Learning objectives

The course aims to provide to students the concepts of systems and clinical neurobiology. Starting from the molecular/cellular level, the understanding of the organization of connections that enable nervous system functions will be achieved. The structures underlying higher cognitive functions will then be studied, thus enabling a greater understanding of the fundamental clinical-neuropathological concepts underlying the pathological processes of these functions (e.g., neurodegeneration).
The course is structured in two distinct modules:
- the System neurobiology module illustrates the concepts from the structure (microscopic and macroscopic) to the function of the central nervous system (CNS) and explains the importance of understanding the physiological situation in order to understand the pathology. Therefore, by providing the morpho-functional basis of cognitive processes, the student will then be able to fully understand what will be expounded in the Clinical neurobiology module;
- the Clinical neurobiology module illustrates the concepts of anatomic-clinical correlation that represent the basis of knowledge of neurology, allowing the student to understand the meaning of a neurological symptom or sign and to correlate it to the site of injury in the central or peripheral nervous system. It also provides knowledge of the basic aspects of neurobiology aimed at understanding the molecular aspects of neurodegeneration.

By the end of the course, the student will have acquired:
a) basic knowledge of the nervous system and clinical neurology;
b) in-depth knowledge of the cellular mechanisms that enable CNS function;
c) in- depth knowledge of the macroscopic organization of the CNS;
d) in-depth knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration;
e) in-depth clinical-neuropathological knowledge of the effects of neurodegenerative processes in determining the different phenotypes of dementia or movement diseases.