MDT 8800: Neuroimmunology Component in Neurological Diseases

Drs. Marzenna Wiranowska, PhD and Alfred T. Frontera, MD

This course is designed to demonstrate that most of the neurological diseases have an immune/inflammatory component, and the list of neurologic diseases in which the immune system plays an important role continues to grow. Because of the critical correlation between the nervous system and immune system, neurologists should be aware of neuroimmunologic principles especially as immunologic therapeutic strategies are currently being tested in many neurologic disorders. The course will be a balance between basic science and clinical activities and include seminars, journal clubs, clinical correlation and paper presentations by the students selected from the ‘List of Major Topics’.

Major Topics

• Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
• Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM)
• Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO)
• Myasthenia Gravis
• Acute Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy (Gullian-Barre syndrome)
• Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP)
• Epilepsy (Mesial Temporal Sclerosis, see also paraneoplastic syndromes such as Anti-Voltage-Gated Potassium and anti-NMDA receptor antibody syndromes)
• Movement Disorders (Hashimoto’s encephalopathy, Parkinson’s Disease)
• Alzheimer Dementia
• AIDS Dementia 
• CNS Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome (IRIS)
• CNS infections e.g., meningo-encephalitis
• Cerebrovascuar Disease (e.g. Stroke, CNS Vasculitis)
• Primary CNS tumors
• Paraneoplastic Syndromes
• Prion Diseases (Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease)
• Autism
  
  

Teaching Faculty

Alfred T. Frontera MD, Marzenna Wiranowska, PhD, Tuan Vu, MD, Lara Katzin, MD, Derrick Robertson, MD,  Selim Benbadis, MD, Ali Bozorg, MD, Juan Sanchez-Ramos, MD, PhD, Robert Hauser, MD, W. Scott Burgin, MD, David Rose MD, and Frank Vrionis, MD, PhD, Michael Yu, MD, and Nem Tran, MD

Evaluation

Students will be evaluated based on punctuality of assignments, presentations, interactions with patients and staff, discussions, and a final product (oral or written presentation).

Tracks

One of the options for Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Neurology, and Pediatrics