Brain Functioning

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This course covers a broad range of topics in the field of brain functioning. The initial focus is on brain mechanisms, to better understand how the brain is organized to support cognitive functions and the paradigms and neuroimaging methods that are used to study it. This knowledge will then be applied to understand the changes in brain functioning that arise during normal development, during abnormal aging, and in acquired and neurodegenerative brain disorders. Important questions will include: What are the changes in brain structure and function underlying development and ageing? What neurobiological mechanisms determine whether a person develops normally or pathologically? What are the differences in symptomatology resulting from focal and distributed brain damage? To address these questions, students will critically reflect on influential theories, state-of-the-art neuroimaging techniques, established research methods, and clinical interventions. General themes are neural and cognitive ageing, neuropathology (mild cognitive impairment, dementia, Parkinson’s disease), and methodological issues in brain research.