Postgraduate Specialisation in Psychiatry

Biochemistry

Course code

4S00103

Name of lecturer

Giovanni Gotte

Number of ECTS credits allocated

1

Other available courses

• Postgraduate Specialisation in Neurology
• Postgraduate Specialisation in Child Neuropsychiatry

Academic sector

BIO/10 - BIOCHEMISTRY

Language of instruction

Italian

Site

VERONA

Period

not yet allocated

Learning outcomes

Knowledge of brain metabolism and of the main neurotransmitters. Pathophysiological aspects.
Link between neurodegenerative diseases and aberrant protein aggregation events.

Syllabus

Hints on metabolism in general. Metabolism of the brain: anaerobic, glucose metabolism. Ketogenesis and use of ketone bodies. Glutamate and glutamine. Pathophysiology of nervous system metabolism.
Nerve impulse transmission. Excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters derived from amino acids and not. Dopaminergic and non-dopaminergic. Notes on enzymatic defects involved in the synthesis and/or regulation of neurotransmitters.
Proteins, notes on structural aspects. Aberrant structures of protein aggregates and neurodegenerative diseases. Organ-specific and/or systemic amyloidosis. Amyloid fibrils and pathological effects.
Toxic and/or non-toxic protein oligomers. Protein aggregation mechanisms. Intimate structure of the fibrils and structural polymorphisms. Complete structure of the fibrils thanks to the "Cryo-EM" microscopy technique. Molecules interfering with fibrils and new possible therapeutic perspectives.

Reference books

See the teaching bibliography

Assessment methods and criteria