September 2 & 3, 2023
This time happeing in Peshawar, Pakistan
Course Director
Dr. Syed Ather Enam, S.I
MD, PhD, FRCSI, FRCSC, FRCSG, FACS
Professor of Neurosurgery
Scientific Director, Juma Research Laboratories
Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan
Founding President, PASBAN
Module Topics
1) Neuron to Nervous System
Starting with the history of discoveries in Neuroscience, this module will briefly review the cytoarchitecture of the central nervous system, in particular, neurons, glia, and associated structures such as myelin. The general neuroanatomy of the brain, and arrangement of the motor and sensory systems will then be overviewed.
2) The Chatting Neurons
The ultimate basis of brain function is the communication between the neurons. In this regard, basic principles of membrane potential, action potential, synapses, neurotransmitters, and their receptors will be reviewed.
3) Deep in the Brain
Going deeper than the cortical surface of the brain reveals an extremely intricate structure that performs very complex functions, naively referred to as “feedback” and “relays”. The complexities of these structures and how they function will be presented in a very simplified manner.
4) Understanding Memory, Behavior, and Emotions
You don’t need a brain to have memory; even a synapse has memory. In this module, we will explore what we have learned from invertebrates and simpler systems about memory. Similarly, a summary of the anatomical and physiological correlates of behavior and emotions will be discussed.
5) The Amazing Story of Brain Development
An amazing story is an amazing story, from a simple layer of cells in an early embryo to a complex brain that can comprehend, conquer and create. How this feat is achieved, always perfectly (well, almost), will be the synopsis of this module.
6) What is Special about the Human Brain
Cognition, language, and consciousness. These are the functions of the human brain that make it unique. Clinical neuroscience and experiments on the mammalian brain have given us information to start to fathom the neuroanatomical and neurophysiological basis of these functions. This will be presented in a nutshell here.