
Students will be able to describe the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Also, death of dopamine-containing neurons of the substantia nigra of the midbrain will be identified as a cause of the disease. The students will be able to describe the roles of specific proteins (PINK1, PARKIN) in the inherited forms of Parkinson's disease.
Explain Huntington's disease, a rare inheritable brain disorder affecting the striatum with tri-nucleotide repeats in the huntingtin gene, causing progressive writhing movements and cell death.
Trace how Alzheimer's disease begins with hippocampal neuron death linked to amyloid precursor protein and beta-amyloid, forming plaques and tangles and spreading from entorhinal cortex to the dentate gyrus.
This course offers the latest information on the symptoms and causes of brain disorders such as Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Anorexia Nervosa, Sleep Apnea, and others. The specific types of neurons that are affected, and the molecules that cause their death, are described in an effort to portray the search for cures for these disorders