GERONTOLOGY 310
PHYSIOLOGY OF AGING
Fall 2008
USC Course Catalog Description: GERO 310 Physiology of Aging (4, Fa): Effects of normative
aging processes on homeostatic mechanisms and how these changes relate to development of disorder
and disease in later life. Lecture and discussion. Prerequisite: BISC 220L or BISC 221L.
Classroom: GER 230 “Smart Classroom”
Time: Mon./Wed. 10:00 a.m. - 11:50 a.m.
Instructors:
• Christian J. Pike, Ph.D.
Phone: (213) 740-4205
Fax: (213) 740-4787
E-mail: cjpike@usc.edu
Office Hours: Mon 11:50 a.m. – 12:50 p.m. and by appointment
• Todd E. Morgan, Ph.D.
Phone: (213) 740-4083
Fax: (213) 740-0853
E-mail: temorgan@usc.edu
Office Hours: Wed 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m. and by appointment
Course Description
Examination of human aging with major emphasis in the physiology of the later years and implications
for health maintenance. The goal of the course will be to solidify biological concepts and theories that
underlie the phenomena of human aging. Throughout the course special effort will be made to
differentiate normal aging processes from age-related deterioration caused by disuse, misuse or abuse,
and disease.
Course Objectives
By the conclusion of the course, students are expected to be able to:
1)
Provide an informed opinion on key issues in biological gerontology relevant to health care
practitioners, social service professionals, educators, administrators, and policy analysts.
2)
Discuss the nature of biological aging as a composite of genetics and environment.
3)
Clearly distinguish between normal aging processes and age-associated diseases.
4)
Clearly distinguish between problems of disuse, misuse, abuse, and normal aging changes.
Textbook
The required textbook for this course is Human Aging: Biological Perspectives by Augustine G.
Digiovanna, and there will be additional assigned readings for some topics. Students should read the
assigned text/readings prior to class to prepare for class discussion. Students are also expected to use a
medical dictionary to assist them in understanding the text and the assigned readings.
2
Evaluation
This class is primarily a lecture course with audiovisual presentations, a textbook, and supplementary
reading material. Evaluation in the course will be based on two midterm examinations, a term-paper,
and a final examination. The examinations will not be comprehensive. A short quiz will be given after
the first 2 weeks of classes. Examinations will consist of short essay questions designed to give you the
opportunity to demonstrate what you have learned. An outline of the examination schedule is given
below:
Test
Quiz
Midterm #1
Midterm #2
Final Examination
Exam Date
September 10
October 1
November 3
December 15 (8:00am to 10:00am)
Lecture Dates/Topics Covered
Aug. 25 through Sep. 8
Aug. 25 through Sep. 29
Oct. 6 through Oct. 29
Nov. 5 through Dec. 5
Students will be evaluated on the basis of:
1) Quiz + Midterm #1 (25%)
2) Midterm #2
(25%)
3) Final exam
(25%)
4) Term Paper
(25%)
The Term Paper is due on or before the last day of class on Wednesday, December 3
If you are going to miss an examination, you MUST CALL AHEAD of time and reschedule to take the
make-up test within the next week. Anyone who does not call ahead of time to reschedule will receive a
score of zero for that exam.
Students with Disabilities (the information below was provided by the office of the Provost)
“Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with
Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved
accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure that the letter is delivered to any of the
Instructors as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in on campus in STU 301, and is open
from 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The phone number for DSP is (213) 740-0776.”
Gero 310
3
Term Paper Requirements & Guidelines
All students are required to submit a term paper, representing their own original work that provides
an in-depth review of an aspect of the Biology of Aging.
Students will be free to choose their own topics, subject to final approval by the course instructor.
Student papers must be printed (using a word processing program) and must be a minimum of
eight (8) pages in length, using double-spaced type with a 12 point font. Leave a one-line space
between each paragraph, use a one-inch all-around margin, and number each page consecutively.
Be sure to give your term paper an appropriate title, and also make sure to put your own name on
the paper.
Student papers must include at least ten (10) literature references, not including the course
textbook. Students are encouraged to use the campus libraries and the internet (e.g., PubMed) to
find appropriate background information and references. The references used should largely be
published primary journal articles from the bio-medical literature, rather than books, unpublished
opinions from the internet (e.g., no wikipedia), or popular magazines. Use numbers to quote your
references directly in the text of your term paper; like this (1).
