BIOL 320 : BIOL OF CENTRAL NERVOUS SYS DISEASE

The function of the central nervous system (CNS), comprising the brain and spinal cord, remains a fascinating and still largely mysterious frontier in biological science. The CNS is the source of our behavior, mental activities and control of much of our bodies. Thus CNS diseases affect all aspects of life. This course explores the function of the CNS by investigating what happens when cells in the nervous system can’t do their jobs properly. We will discuss not only the function of individual cells, but also how cells work together in systems to create organized functional units. These topics will extend concepts introduced in Cell Biology and Genetics and employ them to understand CNS disease states.