Syllabus Psych 768 - The Aging Brain Class: Tuesday 4:30-7:10, 121 East Building Instructor: P.M. Greenwood Office: 2060 David King Hall, 703-993-4268 Email: pgreenw1@gmu.edu Office Hours: Tuesday 2:00-3:00 (tentative) or by appointment Course Description: This course will consider the brain changes accompanying both normal and pathologic aging, with course content guided in part by extant theories of the basis of brain aging and Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). We will also examine issues of brain plasticity. The emphasis will be on brain change but cognitive aging will also be discussed. The lectures will be designed to provide needed background for subsequent class discussion of new developments in each topic. Grading: As this is a small seminar requiring active discussion, each member’s participation is essential and will form part of the grade. Students will take turns leading the discussions. Everyone is expected to read the assigned articles before class each week and to answer a few short questions about the articles. 30% of the grade will be based on class participation (leading discussion, joining in the discussion in class, providing written answers to advance questions on time). 35% of the grade will be based on a presentation to be given at the exam period, and 35% will be based on a final paper. Grades will be assigned as follows: 90-100 A; 80-89 B; 70-79 C; 60-69 D; below 60 F. Attendance Policy: Due to the importance of discussion, students will be expected to be in class each week. Text: none. Articles will be either in pdf format or available for photocopying Honor Code: All provisions of the GMU Honor System and Code will be followed in this class. The Honor Code can be found at (http://www.gmu.edu/facstaff/handbook/aD.html). Schedule: 1/25 2/1 Introduction, gross anatomy and function, fine anatomy, neurotransmission Pathologies of the brain related to aging and AD (Gomez-Isla; Braak & Braak; Naslund)
2/8 Mechanisms of plasticity (Buell & Coleman; Sterr et al; Elbert et al; Peters et al., Jones & Pons; Florence et al)
2/15
Synapse loss, Neurotransmission changes, Cholinergic and Dopaminergic Hypotheses (Terry et al; Hof & Morrison; Bartus et al.; Gallagher & Colombo)
2/22 Theories of AD: Amyloid Cascade, Baptists and Tauists (Hardy & Selkoe,; Knowles et al., Naslund et al.; Cleary et al) 3/1 Alternate theories: Oxidative stress, “2-hit” hypothesis (Zhu, Smith et al; Mattson) 3/8 Resistence to decline: Brain Reserve & Plasticity (Stern et al; Yu et al.; Snowdon et al; Whalley et al; Wilson et al) 3/15 3/22 4/5 4/12 4/19 Spring recess Neurogenesis (Kempermann et al; Rakic; Gould; Eriksson) Cognitive Aging: Cognitive changes (TBA) Cognitive Aging: Individual differences and genetics (TBA) Cognitive Aging: Capacity and Training (Bleckley; Nyberg)
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