This lecture course focuses on neurogenetics, one of the main fields in modern neurobiology. Neurogenetics aims to unravel the genetic basis of brain structure, brain development and behaviour. The course refers to the model organism Drosophila, C. elegans and mammalian systems including human stem cells and organoids. Students will get familiar with the essentials of classical developmental genetics and with contemporary genetic and neurobiological methods. The following topics will be covered: neurogenesis, brain evolution, neural regionalization and tissue specification, neuronal regeneration, mechanosensations, and learning and memory. The course will also focus on disease models for neural tumorigenesis and microcephaly and discuss motoneuron diseases such as Spinal muscular atrophy and Amyothrophic Lateral Sclerosis. The new knowledge obtained in this course will enable students to appreciate the potential of animal and human model systems to understand the links between genes, neurons, nervous system and behaviour under normal and disease conditions. It also aims stimulate to think about experimental designs to address neurobiological questions in a Master or Doctoral research project.
This course is a part of the MSc specialization in Neuro- and Developmental Biology jointly operated by the Universities of Bern and Fribourg.
- Teacher: Thomas Auer
- Teacher: Jules Duruz
- Teacher: Boris August Egger
- Teacher: Dominique Antoine Glauser
- Teacher: Jenifer Catherine Kaldun
- Teacher: Simon Sprecher
- Teacher: Anne Clara von Philipsborn