Neurobiology of Depression:Why Depression Is A Brain Disorder And How Brain Stimulation May Treat It

The course is a basic review of how we define depression, and a description of a new 'systems model' to understand the neurobiology of depression. We will consider the model in the context of the illness and why brain stimulation treatments work. DetailsThe class will be organized as a working group. Initially I will dead by discussing depression as a clinical entity as well as common treatment approaches. I will then discuss a framework to understand the systems model, how we can do research in the scientific literature, and from that create a more detailed map of the neurobiological basis of depression. As the quarter progresses, the emphasis will be on the students: to ask questions relevant to the illness and neurogiology; to do in class searches of the Pubmed database, integrate what we have found into the general systems model, and discuss how the literature confirms, informs, or contradicts our basic model. Students will work in small groups to develop slides that summarize their findings from the literature. As we develop a context to understand the neurogiology of depression, we will consider how brain stimulation can be an effective treatment.