COGS 280 Food, Drugs, Sex, and the Brain
This course will explore the neurological mechanisms that control eating & hunger, drug addiction, sexual behavior, and the intersection of all of these topics. Each of these topics has direct impact to everyday life. However, the specific ways in which the brain controls each of these things tends to be underrepresented in neuroscience instruction. In particular, a key point is how all of these processes utilize highly overlapping brain circuits. In order to explore these behavioral phenomenon, this course will investigate brain reward and homeostatic pathways. In addition to lecture, students will acquire knowledge about these topics as well as neuroscience techniques used to explore them through student-led (and instructor-guided) discussion of primary literature. Some prior student experience with the brain via a cognitive science, psychology, or neurobiology course is warranted when taking this course.
Prerequisite
Prior experience with the brain, through psychology, cog sci, or biology, would be helpful for keeping up sufficiently with this course's materials.