Critical Review
The final assignment for this class will be a 10-page critical review of the drug treatment for a neuropsychological disorder. The review will use peer-reviewed and/or scholarly sources to provide an evidence base for the evaluation of current drug treatment modalities for the disorder. The disorder is the same disorder you selected in week 1 and for which you discussed its neurobiology in the Week 1 assignment (topic selection) and its drug management in the Week 2 assignment (drug treatment). Please remember – you will be analyzing the same disorder to complete the Week 6 assignment (comprehensive Critical Review of the same disorder and its management).

Reminder – your completed Week 1 and Week 2 assignments will be used as a foundation to help you complete your Week 6 assignment (Critical Review) on the same disorder. Thus, your work in Week 1 and in Week 2 will be used to support your work in Week 6. Utilize the previous references you researched in Week 1 and Week 2, and add any additional peer-reviewed/scholarly references that would support your comprehensive review. These sources should provide evidence-based information to help support your comprehensive analysis, focusing on the aspects described below. Be sure to cite your sources in your paper and include them on your References page. You may utilize required or recommended course materials in your work, but these will not count towards the reference requirements; however, you may cite and reference the American Psychiatric Association's (2013) DSM-5 as one of your sources used for the grading credit.

The paper will be evaluated on the inclusion of the following information.

Introduction:

Evaluate the disorder in terms of symptomatic and behavioral presentation. Include the time, course, and progression of the disorder. Evaluate and explain special features of the disease epidemiology including risk factors for development of the disorder, lifespan and reproductive factors increasing risk of developing the disorder, and any genetic, environmental, or behavioral factors that increase risk.

Theory:

Evaluate the predominant theory or theories regarding the biological basis of the disorder. Explain the disorder in terms of pertinent neurotransmitter and receptor theories and use your references to provide an evidence base for these theories. Analyze neurotransmitter system(s) involved in the pathology of the disorder, including a description of: 1) the involved neurotransmitter(s) and receptor(s), 2) regions of the nervous system (brain, spinal cord, or peripheral nervous system) involved with any pathological anatomical changes, and 3) abnormalities of neural circuits and pathways. Include an explanation of how receptor agonists or antagonists would theoretically treat the disorder to reverse the pathology and restore normal function, or why they would be expected to improve symptoms.

Treatment:

Evaluate drug therapies for treating the disorder based on the current understanding of the biological basis of the disorder. Include a description of the behavioral symptoms and physical signs of the disorder, and identify the drug class(es) used in pharmacological therapy with a discussion of the mechanism of action of the drug class(es). Explain why the pharmacodynamics of the drug class(es) would affect the pathology of the disorder to restore function and/or improve symptoms. Include a discussion of the drug pharmacokinetics for each drug class. Provide examples of available marketed drugs within each class. Describe any drug side effects and/or adverse effects of the drug treatment and their biological basis, including issues related to contraindications, interactions, drug metabolism, and elimination. In addition, explain risks, benefits, and ethical implications for high-risk and exceptional treatment conditions.

Conclusion:

Summarize theories of neuropsychological disorders as they relate to principles of drug action for that selected disorder. Provide a synopsis of the evidence base that supports or disproves current theories regarding the pathology of the disorder, advantages and disadvantages of current drug treatment(s). Lastly, evaluate any controversies regarding ethical and/or risk-benefit perspectives associated with the current treatment(s). Describe possible areas for future research.

Attention Students: The Masters of Arts in Psychology program is utilizing the Folio portfolio tool as a repository for student scholarly work in the form of signature assignments completed within the program. After receiving feedback for this Integrative Literature Review, please implement any changes recommended by the instructor, go to your Folio account and upload the revised Integrative Literature Review as a project in your portfolio. (Use the Setting Up and Using Folio (Links to an external site.) guide to create an account if you do not already have one.) The upload of signature assignments will take place after completing each course. Be certain to upload revised signature assignments throughout the program as the portfolio and its contents will be used in other courses and may be used by individual students as a professional resource tool.