Introduction to Experimental Modeling of Brain Disorders

This course provides students with hands-on opportunities to learn how animal models can be applied to enhance the understanding of brain disorders and brain injury. The course is comprised of lectures, technical demonstrations and labs. Conditions discussed include ischemic stroke, acute brain injury, Alzheimer¿s disease, Parkinson¿s disease, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and autism. For each condition, concepts introduced include characteristics of the animal model, core principles for in vivo study design, and techniques for quantifying disease-relevant variables. This course is open to undergraduate and graduate students with or without prior rodent experience.