The primary goal of this course is to acquaint students with the basic features of common dementia subtypes, such as Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementias, vascular dementia, Lewy body disease, Huntington's disease and Parkinson's disease. The course will cover the clinical manifestations (cognitive and behavioral symptoms, course, prognosis), neuroanatomical signatures, pathophysiology, intervention and treatment, and current research directions. Students will gain a detailed understanding of the major dementia subtypes as manifestations of underlying brain pathology and anatomical patterns of brain damage. Upon completion of the course, the student should be able to (1) identify and distinguish the most common dementia subtypes based on knowledge of clinical presentation and disease mechanisms; (2) understand how underlying brain changes may be linked to specific clinical manifestations; (3) understand how therapeutic strategies are linked to pathophysiology; (4) engage in scholarly discussion about the topics; and (5) read and critique empirical research papers. PREREQ: Psych 100B, Psych 326, and EITHER Biol 3411, OR Psych 344, OR Psych 3401.
Course Attributes: FA NSM; BU BA; AR NSM; AS NSM
