(objectives)
THE MAIN GOAL IS TO PROVIDE ADVANCED KNOWLEDGE IN DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE NERVOUS SYSTEM. THE CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MECHANISMS UNDERLYING NERVOUS TISSUE DIFFERENTIATION AND MORPHOGENESIS WILL BE ADDRESSED IN DIFFERENT IN VIVO MODELS. LIFE-LONG FUNCTIONAL IMPLICATIONS OF NEUROGENESIS AND PLASTICITY WILL BE EMPHASIZED. THE STUDENT WILL BE ABLE TO: 1) DESCRIBE DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESSES OF INVERTEBRATE AND VERTEBRATE NERVOUS SYSTEM; 2) RECOGNISE MOLECULAR PATHWAYS DIRECTING STEM CELLS TOWARDS NEURONAL/GLIAL CELL DIFFERENTIATION; 3) CORRELATE ONTOGENETIC ABNORMALITIES WITH SPECIFIC NEUROLOGICAL DISTURBANCES, INCLUDING INFANTILE DISEASES AND AGE-RELATED NEURODEGENERATION.
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