Course info

Day 1: Building the Cognitive Brain – Development, Circuits, and Genetic Disorders
(Led primarily by the Novarino lab)
Lecture 1 – The Genetic Architecture of Cognitive Function
Overview of genes implicated in neurodevelopmental processes
From synaptogenesis to network maturation
Cognitive domains and their genetic underpinnings
Lecture 2 – Modeling Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Cellular and animal models for autism, epilepsy, and intellectual disability
Human iPSC-based neural models: opportunities and limitations
Lecture 3 – Molecular Pathways in Autism and Intellectual Disability
Common signaling and transcriptional networks disturbed across disorders
Convergence of synaptic, metabolic, and translational mechanisms
Lecture 4 – The Epileptic Brain: Circuits, Genes, and Cognitive Impairment
How seizures affect cognitive networks
Shared molecular etiologies between epilepsy and cognitive dysfunction
Lecture 5 – From Gene to Behavior: Linking Molecular Defects to Cognitive Phenotypes
Case studies of key mutations (e.g., SYNGAP1, SCN2A, SHANK3)
Translational insights from behavior and systems neuroscience
Lecture 6 – Toward Therapeutic Strategies for Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Gene therapy, small molecules, and network-level interventions
Future directions: precision medicine for cognitive rescue
Day 2: Maintaining the Cognitive Brain – Aging, Proteostasis, and Neurodegeneration
(Led primarily by the Hetzer lab)
Lecture 7 – The Aging Brain: Cellular Maintenance and Decline
Overview of aging in postmitotic tissues
Non-dividing neurons: challenges in long-term maintenance
Lecture 8 – Proteostasis and Longevity in the Brain
Discovery and significance of long-lived proteins (LLPs)
Mechanisms of protein quality control over the lifespan
Lecture 9 – The Nucleus in Aging and Neurodegeneration
Nuclear integrity, chromatin changes, and transcriptional dysregulation
How LLP decline contributes to neuronal vulnerability
Lecture 10 – Mosaic Aging: Heterogeneity in Cellular Lifespans
Tissue mosaics and cell-type-specific aging
Implications for regional vulnerability in the brain
Lecture 11 – Linking Aging to Cognitive Decline and Alzheimer’s Disease
Mechanistic bridges between protein aging and synaptic failure
Insights from genomics, proteomics, and imaging approaches
Lecture 12 – Strategies to Delay or Reverse Cognitive Aging
Cellular rejuvenation, protein repair, and metabolic interventions
Future perspectives: maintaining cognition in an aging population

Target group: PhD students in Neuroscience

Prerequisites: None

Evaluation: 2 essays.

Teaching format: Blocked format, 4 half-days.

ECTS: 3 Year: 2025

Track segment(s):
Elective

Teacher(s):
Martin Hetzer Gaia Novarino

Teaching assistant(s):