Neuroscience: Brain Metabolism

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Prereqs: NSCI 2100 OR NSCI 2105 OR BIOL 3505 A course in Biochemistry recommended Special Topics courses cannot carry CC designations PACE students by permission and override.

The brain comprises only 2% of our body weight, yet it utilizes 20% of the body’s energy to support neurological processes. This upper-level elective will discuss the role of glucose, fatty acids/ketones, and amino acids in normal brain metabolism and the role of these pathways in numerous neurological diseases. We will also consider the role of diet in supplying nutrients to the brain, how metabolites are transported across the blood brain barrier, and metabolic cooperation between neurons and glia. This course fulfills a Category B elective for the NSCI major/minor.

Each week, students are expected to review the assigned materials, come prepared to discuss the topic in class, and participate in various activities to support learning during class time. Examples of in-class activities include answering questions, searching for primary articles on a topic, or discussing a primary scientific article figure-by-figure.

Primary scientific literature, review papers, and videos will be assigned each week to support learning on the topics discussed in class. Students will be presented choices for participation in assignments, which will include a combination of in-class activities, answering a question-of-the-week, reviewing the methods in primary scientific articles, taking content-based quizzes, creating infographics, and completing written and oral presentations on a chosen topic.