COGS 270 Pain and the Brain
This course will cover key concepts in nervous system structure and function through the lens of the sensory and affective experience of pain. Students will gain a basic understanding of nervous system organization, evolutionary adaptation, neuronal mechanism of action, sensation and perception, plasticity, and top down processing through the examination of the neuroscience of pain and the clinical experience of pain and its treatment, including coverage of disparate pain treatment on the basis of race and gender. This course will also take an interdisciplinary perspective to pain, considering how it has been represented in literature and philosophy. Although there are no specific prerequisites, the course will include (optional) materials appropriate for students with a deeper background in psychology, biology, neuroscience, and/or cognitive science.
Cross Listed Courses
PSYC 270