Course catalogue doctoral education - VT24

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Title Integration of Neuroimaging and Cognition in Normal Aging and Dementia
Course number 2846
Programme Neurovetenskap
Language English
Credits 2.0
Date 2023-05-08 -- 2023-05-16
Responsible KI department Institutionen för neurobiologi, vårdvetenskap och samhälle
Specific entry requirements Previous knowledge in cognitive processes, brain anatomy, neuroimaging and statistics (intermediate statistics) is a requirement.
Purpose of the course The purpose of the course is to provide methodological tools to link neuroimaging data to cognitive performance and interpret such relationships in the field of normal and pathological aging.
Intended learning outcomes After attending the course, the graduate student will be able to
(1) describe and differentiate neural and cognitive profiles that accompany normal aging and different types of dementia
(2) select the most appropriate methods in order to address scientific questions pertaining to neural correlates of cognitive functions,
(3) identify, combine and test different risk factors for dementia (genetic, biological, environmental) on brain integrity and cognition,
(4) compute analyses in the most commonly used neuroimaging softwares (e.g., SPM, Freesurfer).
Contents of the course This course focuses on the study of the neural bases of cognitive decline in normal aging and dementia. The main neuroimaging methods included in this course are: Structural MRI (including volumetry and DTI), functional MRI, molecular PET and MRI (neurotransmission (e.g., dopamine) and markers of Alzheimer's disease amyloid-beta, iron).
Each day of the course constitutes a specific subtopic. Day 1 is about ""the essentials"" on dementia, cognitive trajectories and neural changes in normal aging and dementia. On Days 2 and 3, cognitive and neuroimaging data will be integrated (day 2: structural and functional MRI; day 3: molecular neuroimaging PET/MRI, and multimodal and multivariate imaging). On Day 4, genetic, biological and environmental modifiers of cognition and neural integrity are considered. Presented findings will be discussed within the influential cognitive and brain reserve concepts during a seminar. On day 5, a workshop will conclude the week to foster the students' critical thinking and creativity when designing a study to test specific hypotheses.
Teaching and learning activities The course contains:
(1) short lectures that provide up-to-date knowledge about the brain correlates of cognitive decline in normal aging and dementia,
(2) seminars where methods linking neuroimaging and cognitive data are discussed based on the literature,
(3) hands-on sessions where the students compute analyses on real data.
Each subtopic (e.g., atrophy and cognition in normal aging and dementia) includes one lecture with relevant literature, a seminar on the methods used to address the question of interest and/or hands-on implementing the methods on real data.
Compulsory elements All parts of the course are compulsory. Absence is compensated for by a written assignment.
Examination The students will be evaluated on group presentations during seminars and on an individual written examination consisting of an essay describing how the student can test his/her hypotheses related to his/her thesis based on the knowledge and methods acquired during the course. After the end of the course, one week is given to allow the students to send the essay.
Literature and other teaching material A list of recommended literature will be distributed before the course starts.
Number of students 8 - 20
Selection of students Selection will be based on 1) the relevance of the course syllabus for the applicant's doctoral project (according to written motivation), 2) start date of doctoral studies (priority given to earlier start date)
More information The described five days of the course will be stretched over seven shorter days due to teachers' availability and to alleviate daily load for the students. As additional educational support, pre-recorded videos on the basic concepts relevant to this course will be made available to the students. Address: Karolinska Institutet, Widerströmska huset, Tomtebodavägen 18A, 171 65 Solna. Exact rooms will be announced later.
Additional course leader Goran Papenberg (goran.papenberg@ki.se)
Latest course evaluation Course evaluation report
Course responsible Grégoria Kalpouzos
Institutionen för neurobiologi, vårdvetenskap och samhälle

gregoria.kalpouzos@ki.se
Contact person Goran Papenberg
Institutionen för neurobiologi, vårdvetenskap och samhälle

goran.papenberg@ki.se