Toxicology of Designer Drugs (Lecture 1, Introduction to Forensic Toxicology)

I'm teaching a toxicology of designer drugs course at IUPUI this fall via the Forensic and Investigative Sciences Program.

The outline of topics for the first lecture included:

Introduction to Forensic Toxicology

• The Realms of Forensic Toxicology
• Human Performance
• Postmortem
• Drug Facilitated Crimes
• Urine Drug Testing
• The Role of the Forensic Toxicologist
• Analyze specimens
• Analytical instrumentation
• Develop and validate testing methods
• Case review and release
• Results interpretation
• Education
• Expert and fact witness courtroom testimony
• Research, publish, and present
• Autopsy and Toxicology Specimens
• Blood
• Urine
• Vitreous Humor
• Tissues
• Bile
• Gastric contents
• Alternative matrices
• Toxicological Terms
• Pharmacokinetics
1. Dose
2. Dosing interval
3. CMax
4. TMax
5. CMin
6. Volume of distribution
7. Concentration
8. Elimination half life
9. Elimination rate constant
10. Bioavailability
• Pharmacodynamics
1. Onset vs. Duration of action
2. Receptor agonism
3. Receptor antagonism
4. Receptor inverse agonism
5. Catecholamines / Neurotransmitters
• Serotonin
• Norepinephrine
• Dopamine
• Histamine
• Acetylcholine
• GABA