A Neural Systems Approach to Brain Disorders

Catalog description

Throughout this course we will survey several disorders of the central nervous system, providing students with both a clinical perspective on the disease as well as a mechanistic understanding of underlying pathologies. The relationship between advances in basic science and advances in understanding these neurological disease states will be highlighted. The course will be organized into two main modules. The first disorders to be discussed are epilepsy, head injury, and cerebrovascular disease). The latter part of our semester will explore neurodegenerative disorders; including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease. In each of these modules we will discuss normal function of an affected circuit and, if appropriate, how or why these brain structures are susceptible to a particular inherited genetic susceptibility or an acquired disease state. We will discuss the importance of appropriate animal models to our understanding of these disorders and how state-of the art advances in all facets of neuroscience are leading to novel therapeutic approaches to treating these diseases. The course will involve both formal (interactive) lectures, as disorders are introduced and potential mechanisms discussed, as well as a seminar style classes highlighting promising research via primary research papers to be presented by students