Course Description: The basal ganglia control a host of related functions, including motivation, reinforcement learning, and motor control. Diseases of the basal ganglia are equally diverse, producing a range of disparate movement disorders including Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease and dystonia, as well as neuropsychiatric disorders such as Tourette syndrome and addiction. This mini-course will provide an overview of physiological functions of the basal ganglia, and how these functions are compromised in disease. Students will be introduced to ongoing research efforts to understand disease pathophysiology and develop new therapies.
This class will meet two-three times a week for two hours per class to have in depth discussions on current research papers (2 papers per class). There will be a total of 8 classes. At the end of this course, students should have an up-to-date, fundamental understanding of the basic physiology and pathophysiology of the basal ganglia, and current tools and approaches used to study this brain region.
Course Directors: Ken Nakamura and Alexandra Nelson
For your study list please use:
NS 219, 3 units, Director: Ken Nakamura, Grade option: S/U
Course Schedule:
Monday, April 24
Time: 9AM-11AM, MH-2105
Topic: TBA
Instructor: TBA
Wednesday, April 26
Time: 9AM-11AM, MH-2105
Topic: TBA
Instructor: TBA
Friday, April 28
Time: 9AM-11AM, MH-2105
Topic: TBA
Instructor: TBA
Monday, May 1
Time: 9AM-11AM, MH-2105
Topic: TBA
Instructor: TBA
Wednesday, May 3
Time: 9AM-11AM, MH-2105
Topic: TBA
Instructor: TBA
Friday, May 5
Time: 9AM-11AM, MH-2105
Topic: TBA
Instructor: TBA
Monday, May 8
Time: 9AM-11AM, MH-2105
Topic: TBA
Instructor: TBA
Wednesday, May 10
Time: 9AM-11AM, MH-2105
Topic: TBA
Instructor: TBA