The Opioid Epidemic: America’s Deadly Addiction
Course Description
Opioid addiction is a heartbreaking national epidemic. This course helps you understand how we got here—and how we can get out. Follow a top cognitive neuroscientist to discover how opioids affect our brains and how they’ve fueled a crisis of overuse and death in America.
Video Lectures
- The Opioid Epidemic: America’s Deadly Addiction (35 min)
- Drug overdose is the leading cause of death for Americans under 50. Professor Thad Polk explores how opioid misuse surged after 1990s pharmaceutical advocacy, their addictive mechanisms, and solutions to this crisis.

