BIO 116 - The Brain in Health and Disease

This course aims to introduce non-major students with no background in biology to the exciting field of neurobiology. It is aimed at the non-science major with an interest in understanding the biology of the nervous system: how the brain works, how it controls our bodies, and how it goes awry in disease. This course will also introduce students to some of the latest advances in healing the brain using neural stem cells. The course will cover how the cells that make up our brains function together, and how the brain is impacted in a number of brain disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, Depression, Frontotemporal Dementia, and damage due to injury to specific brain regions. The course will also expose students to cutting-edge medical research and ethical dilemmas that may accompany these treatments. Students will be required to research a neurological disease/disorder and prepare a written and oral presentation. Two hours of lecture and two hours of laboratory per week. Fulfills core science requirement.
Lecture
Credits: 3
Offered in the Fall Semester
Core Course