What's in a Name? Terminology Preferences Among Patients Receiving Methadone Treatment.

Background: Despite recognition of the importance of substance use disorder (SUD) terminology, few studies examine terminology preferences among patients with SUDs.

Objective: To examine preferences of patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) concerning the terminology used by addiction counselors.

Design: From January 1, 2019, to February 28, 2020, participants were recruited consecutively from 30-day treatment review sessions at outpatient methadone treatment programs in the Northeastern United States to complete a cross-sectional survey.

The Simpsons Neuron: A Case Study Exploring Neuronal Coding and the Scientific Method for Introductory and Advanced Neuroscience Courses.

A fictitious patient, Miguel, has been diagnosed with drug-resistant epilepsy and is awaiting neurosurgery. While in the hospital, Miguel agrees to participate in a research study in which depth electrodes are used to record neuronal activity in response to a range of stimuli. Interestingly, a neuron is identified that seems to respond selectively to video clips of the animated satirical TV show The Simpsons.

Integrating Service Learning into a Neuropsychopharmacology Course.

Incorporating service learning (SL) experiences into undergraduate courses can be a meaningful way to engage students and connect course content to the real world. Neuropsychopharmacology courses are often popular amongst undergraduate students, but it can be a challenge to find ways to connect the theoretical issues discussed in the classroom to the real world, and convey the complexities of research on substance use. This article describes a partnership between a 300-level "Drugs & Behavior" laboratory course and a local not-for-profit anti-drug coalition focused on drug education and prevention.

Pregestational oxycodone exposure does not impact future maternal care or drug preference in the postpartum mouse.

Females are uniquely sensitive to drugs of abuse at specific points in their reproductive cycle. Females' endogenous opioid system contributes to both reward-related processes and maternally relevant physiological functions, yet less is known about how adolescent opioid exposure impacts females' future behavior, ranging from parental caregiving to opioid preference. The present study explores 2 questions: (a) are there sex differences in response to adolescent oxycodone exposure, spontaneous withdrawal, and oxycodone preference in adulthood, and (b) to what extent does this pregestational opioid exposure alter females' future maternal caregiving behavior? Female and male mice received 12d of oxycodone or saline injections during mid/late adolescence, and drug was then withheld.

Flexible spatial learning requires both the dorsal and ventral hippocampus and their functional interactions with the prefrontal cortex.

When faced with changing contingencies, animals can use memory to flexibly guide actions, engaging both frontal and temporal lobe brain structures. Damage to the hippocampus (HPC) impairs episodic memory, and damage to the prefrontal cortex (PFC) impairs cognitive flexibility, but the circuit mechanisms by which these areas support flexible memory processing remain unclear. The present study investigated these mechanisms by temporarily inactivating the medial PFC (mPFC), the dorsal HPC (dHPC), and the ventral HPC (vHPC), individually and in combination, as rats learned spatial discriminations and reversals in a plus maze.

Mystery Neurotransmitters! An Active Learning Activity on Synaptic Function for Undergraduate Students.

A core learning objective of undergraduate neuroscience education is an understanding of synaptic function and neurotransmission. This article presents a critical thinking activity in which students explore and evaluate neurotransmitter function at the synapse. Students analyze fictional datasets to identify fundamental processes involved in synaptic function, first following evoked neurotransmitter release and then in response to two "mystery" drugs.

A Critical Thinking Activity on Drug Tolerance for Undergraduate Neuroscience Courses.

Active teaching techniques that involve critical thinking and analysis lead to better learning and retention, and there is growing need for learner-centered classroom activities in the neurosciences. This article presents a critical thinking activity that offers context and meaning to basic principles of synaptic pharmacology. Students analyze fictional datasets to identify major characteristics of drug tolerance.