187.661.81
Environmental Health in Neurological and Mental Disorders
Location
Internet
Term
4th Term
Department
Environmental Health and Engineering
Credit(s)
3
Academic Year
2019 - 2020
Instruction Method
TBD
Auditors Allowed
Yes, with instructor consent
Available to Undergraduate
No
Grading Restriction
Letter Grade or Pass/Fail
Course Instructor(s)
Contact Name
Frequency Schedule
Every Year
Resources
Prerequisite
187.610 or consent of instructor
Estimates are that 10% of the general population over the age 65 living in the U.S. will have Alzheimer's Dementia. Estimates are that 15% of the children aged 3 to 17 suffer from a neurodevelopmental disorder. Genetic and environmental factor are being identified.
Covers physical and chemical factors in our environment that contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders, mental health disease, and neurodegeneration. Lectures include a brief introduction to neurobiology, experimental studies in neurotoxicicology, and studies on human populations.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
- Describe intracellular and intercellular mechanisms underlying normal brain function
- Explain mechanisms underlying associations between mental disorders/neurological diseases and exposure to environmental pollutants
- Discuss developmental, senescent, and genetic factors that increase the individual’s risk to environmental pollutants
- Analyze data from experimental and epidemiological studies on neurodevelopment neurodegeneration
- Discuss animal models to study human behavior
- Explain tests given to assess human cognition and motor function
- Assess methods to test chemicals for safety
- Explain the involvement of neurological diseases and mental illnesses in the well-being of the population
- Explain the biology of neurodevelopment and neuroaging
- Discuss the historical and philosophical perspectives in studying the brain
Methods of Assessment
This course is evaluated as follows:
- 25% Quizzes
- 25% Quizzes
- 25% Quizzes
- 25% Quizzes