PS 581 Neurobiology of Mental Illness (Fall/Spring: 3)
Prerequisite:
One of the following: PS 285, PS 287, PS 382, PS 385, or PS 386. It is assumed that all students have a basic knowledge of the nervous system.
The course will discuss current views of the pathophysiology and etiology
of mental illness. We will discuss recent findings from human studies and
from animal models. Emphasis will be on alterations in brain circuits and
neurotransmitter systems underlying major depression, PTSD, autism, and
schizophrenia. We will explore the involvement of neurotransmitters in mental
illness, including serotonin and dopamine, neuropeptides such as vasopressin
and oxytocin, and stress hormones and how they mediate the regulation of
emotion, cognition and behavior. Finally, we will discuss how genetic background
and early environment can be important risk factors for the development
of mental illness.
Alexa Veenema
Last Updated: 31-JAN-13