UNDERGRADUATE COURSES:
1. KINE 3670
3.0: Molecular and
Cellular Neuroscience with
Applications to Health
Study of
molecular mechanisms
underlying
the structure and function of the nervous system in health and disease.
Description:
The course covers the basic
principles of neuroscience. It introduces students to the rapidly
growing field
of molecular neuroscience, which is the study of the functional
properties of
the nervous system and relationship
between brain and disease. The course covers topics ranging from
neuronal
structure and function, communication at the synapse and neuromascular
junction, membrane receptors, synaptic transmission, neurotransmitters
and the
intra- and intercellular signaling systems within the sensory, motor
and memory
systems.
2. KINE 4230
3.0: Neuronal development for activity and
health.
Cellular, molecular and physiological
processes underlying neuronal
development in health and disease.
Description:
This
course is intended to discuss the molecular mechanism involved in
neuronal and neuromuscular
development with an
emphasis on physical activity, health and
disease.
It will focus on molecular and environmental cues that
signal and promote differentiation, outgrowth and target-finding, and
refinement of synaptic or neuromuscular connections and the
acquisition of regional and cellular identity. Specific topics include
the
basics of cell signaling, neural induction, patterning, mechanisms of
axon
guidance, cell migration, proliferation and death, target recognition
and
synapse formation and elimination.
Information
drawn from these basic developmental mechanisms will be used to discuss
the
recent advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis of
neurological
and neurodevelopmental disorders.
GRADUATE
COURSES:
1. KAHS 6154 3.0: Neurobiology
of
Human Disease.
This course will focus on molecular and
cellular mechanisms that give rise to disease in
the
developing and mature nervous system. The contribution of
genetic, and
environmental factors in the causation
of human diseases will be specifically addressed.
Description:
The course
will provide graduate students with an
in depth analysis of
the molecular and cellular mechanisms that give rise to human disease
in the
developing and mature nervous system. This course examines how a
combination of
genes, developmental modifications and
environmental
factors contributes to changes in brain activity that in turn leads to
both
structural and functional remodeling of the brain and subsequently
to a wide
variety of neurological and psychiatric illnesses.
This course discusses a variety of methodologies used in modern
neuroscience
research for studying mechanisms of human diseases and finding better
treatment
options. Selected diseases will be
chosen by
predominant age of onset: childhood (autism, ADHD), adolescence
(schizophrenia),
adulthood (Multiple Sclerosis, Huntington's
disease)
and old age (Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease).
2. KAHS 6155
3.0: Fundamentals of
Neuroscience I: Structure, Neurons, and Synapses.
(Same as Biology 5146 3.0 and Psychology 6257 3.0)
This
course
will focus on molecular and cellular
mechanisms underlying the structure and function of the nervous system,
functional neuroanatomy, and the neurophysiology of movement.
Description:
The
course will provide graduate students with an
in depth analysis of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying
the
structure and function of the developing and
mature
nervous system. This is an advanced course that will focus on current
research
topics in selected areas of neuroscience,
which is the study of the biology of the nervous
system
and its relationship to behavior and disease. The course includes three
modules, (1) molecular and cellular neuroscience, (2) functional
neuroanatomy
and (3) muscle and spinal cord neurophysiology, which will introduce
students
to the breadth of research in neuroscience. The molecular and cellular
neuroscience module course covers topics ranging from neuronal
structure and
function, communication at the synapse, membrane receptors and intra-
and
intercellular signaling systems within the sensory, motor, memory, and
speech
systems. It will also cover the cellular and molecular processes
underlying
neuronal development, including differentiation of nerve cells,
migration of
neurons, mechanisms of axonal growth and guidance, target recognition
and
synapse formation, and the basis of synaptic specificity. The
functional
neuroanatomy module will cover the structures and functions of the
brain,
including the meninges, cranial nerves, spinal cord, brainstem,
subcortical
structures, ventricular system, and cortex. Muscle and spinal cord
neurophysiology will cover neuromuscular and motor unit function in
health and
disease, spinal cord function, and reflex modulation during movement.
© D.A. CRAWFORD