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