Co-Instructors: Darin Woolpert and Kathleen Brumm
Instructor Emails: dwoolpert@ucsd.edu, kbrumm@ucsd.edu
Prerequisites: Open to all students with a genuine interest in what the brain is and how it works.

Course Description:This class will be a challenging, in-depth look at both typical brain function and outcomes following brain disorders (such as stroke, Parkinson’s, traumatic brain injury, etc).  An overview of the anatomy of the brain and the typical functions carried out by various regions will provide the groundwork for examining the deficits seen when neural tissue is damaged.  Neural plasticity – the ability of the brain to form alternative pathways after injury – will be a major focal point.  Other topics covered will include contrasts between strokes in adults and children, the differences between left and right hemisphere function, and a look at imaging techniques such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).

We will also look at some case studies of problems that can arise as a result of damage to the brain.  What is really happening in “phantom limb” syndrome, where a patient insists they can still feel an arm or a leg that has been paralyzed or amputated?  How can someone with perfectly healthy vision be blind?  What treatments are available for individuals with Alzheimer’s?

All of these different ways of thinking about the brain will be brought together in a way that is dynamic, challenging, and stimulating. 

Course Objectives:

By the end of the course, each student will be familiar with the different anatomical structures of the brain, such as the different lobes and hemispheres, and be aware of the cognitive processes each one performs.  They will also have awareness of how brain development can help compensate for impairments resulting from neural damage.  Students will also be comfortable with looking at brain images and identifying the orientation of a brain scan.

Expectations:

First and foremost, students are expected to have the maturity level required to be a junior neurologist.  The neurological problems covered in the class may seem strange, but the students are expected to observe them professionally and with objectivity.  Students are expected to be enthusiastic about the course and work together to make a cooperative class environment.  They should be punctual, complete reading and assignments on time, and be respectful of their fellow classmates. 

Course Outline:

Week 1 - Brain Function and Disorders: From Large to Small

In the first week, students will learn about the evolution of the human brain and what makes it different from animal brains.  The primary focus will be on the structure of the brain, and the functions that the individual neural regions carry out.  These topics will be explored against the backdrop of neurological disorders – what is going wrong in the brain, and why it is manifesting in the behavior seen.

Labs:  labeling brain diagrams, mapping the brain, watching videos of neurological patients.

Week 2 - Plasticity and Brain Development

In the second week, the course will focus on higher order neural functions such as language, vision, memory, etc.  Neuroanatomical structures recruited for each function will be reviewed, as well as what happens when some of those structures get damaged.  Topics for the final project will be assigned.

Labs:  neurological exams, optical and auditory illusions, integration of contradictory sensory input.

Week 3 – Mapping the Brain

The final week of the class will be spent looking at different techniques for imaging and mapping the brain, including various types of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Evoked Response Potentials (ERP/EEG).  The pros and cons of different ways of imaging the brain will be discussed.

Labs:  practice reading/interpreting different types of neural imaging and results, reading a scientific article that uses brain mapping techniques, research and prepare final project on a specific neurological disorder, what brain regions are effected, and why it creates the profile seen.