This course deals with the basic principles of pharmacology including concepts of pharmacodynamics (e.g., drug-receptor interactions, signaling mechanisms, and dose-effect relationships) and pharmacokinetics (e.g., drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination). The course emphasizes the biochemical and physiological bases for understanding drug action, and it introduces major classes of drugs. Groups of drugs which are specifically considered include those acting on the autonomic and central nervous system.
