NBIO 727
Translational Seminar in Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience
Course Coordinator: Aysenil Belger, Ph.D.
Instructors: Aysenil Belger PhD, Kelly Giovanello, PhD, Gabriel Dichter, PhD, Aldo Rustioni, MD PHD,
Franc Donkers, PhD, Sarah Hart, PhD, Kevin Labar, PhD, Karen Grewen, PhD
Time: Fri 12:00 –2:00pm
Location: Bondurant 3074
Dr. Belger’s Phone: 843-7368
Dr. Belger’s Office: Medical School, Wing D Room #250
E-mail: abelger@med.unc.edu
Recent years have seen the surge of many new neuroimaging techniques that open a window into the
functioning of the human brain, and their relation to human behavior. These techniques enable us to
examine the neural and biological substrates of both normal cognitive operations, such as attention,
memory, and emotions, as well as their deregulation in neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental
disorders, like schizophrenia and autism. The aim of this course is to introduce these new neuroimaging
techniques, and their application to the study of the neural correlates of cognitive and behavioral
impairments in a number of brain disorders. We will begin with a brief review of the theories and research
methodologies that investigate how brain functions support and give rise to mental operations such as
attention, memory, emotions, social cognition in the healthy brain. These lectures will also encompass a
review of basic functional neuroanatomy. This review of the theories pertaining to the organization of
normal cognitive operations within each domain will be followed by presentations by expert researchers
and clinicians using and/or developing the various neuroimaging techniques in clinical populations.
Schedule: The course will meet once a week on Fridays, from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM. Each class will
consist of about 1 hour of a didactic lecture, followed by a student-led discussion of clinical research
papers focusing on cognitive neuroscience approaches to understanding brain disorders.
Reading materials: Relevant reading materials and lecture notes will be available on Blackboard.
Additional recommended readings:
Methods in Mind (Ed., Gazzaniga)
Cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology (Marie T. Banich) Published: Boston : Houghton Mifflin Co.,
c2004.
Principles of cognitive neuroscience (Dale Purves ... [et al.]. Published: Sunderland, Mass.: Sinauer
Associates, c2008.
Timetable:
DATE | INSTRUCTOR | TOPIC |
15-Jan | Belger/Rustioni | Introduction to Human Functional Anatomy |
22-Jan | Hart/Donkers | Methods of Cognitive Neuroscience |
29-Jan | Belger | Brain Development/Maturation and neurodevelopmental
disorders (autism) |
5-Feb | Belger | Cognitive neuroscience of perception and attention |
12-Feb | Belger | Social Cognitive neuroscience and exploration of deficits
in this domain in neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric
disorders. |
19-Feb | Giovanello | Brain Disorders of Memory Function (Alzheimer, amnesia) |
26-Feb | Giovanello | Cognitive neuroscience of Memory |
5-Mar | Labar | Cognitive Affective Neuroscience |
12-Mar | No class | |
19-Mar | Dichter | Brain Disorders of Affective Processing and Depression |
26-Mar | Belger | Executive Function and higher order integration |
2-Apr | No class | |
9-Apr | Belger | Executive Function and frontal lobe impairments in
neuropsychiatric disorders (schizophrenia, autism, bipolar) |
16-Apr | Grewen | Neuroendocrine modulation of Cognitive function in
development and disease |
