Essential Neuroscience

Catalog description

This course focuses on the basic molecular and biochemical aspects of neuronal physiology, emphasizing mechanisms that underlie the major classes of neurological disorders. Students will be provided with a fundamental understanding of the gross anatomy and general functions of the central nervous system at the cellular and molecular levels. The course will introduce essential concepts and facts on how neuronal cells communicate with each other, with examples of how neurotransmitter dysregulation and metabolic malfunction lead to the development of mental disorders. The course instructors are research scientists who have expertise in clinical neuroscience and translational research. There will be invited speakers who specialize in various neurological and psychiatric diseases with complex or heterogeneous etiology, including Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, White Matter Disease, Neuroinflammation and HIV-associated Neurocognitive Disorders, Autism & Pharmacotherapy of Drug Addiction and Alcohol Abuse. The major goals of the course will be to introduce Master students to translational neuroscience and to the pivotal role that neuroscience plays in understanding and treatment of human brain diseases. Lectures will be supplemented with handouts, references and PowerPoint presentations.