Neuroscience Behind Change

Welcome to Neuroscience Behind Change!

This course is approved for the following CEs:

• Michigan Certification Board for Addiction Professionals (MCBAP) 1 Specific Units

• Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) 1 continuing education (CE) hours

Neurobiology of Addiction Microcredential Series - Course 2 of 3

This course is a part of the "Neurobiology of Addiction" microcredential series, offered by This course is a part of Michigan State University Neuroscience Program. Successful completion of all three courses is required to obtain the microcredential. Students can request their microcredential here.

What is a Microcredential?

A microcredential is a short, focused educational experience that helps you build specific knowledge or skills in a particular area. Unlike a full degree or certificate program, microcredentials are targeted, flexible, and often completed in a few hours to a few weeks.

They are ideal for professionals who want to:

• Learn a new topic quickly

• Stay current in their field

• Gain recognition for continuing education or specialized expertise

Course Format:

This course consists of a pre-recorded lecture and a short quiz. Materials are presented in an asynchronous format and can be completed online, at your own pace. At the end of the pre-recorded lecture, you will be directed to a short quiz. A score of 70% or higher is required to obtain a certificate of completion (CE). The quiz can be retaken.

Neuroscience Behind Change

Course Description:

This course is developed for an interdisciplinary audience with specific relevance for social workers and other health care providers, law enforcement, policy makers, advocates and lawyers. This course provides foundational information about how neurons communicate, and how the brain changes in response to it's environment and experiences (plasticity). This information provides learners with a foundational lexicon in neuroscience as it relates to how the brain changes in response to learning, injury and/or other changes (e.g. substance use, aging, etc.)

This course will cover...

• Chemical and electrical signaling between neurons
• Types of synapses and their functions
• Action potentials: How chemical signals propagate
• Neurotransmission: Types of transmitters, chemical structures and functions, dopamine synthesis, phasic activity
• Structural and functional plasticity: how the brain learns, changes and adapts to experience or injury
• Mechanisms of Plasticity: synaptogenesis, neurogenesis, pruning, long-term potentiation, long-term depression, etc.
• Plasticity throughout the life span and in the context of chemical dependence.

Continuing Education Credits

Association of Social Work Boards: Approved Provider

Michigan State University Neuroscience Program (2268) is approved to offer continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. Michigan State University Neuroscience Program maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period: 6/6/2025 – 6/6/2026.

Michigan Certification Board for Addiction Professionals (MCBAP): Course Approval

This course has been approved by the Michigan Certification Board for Addiction Professionals (MCBAP).

Certificates

Certificates are provided to students upon successful completion of the quiz (minimum score of 70%). You may retake the quiz if you do not pass the first time. Your certificate of completion will automatically populate upon successful completion of the quiz. You may save or print your certificate at this point.

Requesting Your Digital Badge

Upon completion of all three microcredential courses, participants may request receive a digital badge here. Please allow up to 5 business days to complete your request. Your electronic badge will be emailed to you at the address you provide. Your badge can be shared on resumes, LinkedIn, or professional portfolios to demonstrate competency in that subject.

Michigan State Neuroscience Program - Instructor Bios

Kathryn Irish, PhD, LMSW, CAADC

Kathryn Irish is an Assistant Professor in Neuroscience at MSU. She has 10+ years of clinical practice experience across a diverse range of settings including community mental health, private practice and methadone maintenance. She has also worked as a clinician for the U.S. Federal Criminal Justice System and held administrative roles in managed health care as a senior clinical-quality consultant. Irish has a clinical specialization in alcohol and drug treatment (CAADC) recently completed her PhD in social work at Michigan State University with a doctoral cognate in neuroscience. Her research focus is on improving interpersonal relationships, health care, inter-group relations and diplomacy through transdisciplinary research, technology and education.

Michael Koval, PhD

Michael graduated with a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Western Ontario where he studied the role of the prefrontal cortex in the cognitive control of behaviour. He was then a Postdoc at Duke University where he began by investigating the neurophysiology of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) with Dr. Marc Sommer, then switched gears by transferring to the Psychiatry Department where he managed the Brain Stimulation Division under the supervision of Drs. Andrew Krystal, Shawn McClintock and Sarah Lisanby. Having acquired clinical experience with the Duke TMS Clinic he then ran the Brain Stimulation Clinic at the Central Health Medical Practice in Hong Kong, before ending up at Michigan State University as an Assistant Professor in Neuroscience and Director of the Neuroscience and Law Program.

Registration

Registration is ongoing, year round. You may register for courses here, directly via Eventbrite [link]. Courses may be taken individually, or bundled together as a microcredential. Prices are listed on eventbrite; discounts may be offered for students and professionals.

Refunds/Cancellation Policy

Courses may be taken at your convenience at any point within the course offering period described on eventbrite, which typically runs in 3 month batches. At the end of each batch the courses will renew. If you do not take the course within the time span available, please reach out to the instructor who can facilitate an extension of your purchased ticket. Limitations may apply. Refunds and/or cancellations must be requested within the same course offering period in which the original course was purchased. Requests for refunds or cancellations after the course batch close date cannot be processed.

Need Additional Assistance?

Please contact the course administrator irishkat@msu.edu if you require accessibility accommodations, or if you have any additional questions regarding the course.