If you want to learn about what actually goes on in your brain, this course will help you understand how your brain works at both the systems and the molecular levels. We will cover anatomy of the brain, the neuron and how it works, the neurobiology of sex and gender, the role of sex hormones in the brain, the aging brain, exercise and your brain, the neurobiology of mental health, and the topics of consciousness and the default mode network. We will discuss common brain diseases and abnormal conditions (e.g., Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, addiction), what it means to be 'neuroatypical,' how various drugs work in the brain, and how your brain creates a 'percept' from your five senses. We will watch videos and color pictures to learn how your unique brain makes you who you are.

Anne Henriksen is Faculty Emerita at JMU, where she was a professor in the Integrated Science and Technology Department for 19 years. Dr. Henriksen came to JMU from The Los Alamos National Laboratory, where she was a staff scientist for ten years. She received a PhD in chemical physics from UVA and an MBA in management science from the University of New Mexico. She has spent the last 13 years studying neuroscience, neuropharmacology, neuroendocrinology, genomics, and
bioinformatics. Her personal interest is understanding the important role of sex steroid hormones in the brain during all stages of life. In her spare time, Dr. Henriksen loves to make music on the bass and compose for piano.