Dive into the cutting-edge world of nuclear medicine with this comprehensive course that blends theory and hands-on practice. In this one-week course, you will gain invaluable knowledge and skills at the forefront of medical imaging and targeted radiopharmaceutical therapies.

This course offers a unique opportunity to:

• Master the fundamentals of radiation physics and biology
• Explore state-of-the-art diagnostic and therapeutic applications in oncology and neurology
• Gain practical experience handling radiopharmaceuticals in a laboratory setting
• Understand the latest developments in personalised medicine using radioactive tracers

Upon completing the course, you will be allowed to handle radiopharmaceuticals and open radioactive sources at Karolinska Institute and Karolinska University Hospital.

The course is aimed for you who want to get an understanding of the principles of PET, the methodology used for neuroreceptor imaging and quantification, as well as to get an insight in important research ongoing in the field and in the clinical applications of PET.

We will investigate mainly fish brains, but also some invertebrate model systems to get on overview of the major differences in neuronal organization between them. Sensory and motor pathways will be compared and pathways will be traced from primary sensory centres through higher integrative centres to motor command areas.

Topic 1: Pharmacologically relevant signalling pathways
Topic 2: Drugs for the treatment of pain: local anaesthetics, opioids
Topic 3: Drugs influencing vigilance: hypnotics, general anaesthetics
Topic 4: Treatment of psychiatric diseases: antipsychotics, antidepressants
Topic 5: Drugs of abuse: opioids, cannabinoids
Topic 6: Neurodegenerative disorders
Methods 1: Drug mechanisms and signalling in neurons
Methods 2: Modulation of neurotransmitter release in brain slices
Methods 3: Standard behavioural tests in drug development - pharmaceutical industry
Methods 4: Development of innovative drugs – gene and cell therapies
Methods 5: Regulatory Affairs

Methodology and Theory of Cognitive Neuroscience:

• Psychology: what makes it a science?
• Experimental strategies: psychophysiology, neuropsychology
• Philosophical implications of cognitive neurosciences

Cognitive Neuroscience: main findings on brain-function relationships

Clinical Neurophysiology and Imaging:

• Electroencephalography (EEG) as a neurodiagnostic tool
• Advanced methods of EEG analysis: coherence, fast Fourier, non-linear and other analysis
• Structural and functional brain imaging as neurodiagnostic tools

Experimental Psychophysiology:

• Electrophysiology: event-related potentials, non-invasive and invasive
• Magnetic resonance tomography: functional neuroimaging (fMRI)

Clinical Neuropsychology:

• Neuropsychological assessment
• Cortical electrostimulation
• WADA test

6. Experimental Neuropsychology

• Animal models of behavioural deficits in epilepsy