PDBEB Courses 2025/2026 - Unravelling Brain Disorders: Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms from Development to Degeneration

Aim

This interdisciplinary PhD course offers an in-depth exploration into the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying neurodevelopmental, neuropsychiatric, and neurodegenerative disorders. Designed for advanced students and researchers, the course explores how genetic mutations, epigenetic changes, immune dysfunction, and environmental factors contribute to brain pathology across the lifespan. The course covers a wide range of disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), schizophrenia (SCZ), Parkinson's disease (PD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), and polyglutamine (polyQ) disorders, as Huntington's disease (HD). Despite the clinical diversity of these disorders—from early-onset ASD to late-onset AD, they converge on several core biological mechanisms, including synaptic dysfunction, mitochondrial deregulation, protein aggregation, immune dysregulation, microbiota signaling, and gene–environment interactions. These shared pathways open opportunities for cross-disorder biomarkers and broad-spectrum therapeutic strategies. Through a combination of lectures and critical analysis of current literature, participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of the latest research techniques and therapeutic strategies aimed at combating these debilitating diseases. The course aims to equip students with a deep understanding of converging and disease-specific molecular pathways in brain disorders and how they inform translational research.