Substance Use and Neuroscience: A Social Work Perspective

Perhaps now more than ever, social work scientists and practitioners alike affirm the need to fully understand the variability of substance use behaviors, including substance misuse, abuse and dependence, from a multidisciplinary approach. However, the literature and practice with regard to substance use and neuroscience in the context of social work remain in its infancy. Neuroscience is concerned with better understanding brain function and structure across the lifespan, including the use of innovative methods such as functional magnetic resonance imaging. This mini-course will provide an introduction to substance use and neuroscience in the context of social work and cover topics such as the ethical and legal aspects in neuroscience, potential alterations in brain function (e.g., cognitive) and structure (e.g., D2 dopamine receptor) linked to substance use behaviors, gene x environment interaction (e.g., neurogenetics), and the developmental and cultural aspects of neuroscience. Developing a fuller understanding of the neuroscience-related mechanisms underlying substance use behaviors is promising with respect to advancing the etiology literature, which has the potential to lead to optimally efficacious and effective social work prevention and treatment programs.

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