COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE of AGING FALL 2020 Course: PSB 4934; Class 21789; Section 17G9 Credits: 3 Room: Online Tues 4:05 – 4:55 PM, Thurs 4:05 – 6:00 PM

COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE OF AGING FALL 2020 Course: PSB 4934; Class 21789; Section 17G9 Credits: 3 Room: Online Tues 4:05 – 4:55 PM, Thurs 4:05 – 6:00 PM

INSTRUCTOR Jared Tanner, PhD Office: DG-86 (Shands); Zoom Office Hours: Thursdays 1 – 3 by appointment Email: [email protected] Phone: 352-273-5928

COURSE INFORMATION

COURSE WEBSITE: http://elearning.ufl.edu. This website is updated frequently. You will find class announcements, a current copy of the syllabus, links to the assigned readings, a copy of the lecture slides, weekly quizzes, and all assignments. All assignments will be entered online or uploaded.

COURSE COMMUNICATIONS: Messages through Canvas are preferred but direct email is also acceptable.

REQUIRED OR RECOMMENDED TEXTBOOKS: There is no required textbook for this course. Readings are strongly encouraged each week of the course and will be provided on the course website.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is designed to provide you with an overview of age-related changes in brain structure and function and the link between these changes and neurocognition in the elderly. Both normal and pathological aging will be considered. Course content will focus on the latest research in human behavioral and cognitive neuroscience, cognitive aging, and neuropsychology. Animal models of aging are not typically covered. The course will highlight the importance of integrating information and methodologies from various disciplines (e.g., cognitive experimental designs, epidemiologic studies, neuroimaging, and clinical neuropsychological approaches) to tackle the challenges of performing research in the behavioral neuroscience of human aging.

PREREQUISITE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS: A background in psychology is helpful but not required. Interest in applied education or careers (e.g., healthcare field, clinical psychology,

etc.) can also be helpful but isn’t required. The course is designed to be accessible to a broad set of students who are interested in the aging brain and cognition.

COURSE GOALS AND/OR OBJECTIVES

By the end of the semester, you should understand:

1. Brain changes that occur in “normal” aging 2. Specific brain changes that are associated with pathological conditions, such as dementing disorders and other psychological conditions 3. The impact of neural changes on cognition in the elderly 4. Methods for studying brain structure, brain function, and cognition in older adults 5. Modifiers of cognitive and brain aging You will also gain experience in critically thinking about and analysis of original research articles and gain experience in public presentation of research. A major purpose of the course is to build skills in understanding scientific literature and demonstrating comprehension through writing. Each assignment was carefully selected to mirror activities done in graduate or medical school and/or help prepare students for graduate or medical school.

INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS: Each class period will comprise of a mixture of lecture, video, discussion, and presentations. Questions and comments are encouraged.

COURSE POLICIES ATTENDANCE POLICY: Attendance is strongly recommended. Lectures and discussions reinforce material in the reading and add many new concepts, ideas, and interpretations that will optimize your learning in the course. Students attending class are expected to arrive on time. When in person, please be considerate of your fellow classmates by turning off cell phone ringers during class. Requirements for class attendance and make-up quizzes, assignments, and other work in this course are consistent with university policies that can be found at: https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/attendance.aspx

QUIZ POLICIES: Quizzes are taken on Canvas. Students may use notes, the internet, and other sources except for other students.

MAKE-UP POLICY: There are no make-up quizzes except in extenuating circumstances through arrangement with the instructor.

ASSIGNMENT POLICY: The policy for assignments is discussed more in-depth in the grading policies section. The grades for late assignments are reduced by 5% each day.

COURSE TECHNOLOGY: Lecture slides and readings are posted on Canvas. All quizzes and submissions are through Canvas. If you require technical assistance, refer to the following sources for help (or contact your instructor)

• http://helpdesk.ufl.edu

• (352) 392-HELP - select option 2

ONLINE COURSE EVALUATION: Students are expected to provide professional and respectful feedback on the quality of instruction in this course by completing course evaluations online via GatorEvals. Guidance on how to give feedback in a professional and respectful manner is available at https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/students/. Students will be notified when the evaluation period opens, and can complete evaluations through the email they receive from GatorEvals, in their Canvas course menu under GatorEvals, or via https://ufl.bluera.com/ufl/. Summaries of course evaluation results are available to students at https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/public-results/.

UF POLICIES

UNIVERSITY POLICY ON ACCOMMODATING STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Students with disabilities requesting accommodations should first register with the Disability Resource Center (352-392-8565, www.dso.ufl.edu/drc ) by providing appropriate documentation. Once registered, students will receive an accommodation letter which must be presented to the instructor when requesting accommodation. Students with disabilities should follow this procedure as early as possible in the semester.

UNIVERSITY POLICY ON ACADEMIC CONDUCT: UF students are bound by The Honor Pledge which states, “We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honesty and integrity by abiding by the Honor Code. On all work submitted for credit by students at the University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: "On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment." The Honor Code (http://www.dso.ufl.edu/sccr/process/student-conduct-honor-code/) specifies a number of behaviors that are in violation of this code and the possible sanctions. Furthermore, you are obligated to report any condition that facilitates academic misconduct to appropriate personnel. If you have any questions or concerns, please consult with the instructor or TAs in this class.

CLASS DEMEANOR OR NETIQUETTE: All members of the class are expected to follow rules of common courtesy in all email messages, threaded discussions and chats. You are expected to interact respectfully and courteously with other students and the instructor. Course communication should be civilized and respectful to everyone. The means of communication

provided to you through eLearning (e-mail, discussion posts, course questions, and chats) are at your full disposal to use in a respectful manner.

Abuse of this system and its tools through disruptive conduct, harassment, or overall disruption of course activity will not be tolerated. Conduct that is deemed to be in violation with University rules and regulations or the Code of Student Conduct will result in a report to the dean of students.

Refer to the Netiquette Guide for Online Courses for more information.

ONLINE BEHAVIOR Our class sessions may be audio visually recorded for students in the class to refer back to and for enrolled students who are unable to attend live. Students who participate with their camera engaged or utilize a profile image are agreeing to have their video or image recorded. If you are unwilling to consent to have your profile or video image recorded, be sure to keep your camera off and do not use a profile image. Likewise, students who un-mute during class and participate orally are agreeing to have their voices recorded. If you are not willing to consent to have your voice recorded during class, you will need to keep your mute button activated and communicate exclusively using the "chat" feature, which allows students to type questions and comments live. The chat will not be recorded or shared. As in all courses, unauthorized recording and unauthorized sharing of recorded materials is prohibited. GETTING HELP

For issues with technical difficulties for Canvas, please contact the UF Help Desk at:

● http://helpdesk.ufl.edu

● (352) 392-HELP (4357)

● Walk-in: HUB 132

Any requests for make-ups due to technical issues MUST be accompanied by the ticket number received from the Help Desk when the problem was reported to them. The ticket number will document the time and date of the problem. You MUST e-mail your instructor within 24 hours of the technical difficulty if you wish to request a make-up.

Other resources are available at http://www.distance.ufl.edu/getting-help for:

• Counseling and Wellness resources

• Disability resources

• Resources for handling student concerns and complaints

• Library Help Desk support

(Required) Should you have any complaints with your experience in this course please visit http://www.distance.ufl.edu/student-complaints to submit a complaint. GRADING POLICIES

METHODS BY WHICH STUDENTS WILL BE EVALUATED AND THEIR GRADE DETERMINED

Weekly quizzes, research article critiques, in-class presentation of research article, research paper (final)

ASSIGNMENTS AND QUIZZES

Weekly Quizzes: You will be given a quiz that will cover the material from the week. You will need to log onto the course website to take the quiz in Canvas/e-learning. Each quiz will be available for at least 4 days following the first class each week (starting Wednesday). Content will mostly focus on the lecture and readings, but on some weeks might also require you to look for or use online resources related to the topic. Quizzes consist of 5 short answer, multiple choice, fill in the blank, and/or true/false questions. Each quiz is worth 5 points. Each quiz is active for only 15 minutes but should take less time. Contact the instructor if you have any technical difficulties or need time accommodations. The quizzes together comprise 25% of your grade.

Research Article Critiques: During the semester, you will turn in two critiques (2 pages) of research articles that are related to the weekly lectures. Options for articles are provided but you are welcome to pick other related articles with instructor permission. I encourage you to not critique review articles. One of the critiques must be focused on an article related to health disparities (e.g., ethnic/racial, sexual orientation, etc.). Students are required to provide a summary of the research (not just a copy of the abstract) and list at least two strengths and two weaknesses of the chosen article with rationale supporting your criticisms. While the authors might list strengths and weaknesses, it is encouraged that you think of ones they did not mention. Students who demonstrate little critical thinking do not receive full marks. Students are not penalized for incorrect conclusions, just limited critical thinking. You will submit the critique on the course website. The first critique will be due by midnight, October 3rd and the second critique will be due by midnight, November 7th. Each critique is worth 45 points (12.5% of your grade).

In-class Presentation of Research Article: During the semester students will be required to present a research article to the class. This can be one of the articles you choose for your critiques or another one first cleared with your instructor but should relate to the topic for the week. The article should come from the past 5 years, if possible. It will be presented on the Thursday of the week we cover the topic. For example, if we are talking about cognitive profiles in mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer's disease, and other neurodegenerative disorders, you could perform a PubMed or Google Scholar search and choose an original research article. Here is an example search ("cognitive profiles Parkinson's disease"). Your presentation should be 8-10 minutes and cover each of the major sections of the paper. Grading will be based on a published rubric available on the course website. These presentations will start as early as the 2nd week. No more than three presentations may be done on any date. This presentation is worth 30 points and scaled to equal 10% of your grade.

Peer Feedback for Other Students’ Presentations: For each of the other students’ presentations you will provide a 1-sentence summary of what it was about and one specific (i.e., detailed) thing you liked about the presentation. These will be shared with the presenter (anonymously). For example: “Karen presented on a yoga intervention that shows promise as treatment for cognitive impairment in older adults. She did a great job speaking clearly without rushing.” OR “…. I really liked how she included on the most important information from the research in her slides.” OR “…. It was clear she understood the research; she was able to communicate it so well that I understand the study now, even without reading it.”

You will receive 1 point for submitting feedback about each other student’s presentations. Total points depend on total class enrollment, but this assignment will be scaled to equal 5% of your final grade. For example, if there are 20 total presentations (not counting yours) and you submit feedback for 15, you will receive a 75% on this assignment.

Feedback is due the same day as the presentation (always on Thursdays). If it is received later than the same day (unless your absence is previously excused), you will receive no more than ½ point per presentation. If you miss watching the presentations, the instructor cannot guarantee they will be recorded due to privacy issues.

Research Paper (Final): Each student is required to write a critical review paper that focuses on a topic related to the course (e.g., neuroimaging studies of memory in older adults, brain changes in older patients with depression, post-mortem studies of Alzheimer’s disease). The topic can be of your choosing, but I must approve it no later than the end of day on Tuesday, October 27th. I encourage you to begin thinking about potential topics early so that you will have time to revise the topic as needed by the deadline. This paper will serve as your final and will be due on Friday, December 4th at midnight. Grading factors in quality of writing as well

as content. The review paper should be at least 1500 words but should be no more than 2000 words. More detailed instructions and the grading rubric are provided on the course website. The research paper is graded on a 100-point scale and scaled to be worth 35% of your grade. If you receive 79 or below and contact the instructor within 24 hours of receiving your grade, you will be given an option to revise your paper and potentially receive a B-.

Extra Credit: You can earn 5 extra credit points, which will be added to the grade for your final research paper. Attend a research presentation on campus or elsewhere that focuses on cognitive or brain aging. Write no more than a 1-page (double-spaced) summary of the presentation. Briefly describe the research question, the method that was used, and the results. Explain why the topic of the presentation is important for understanding the cognitive neuroscience of aging. The summary must include the title of the presentation, name of the presenter, name of the seminar series (e.g., UF Neurology Grand Rounds), and date of the presentation. A few seminar series on campus that may include relevant presentations can be accessed at the following websites:

● Neurology conference schedule: http://neurology.ufl.edu/education/residency- program/conferences/

● Neuroscience conference schedule: http://neuroscience.ufl.edu/education/seminar- schedules/

● UF Health Science Center calendar: http://www.health.ufl.edu/calendar.shtml

● Institute on Aging seminars: http://aging.ufl.edu/all-seminars/

You may also watch an archived lecture video provided on the NIH website if the lecture is related to aging and the brain or aging and cognition. Videos can be accessed at https://www.youtube.com/user/nihvcast/videos

If you are not sure that a presentation will count towards extra credit, it is recommended that you get approval before attending and writing your summary.

GRADING SCALE

Grading will be determined as follows: 25% Quizzes, 25% Article critiques, 10% Article Presentation, 5% Article Peer Feedback, 35% Research paper.

Grade Percent Range Grade Percent Range A 93-100% C 73-76% A- 90-92% C- 70-72%

B+ 87-89% D+ 67-69% B 83-86% D 63-66% B- 80-82% D- 60-62% C+ 77-79% E <60%

Late and Make-up Work: Late work will be penalized 5% per late day unless 1) arrangements are made with me prior to the due date, or 2) there is a documented emergency. Be prepared to provide documentation of any emergencies that may arise (e.g., a doctor’s note if you are out sick, a police report if you have a car accident). This policy will be strictly enforced.

COURSE SCHEDULE

CRITICAL DATES:

October 3 – Critique 1 due

October 27 – Deadline for approval of research paper topic

November 7 – Critique 2 due

December 4 – Research paper due by midnight WEEKLY SCHEDULE OF TOPICS AND ASSIGNMENTS

Providing a Context

September 1 and 3: Class overview and introduction; neuroanatomy review

Blumenfeld, H. (2010). Neuroanatomy Overview and Basic Definitions [Chapter 2]. Neuroanatomy through clinical cases (pp. 230-237). Sunderland: Sinauer Associates.

Cognitive and Brain Changes in “Normal” Aging and Dementia

September 8 and 10: Structural and functional changes in the aging brain

Fjell, A. M., & Walhovd, K. B. (2010). Structural brain changes in aging: courses, causes and cognitive consequences. Reviews in the Neurosciences, 21(3), 187-222.

September 15 and 17: Functional consequences of cognitive and brain aging

Fisher, G. G., Chaffee, D. S., Tetrick, L. E., Davalos, D. B., & Potter, G. G. (2017). Cognitive functioning, aging, and work: A review and recommendations for research and practice.

September 22 and 24: Cognitive correlates of “normal” brain aging

Salthouse, T. (2010). Relations between age and cognitive functioning. In Major issues in cognitive aging (pp. 3-34). New York: Oxford University Press.

September 29 and October 1: Neuropathology of aging, dementia, and neurodegenerative disorders

Azarpazhooh, M. R., Avan, A., Cipriano, L. E., Munoz, D. G., Erfanian, M., Amiri, A., ... & Hachinski, V. (2020). A third of community-dwelling elderly with intermediate and high level of Alzheimer’s neuropathologic changes are not demented: A meta-analysis. Ageing Research Reviews, 58, 101002.

October 6 and 8: Cognitive profiles in Mild Cognitive Impairment, Alzheimer’s disease, and other neurodegenerative disorders

Weintraub, S., Wicklund, A.H., & Salmon, D.P. (2012). The neuropsychological profile of Alzheimer disease. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med, 2(4), a006171. doi: 10.1101/cshperspect.a006171.

Modifiers of Cognitive and Brain Aging

October 13 and 15: Cerebrovascular Disease

Jellinger, K. A. (2013). Pathology and pathogenesis of vascular cognitive impairment—a critical update. Frontiers in aging neuroscience, 5.

October 20 and 22: Pain and the Aging Brain

Walco, G. A., Krane, E. J., Schmader, K. E., & Weiner, D. K. (2016). Applying a lifespan developmental perspective to chronic pain: pediatrics to geriatrics. The Journal of Pain, 17(9), T108-T117.

October 27 and 29: Depression and emotional aging

Byers, A. L., & Yaffe, K. (2011). Depression and risk of developing dementia. Nat Rev Neurol, 7(6), 323-331.

November 3 and 5: Exercise and cognitive training

Train the Brain Consortium. (2017). Randomized trial on the effects of a combined physical/cognitive training in aged MCI subjects: The Train the Brain study. Scientific reports, 7.

November 10 and 12: Sleep and the Aging Brain

Mander, B. A., Winer, J. R., & Walker, M. P. (2017). Sleep and human aging. Neuron, 94(1), 19-36.

November 17 and 19: Cognitive/brain reserve

Brickman, AM, Siedlecki, KL, Muraskin, J, Manly, JJ, Luchsinger, JA, Yeung, LK, Brown, TR, DeCarli, C, Stern, Y White matter hyperintensities and cognition: Testing the reserve hypothesis. Neurobiol Aging. (2011). 32 1588–98

November 24 and 26: Thanksgiving – NO CLASS

December 1 and 3: Medical interventions and cognition in the aging population

Amini, S., Crowley, S., Hizel, L., Arias, F., Libon, D. J., Tighe, P., ... & Price, C. C. (2019). Feasibility and rationale for incorporating frailty and cognitive screening protocols in a preoperative anesthesia clinic. Anesthesia and analgesia, 129(3), 830.

December 8: Dementia Case Examples

No reading

DISCLAIMER

This syllabus represents my current plans and objectives. As we go through the semester, those plans may need to change to enhance the class learning opportunity. Such changes, communicated clearly, are not unusual and should be expected.

Last update: September 1, 2020