UTHealth Houston Neuroscience Research Center and UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Current Topics in the Neurobiology of Disease - GS14 1021
Dementia Prevention and Research
Directors: John Byrne, PhD
Lecture Time and Location: Tuesdays, August 26 through December 9, 2025; 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: UTHealth Houston McGovern Medical School, MSB 7.037
Course Description: This course is an integrated approach to neurological diseases, which includes background information as well as the diagnosis, the treatment, and the biological mechanisms of the diseases under study. The topic for Fall 2025 is “Dementia Prevention and Research.” This course will investigate the complex biological, clinical, and societal dimensions of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Through a series of lectures, students will explore the cellular foundations of network abnormalities, covering topics such as functional genomics, autophagy, and proteasome dysfunction, along with the roles of the microbiome, inflammation, and glial cells in neurodegeneration. The course also adopts a clinical perspective by exploring advanced neuroimaging techniques, emerging therapeutic interventions, and the impact of cerebrovascular health in vascular dementia. The curriculum concludes with a focus on caregiving and the behavioral and psychological symptoms associated with dementia.
Lectures will be given by leading experts in the field from UTHealth Houston, Baylor College of Medicine, and Houston Methodist Research Institute. The 2025 NRC Distinguished Lecture Series coincides with the course and will be given by Joshua A. Gordon, MD, PhD, Columbia University, on October 21, 2025.
This course is open to graduate students, medical students, residents, and postdoctoral fellows.
Course Requirements:
Attendance
Completion of the final essay based on a course lecture. (Postdoctoral fellows are exempt)
Schedule
| Date | Speaker | Affiliation | Topic/Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26-Aug | Jack Byrne, PhD | Neurobiology and Anatomy-MMS | Course Introduction |
| 2-Sept | Joshua Shulman, MD, PhD | Baylor College of Medicine | Functional genomics of Alzheimer's disease (AD) |
| 9-Sept | Myriam Fornage, PhD | IMM-Center for Human Genetics-MMS | Genetic variations in dementia |
| 16-Sept | Keran Ma, PhD | Neurobiology and Anatomy-MMS | Cellular basis of network abnormalities in AD |
| 23-Sept | Andrea Stavoe, PhD | Neurobiology and Anatomy-MMS | Autophagy in neurodegenerative diseases |
| 30-Sept | Andrew Pickering, PhD | Integrative Biology and Pharmacology-MMS | The proteasome in AD |
| 7-Oct | Paul Schulz, MD | Neurology-MMS | Therapeutic interventions in Alzheimer's disease (AD) |
| 14-Oct | Neha Parikh, PhD | School of Dentistry | Oral microbiome and systemic inflammation in AD |
| 21-Oct | Joshua Gordon, MD, PhD NRC Distinguished Lecturer |
Columbia University | Circuits and Computation: A Neuroscientist’s View of the Future of Psychiatry |
| 28-Oct | Anjail Sharrief, MD, MPH | Neurology-MMS | Vascular Dementia: Epidemiology, Risk factors, and Prevention |
| 4-Nov | Long-Jun Wu, PhD | IMM-Center for Neuroimmunology and Glial Biology-MMS | The role of microglia in neurodegeneration |
| 11-Nov | Sean Savitz, MD | Neurology-MMS | Cerebrovascular health and neurodegenerative disorders |
| 18-Nov | SfN Nov 15-19 | No class | No class |
| 25-Nov | Thanksgiving Week | No class | No class |
| 2-Dec | Joseph Masdeu, MD, PhD | Houston Methodist | Neuroimaging of dementia |
| 9-Dec | Carolyn Pickering, PhD, RN | Cizik School of Nursing | Caregiving and the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia |