Overview of Presentations
During the last week of the course, students will provide a presentation on clinical issues related to neuroscience. The presentation should be about 30 minutes in duration, to include 5 minutes for questions (25 minute presentation; 5 minutes for questions).
Presentation Topics
Neural Basis of Physical Therapy
Physical therapists play a key role in treatment of motor disorders. In addition to knowledge about biomechanics, physical therapists must be familiar with the nervous system as their practice entails procedures that alter neural function. The goal of this presentation is to discuss the neural underpinnings of treatments used by physical therapists, and how they facilitate recovery following neurological disease states such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord injury.
Brain Imaging
Three major procedures are used to image the brain: positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computerized tomography (CT) . Each methodology has strengths and weaknesses, leading to their differential use in medicine. The goal of this presentation is to discuss how PET, CT, and MRI act to image the brain, the relative strengths and weaknesses of each methodology, and when they are used in clinical medicine.
Hearing Restoration
Almost half the people in the United States older than age 65 have some degree of hearing loss. A number of diseases and environmental conditions can result in hearing loss, and a variety of treatments are used for hearing loss depending on the cause. The goal of this presentation is to review the causes of hearing loss, how they affect the nervous system and cochlea, and the treatments used for each cause.
Stroke
A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. The goal of this presentation is to discuss the etiology of strokes, the brain areas most commonly affected, how stroke is treated, and methodologies used to rehabilitate patients who have suffered a stroke.
Anxiety Disorders & Depression
Anxiety disorders and depression are amongst the most common psychiatric problems, and afflict millions of Americans. Often, these conditions are treated by drugs that inhibit the re-uptake of serotonin or norepinephrine into nerve terminals. The goal of this presentation is to discuss the neurobiology of anxiety disorders and depression, and the mechanisms through which drugs affect neural pathways to alleviate these conditions.
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by episodes of psychosis. Approximately 20 million individuals suffer from this disorder. The goal of this presentation is to discuss the neural basis of schizophrenia, and how anti-psychotic drugs act to treat this disease.
Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease responsible for most cases of dementia. Although the causes of the disorder are unknown, the changes in the nervous system associated with the disease are well-characterized. The goal of this presentation is to discuss the biochemical, anatomical and physiologic changes in the brain that result in the signs and the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, and the actions of drugs that are used to improve cognitive function in Alzheimer's patients.