The Aging Nervous System

Aging is common to all animals and represents the greatest risk factor for many diseases. The nervous system, with its remarkable cellular diversity and some of the longest-lived cells in the body, is of particular interest to theories and mechanisms of aging. In this course, we will use primary literature to develop an understanding of the evolution and mechanisms of aging, focusing on cellular and molecular signatures of senescence in the nervous system. We will cover variation across species and brain cell types and the functional consequences of aging. Evaluation will be based on weekly reading responses, discussion facilitation, and a final paper structured as a systematic review or meta-analysis. (NSCI juniors and seniors; BIOL 0145 AND BIOL 0140 OR NSCI 251) 3 hrs sem.