MIND/BRAIN DISORDERS

This course explores how neural processes giving rise to the mind can become disordered, resulting in devastating mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, depression, dementia, and autism. Students will review genetic, structural and functional research findings showing changes in the brain associated with psychiatric, neurological, and neurodevelopmental disorders. This course will cover the empirical and theoretical accounts of the biological mechanisms that underlie mental illness. Throughout the course, students will gain exposure to genetic, neuroimaging, and behavioral methods commonly used to study brain function and cognition in clinical populations. By studying how changes in the brain result in cognitive dysfunction and mental illness, students will deepen their understanding of the biological foundations of human thought, emotion, memory, and social behavior.