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Univ. of Pennsylvania Penn's Neurobiology of Disease Curriculum

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FELLOWSHIPS available to train in Translational Research in NBD
Neurodegenerative Diseases I - INSC 600-012 - 2009
AD, PD and ALS
T/R 8:30-10:00; 1st half of Spring 2009

Course Summary

TEXTBOOK: None. All readings will be assigned from the primary literature. Sometimes videos will be assigned in lieu of readings.

SYLLABUS: Click here.

COURSE WIKI: This course made use of a wiki (www.pbwiki.com) for distributing updated versions of the syllabus and for collecting student blogs and questions for discussion. We highly recommend using a tool like this. PB wiki comes in free and paid versions, depending on your needs.

Viewing the Lectures from 2009

From a PC: Just click on the link
From a Mac: download - just once - a copy of silverlight.

Lectures - Spring 2009

Lecture Title Lecturer Date Video/Slide Presentation
Clinical presentation of AD; diagnostic criteria; AD biomarkers: biochemical and imaging Steven Arnold, MD Jan 15 Video/Slides
AD Genetics Jerry Schellenberg, PhD Jan 20 Video/Slides
Protein misfolding as a common mechanism among many neurodegenerative disorders; Overview of clinical trials in AD (inclu. which pathophysiological mechanisms were targeted) Virginia M.Y. Lee, PhD Jan 22 Video/Slides
Mechanisms of AD pathogenesis and pathophysiology, e.g. amyloid cascade hypothesis, tau, and the therapeutic approaches they suggest. Review of recently completed clinical trials and of the NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory) trial. Virginia M.Y. Lee, PhD Jan 27 Video/Slides
Tau: involvement in AD and FTD (fronto-temporal dementia). Potential tau and tau-related (e.g. MT stabilizing, kinase inhibiting) therapeutics. John Trojanowski MD, PhD Jan 29 Video/Slides
Glutamate toxicity and the role of glutamate transporters. Examples of glutamate modulators as therapeutic agents Mike Robinson, PhD Feb 3 Video/Slides
Parkinson's Disease: Clinical overview and review of clinical trials Nabila Dahodwala, MD Feb 5 Video/Slides
Parkinson's Disease: genetics - alpha synuclein, parkin, DJ1, PINK1, and LRRK2. Gauchier's mutations. Gene therapy for PD. Vivianna Van Deerlin, MD, PhD Feb 10 Video/Slides
Parkinson's Disease: pathological mechanisms; review of mechanisms upon which clinical trials and medications have been based: e.g. antioxidants (monoamine oxidase B inhibitor, Co Q10 etc); dopamine agonists, Catechol-O-methyl transferase (COMT) inhibitors, NMDA receptor antagonists Benoit Giasson, PhD Feb 12 Video/Slides
Oxidative stress: Role across various neurodegenerative disorders and role as potential therapeutic agents. Harry Ischiropolous, PhD Feb 17 Video/Slides
Clinical overview of FTD and ALS Murray Grossman, MD Feb 19 Video/Slides
TPD43: a newly identified pathological protein in sporadic ALS. Pathology, pathological mechanisms, genetics; imagining a "bench to bedside" story Virginia M.Y. Lee, PhD Feb 24 Video/Slides
Student Presentations - Feb 26  
Student Presentations - Mar 3  
Student Presentations - Mar 5