PSYC 302: Psychology of Pain

Faculty: Science, Dept of Psychology

Course Lead: Jeff Mogil

Psychology of Pain (PSYC 302) is a one-semester upper-level undergraduate course delivered every Winter semester and with an enrollment of 300-350 students. Most of the students are Psychology majors, but there are many from other undergraduate departments (e.g., physiology, pharmacology, anatomy, biochemistry) and professional schools (e.g., nursing, physical and occupational therapy). The grading scheme involves two midterm exams and a cumulative final exam, along with a primary research paper annotation assignment. Last year, AECRP faculty including Marc Martel, Yoram Shir and Mathieu Roy gave guest lectures. Yoram Shir brought along one of his patients, who described her story to the class. The syllabus consists of 10 lectures of one to four 80-minute classes each, as follows:

1. Introduction to Pain (2 classes)

2. Pain Treatment and Pain Research (2 classes)

3. Pain Measurement in Humans and Animals (3 classes)

4. Organismic and Experiential Factors (2 classes)

5. Opioids and the Opioid Crisis (1 class; Marc Martel)

6. Clinical Management of Pain (1 class; Yoram Shir plus patient guest)

7. Pain Anatomy and Physiology (4 classes)

8. Pain Neurochemistry and Pharmacology (4 classes)

9. Cognitive and Emotional Modulation of Pain (1 class; Mathieu Roy)

10. Pain Syndromes (2 classes)

The class does not have a textbook. Course materials include slides largely featuring images, graphs and tables, and 20 required journal articles, mostly review papers.

PHGY 311 Channels, Synapses and Hormones

Faculty: Medicine, Dept of Physiology

Instructor for pain topics: Reza Sharif-Naeini

In-depth presentation of experimental results and hypotheses on cellular communication in the nervous system and the endocrine system. A one semester course which provides thirteen hours of instruction related to pain to an audience mostly made up of undergraduate (BSc) students.

PHGY 314 Integrative Neuroscience

Faculty: Medicine, Dept of Physiology

Instructor for pain topics: Reza Sharif-Naeini

In depth presentation of experimental results and hypotheses underlying our current understanding of how single neurons and ensembles of neurons encode sensory information, generate movement, and control cognitive functions such as emotion, learning, and memory, during voluntary behaviours. A one semester course which provides four hours of instruction related to pain to an audience mostly made up of undergraduate (BSc) students.

PHGY 550 Molecular Physiology of Bone

Faculty: Medicine, Dept of Physiology

Instructor for pain topics: Laura Stone

Students will develop a working knowledge of cartilage and bone. Discussion topics will include: molecular and cellular environment of bone; heritable and acquired skeletal defects; research models used to study metabolic bone disease. A one semester course which provides three hours of instruction related to pain to an audience mostly made up of undergraduate (BSc) students.

PHAR 562 Neuropharmacology

Faculty: Medicine, Dept of Pharmacology & Therapeutics

Instructor for pain topics: Laura Stone

Topics in pharmacology with an emphasis on molecular mechanisms of drug-action and cellular targets in the nervous system. A one semester course which provides two hours of instruction related to pain to an audience mostly made up of undergraduate (BSc) students.

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