LMP410H1 - Pathobiology of Neurodegenerative Disease 24L
Course description
Focussing on the molecular basis of neurodegenerative diseases of the central and peripheral nervous systems.
We cover the molecular pathobiology of neurodegenerative diseases, current research developments, and writing research proposals.
You will practice the assembly of a succinct research proposal and query neurodegenerative disease material taught in the course in the mid-term and final exams.
Course coordinator
Office address: Krembil Discovery Tower, 60 Leonard Ave. Rm 6KD414
Teaching assistant
Marc Shenouda
marc.shenouda@mail.utoronto.ca
Term |
Fall 2022 |
Class time |
Wednesday 10:00 am - 12:00 pm |
Tutorial time |
December 7 |
Last day to drop course |
November 16 (25% of final mark released before November 7) |
Office hours |
In-person meetings can be arranged with short notice. |
Course details
- Hours: 24 hrs = 10 lectures plus TA review, as well as mid-term and final exam
- Prerequisite: BCH311H1/(PSL300H1, PSL301H1)
- Exclusions: none
- Breadth requirement: none
- Enrolment limits: 35 students
Student evaluation
Mid-term: 25% for in-class component plus 25% for homework grant proposal
Final exam: 50% for neurodegenerative disease material test
See information on Academic Integrity
Schedule
Date |
Topic and estimated time spent |
instructor |
|
---|---|---|---|
September 14 |
Introduction to course and overview (2 hours) |
|
|
September 21 |
Neuroanatomy / pathology (80 mins plus 30 min Q&A) |
Dr. Forrest |
|
September 28 |
Prion Diseases (60 mins plus 20 min Q&A) How to improve scientific writing in general (20 mins plus 10 min Q&A) |
|
|
October 5 |
Genetics (60 mins plus 20 min Q&A) How to develop an introduction/rationale section for a project proposal (20 mins plus 10 min Q&A) |
Dr. Ekaterina Rogaeva |
|
October 12 |
Parkinson’s Disease (60 mins plus 20 min Q&A) How to come up with a project title and write a significance section (20 mins plus 10 min Q&A) |
Dr. Anurag Tandon |
|
October 19 |
Tauopathies (60 mins plus 20 min Q&A) How to generate a hypothesis and break a project into 2-3 specific aims (20 mins plus 10 min Q&A) |
Dr. Joel Watts |
|
October 26 |
ALS/FTD (60 mins plus 20 min Q&A) How to write a concise work plan (20 mins plus 10 min Q&A) |
|
|
November 2 |
Mid-term (2 hours) |
Monitored by Teaching Assistant (TA) |
|
November 7 |
Reading week November 8 - 12. No classes |
|
|
November 16 |
Imaging and diagnostics (80 mins plus 30 min Q&A) |
Dr. Carmela Tartaglia |
|
November 23 |
Alzheimer’s disease (80 mins plus 30 min Q&A) |
|
|
November 30 |
Poly-glutamine disease (80 mins plus 30 min Q&A) |
Dr. Park |
|
December 7 |
Optional review of exam materials/study break (2 hours) |
Teaching Assistant (TA) |
|
TBC |
Final exam (2 hours) |
Monitored by Teaching Assistant (TA) |
Recommended reading or text book
You are encouraged to familiarize yourself with software packages that automate the management and assembly of bibliographies (e.g., Endnote, Mendeley, Zotero, RefWorks).
The following is a list of useful resources (none of these are essential for this course but they should provide useful information and context):
Free online resources for general information on scientific writing
- Scientific Literacy: Clear as mud (by Jonathan Knight) (source: Nature)
- Scientific Writing (source: Duke University Graduate School)
- Ten Simple Rules for Getting Grants Bourne PE, & Chalupa LM. 2016. PLoS Computational Biology
- Writing in the Sciences. Kristina Sainani. Stanford University. One of several Coursera online training courses related to this subject (several sessions are also available on YouTube)
Books you can purchase:
- The Chicago Guide to Communicating Science. Scott L. Montgomery. Published December 15th, 2002, by University Of Chicago Press. ISBN: 0226534855
- Scientific and Medical Communication. Scott A. Mogull. Published April 8, 2016, by Routledge. ISBN: 1138842559.
- Grant Writing in Higher Education: A Step‐by‐Step Guide. Kenneth T. Hensen. Published 2003 by Allyn & Bacon. ISBN‐13: 978‐0205389193