Micro-Seminar: Brain on Fire to Sleeping Beauty Syndrome: the Bizarre World of Neuropsychiatry and Neuroimmunology PART ONE

Micro-Seminars have two parts. Attendance to both parts is required. Registering for the PART ONE session will automatically enroll you in the PART TWO session on Friday.

Part 1: Thursday, August 22, 2024 from 3:00 – 4:30 pm (PST)
Part 2: Friday, August 23, 2024 from 10:00 – 11:30 am (PST)

As we continue to gain more and more understanding of the function of the brain and its relationship to behavior, we have been increasingly able to define and describe previously mysterious cases in the fields of neurology and psychiatry.

This course will explore unique disease entities and clinical cases in the field and review relevant research and the ability to study these disorders.
1. Review some of the most unique neurologic and psychiatric disorders in the field in the context of historical description, pathophysiology, ethics of treatment and research in the field
2. Understand the technology utilized in the fields of neurology and psychiatry
3. Understand the clinical approach to “mystery cases”
4. Gain understanding of the resources available to undergraduate students to study medicine in the pre-medical setting

Day 1 Syllabus:
1. Course introduction and learning objectives
2. Case 1: Anti-NMDAr encephalitis a. Disease entity and history of the disease b. Pathophysiology c. Similar cases and the emerging field of autoimmune encephalitis d. Treatments and ongoing research
3. Case 2: Kleine-Levin Syndrome a. Disease entity and history of the disease b. Presumed pathophysiology c. Treatments and ongoing research

Day 2 Syllabus:
1. Case 3: Huntington’s Disease a. Disease entity and history of the disease b. Pathophysiology and neuro-radiographic findings c. Implications and ethics of genetic testing in families of affected family members d. Treatments and ongoing research
2. Case 4: Down Syndrome Regression Disorder a. History of psychiatric disturbances in cognitively normal and abnormal individuals b. Presumed brain localization/pathophysiology c. Ethics of treatment of the psychiatric patient d. Ongoing research
3. Research In the field and involvement as an undergraduate a. How to become involved in research/shadowing as an undergraduate b. Is medicine right for me?

Lead By: Professor Jonathan Santoro

Dr. Santoro serves as the Director of Neuroimmunology and Demyelinating Disorders Program and Director of Research for the Neurologic Institute at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. He is also an Associate Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine at USC. Dr. Santoro completed his undergraduate, masters, and medical degrees at Tulane University. He completed residencies in pediatrics and child neurology at Stanford University which was followed by sub-specialty training in neuroimmunology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Santoro is one of only a handful of national clinician-scientists who treats neuroinflammation in children. His research focus is the role of interferons in the development of neuropsychiatric disease. In addition to his clinical and research activities, Dr. Santoro advocates for persons with disabilities at both the state and federal level through the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Neurology.

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