pharmacology
Prereq: Premedical courses in the sciences. Principles of pharmacology are covered and several major classes of therapeutic agents, with attention to their mechanisms of action. Issues of current and future concern in medical pharmacology are addressed including problems of drug abuse, the ethics of human experimentation, the pricing of new drugs, and new biotechnological approaches to drug design and development. Walsh, staff. 4 cr, 1st sem.

GMS PM 800 Advanced General Pharmacology
Prereq: consent of instructor. Lectures and discussions on the major classes of pharmacologic agents, with special attention to molecular, cellular, and physiological mechanisms of therapeutic effects. Boyd, staff. 2 cr, 1st sem.

GMS PM 810 Current Topics in Pharmacological Sciences
Prereq: consent of instructor. Given in conjunction with the weekly seminar program of the department. Students present and discuss research papers with the visiting scientist working on the cutting edge of pharmacology. Pierce. 2 cr, 2nd sem.

GMS PM 820 Behavioral Pharmacology
Prereq: consent of instructor. Emphasizes phar-macologic basis of drug action in the central nervous system, stressing aspects of behavioral pharmacology and problems of drug addiction. Kornetsky, Pierce. 2 cr, 1st sem.

GMS PM 830 Principles of Pharmacokinetics
Prereq: consent of instructor. Lectures and discussion on basic factors determining absorption, distribution, biotransformation, and excretion of drugs. Includes methods of analysis and interpretation of pharmacokinetic data. Walsh. 2 cr, 2nd sem.

GMS PM 840 Neuroendocrine Pharmacology
Prereq: consent of instructor. Covers the basic principles of neuroendocrinology with special emphasis on pharmacologic aspects. Topics include the biochemistry, physiology, and pharmacology of the neural hormones, as well as selected topics in the interrelationship of neurohormones and the immune system. Leeman. 2 cr, 1st sem.

GMS PM 843 Pharmocologic Intervention in Inflammatory Responses

Prereq: consent of instructor.   Although acute inflammation is a fundamental physiologic response of virtually all-multicellular organisms to infection and injury, unresolved and chronic inflammation can have significant pathophysiologic consequences.   This course examines the cellular components, inflammatory mediators and their mechanisms of action, and therapeutic modulation of inflammation.   The format includes lectures on inflammatory components of selected diseases and student lead discussions of review and research papers.   Leeman .   2 cr, 2 nd sem.

 

GMS PM 850 Biochemical Aspects of Neurotransmitters and Chemical Mediators
Prereq: consent of instructor. Lectures and discussions on biosynthesis, inactivation, receptors, and signaling mechanisms of neurotransmitters and chemical mediators including GABA, glutamate, acetylcholine, catecholamines, purines, peptides, prostaglandins, and histamines. Farb. 2 cr, 2nd sem.

GMS PM 860 Electrophysiology and Pharmacology of the Synapse
Prereq: GMS PM 700, MS 703, PH 742, or consent of instructor. Examines electrophysiologic, pharmacologic, and optical studies of transmission at central synapses. Lectures and discussions based on research publications will cover basic and more novel concepts in synaptic transmission. Emphasis will be placed on critical evaluation of journal articles and on scientific writing skills. Mintz. 2 cr, 2nd sem.

GMS PM 880 Gene Regulation and Pharmacology
Prereq: consent of instructor. Focuses on fundamental aspects of gene control with emphasis on the dual role of RNA as both an informational and a catalytic molecule. Topics range from discussions of gene transcription and RNA splicing, to discussions of ribozymes as therapeutic agents. The relevance of these topics to the understanding, and potential treatment, of disorders that result from altered patterns of gene expression is stressed. Jarrell. 2 cr, 1st sem.

GMS PM 931, 932 Research in Pharmacology
Variable cr.