Extensive direct quotations are not appropriate for this term paper, and copying without giving
credit is never acceptable. If you really want to include a quote or two, it/they should be no longer
than three (3) lines long, and should be set inside quotation marks. Remember to fully reference
the source of any quote you use in your reference list.
All term papers will be due no later than the end of the last class. Term papers may also be given to
the instructor at any time before this date. Students must turn in both written and electronic
(send to instructor via email) copies of their term paper.
Academic integrity is highly regarded and enforced in this class. With regard to the course papers,
academic integrity violations include plagiarism, and turning in papers that were either purchased
papers, written by someone else, or written for another class. Additional information on USC
policies on academic integrity are available from several sources, including Scampus and the
Office of Student Conduct (for example see Trojan Integrity: A Guide for Avoiding Plagiarism
http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/SJACS/docs/tig.pdf). Violations of academic integrity will
result in a course grade of F and will be reported to the Office of Student Conduct.
Journal References should look like this:
1.
Pacifici, R.E. and Davies, K.J.A. (1991) Protein, lipid, and DNA repair systems in oxidative stress: the free
radical theory of aging revisited. Gerontology 37, 166-180.
Reference to a chapter in a book should look like this:
2.
Crawford, D.R. and Davies, K.J.A. (1999) Regulation of Gene Expression During Oxidative Stress. In: Free
Radicals in Physiology & Medicine (Sies, H., ed.) Chapter 2, pp. 21-35, Academic Press, New York.
GERONTOLOGY 310 - PHYSIOLOGY OF AGING - FALL 2008
Month
Date
Day
Topic
Instructor
Aug.
25
Mon.
Introduction to class and structure/evaluation
Pike & Morgan
Aug.
27
Wed.
Theories of biological aging
Caleb Finch
Sept.
3
Wed.
Free radical theory of aging
Kelvin Davies
Sept.
8
Mon
Genetics of aging
Caleb Finch
Sept.
10
Wed.
Pathologies associated with aging
Caleb Finch
Sept.
15
Mon.
Endocrine system in aging I
Christian Pike
Sept.
17
Wed.
Endocrine system in aging II
Christian Pike
Sept.
22
Mon.
Immune system in aging
Christian Pike
Sept.
24
Wed.
Immune system in aging
Christian Pike
Sept.
29
Mon.
Inflammation in aging
Todd Morgan
Oct.
1
Wed.
EXAM
Todd Morgan
Oct.
6
Mon.
Circulatory system in aging
Todd Morgan
Oct.
8
Wed.
Respiratory system in aging
Todd Morgan
Oct.
13
Mon.
Digestive system in aging
Todd Morgan
Oct.
15
Wed.
Diet and Nutrition in aging
Todd Morgan
Oct.
20
Mon.
Neurobiology of aging I
Christian Pike
Oct.
22
Wed.
Neurobiology of aging II
Christian Pike
Oct.
27
Mon.
Neurobiology of aging III
Christian Pike
Oct.
29
Wed.
Neurobiology of aging IV
Christian Pike
Nov.
3
Mon.
EXAM
Todd Morgan
Nov.
5
Wed.
Reproductive system in aging I
Christian Pike
Nov.
10
Mon.
Reproductive system in aging II
Christian Pike
Nov.
12
Wed.
Urinary system in aging
Christian Pike
Nov.
17
Mon.
Integumentary and Muscular systems in aging
Todd Morgan
Nov.
19
Wed.
Skeletal system in aging
Todd Morgan
Nov.
24
Mon.
Exercise and aging
Todd Morgan
Nov.
26
Wed.
Sensory systems in aging I
Christian Pike
Dec.
1
Mon.
Sensory systems in aging II
Christian Pike
Dec.
3
Wed.
Evolutionary perspectives on longevity
Caleb Finch
Dec.
15
Mon.
FINAL EXAMINATION
Todd Morgan
8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
4
Gero. 310 – Fall 2008 DESCRIPTION OF CLASS TOPICS
5
ORIENTATION AND INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF AGING
Instructor: Drs. Christian Pike and Todd Morgan
- Class structure and evaluation, Course Objectives
- Why the study of aging is important to your future
- Overview of age changes
- Overview of theories of aging
- The role of aging in disease
Text: Chapter 1
THEORIES OF BIOLOGICAL AGING
Instructor: Dr. Caleb Finch
- Demographics of aging: The Gompertz curve
- Molecular changes: DNA, protein, lipids
- Cell changes: dividing vs non-dividing cells
- Systemic changes: hormones % immune systems
- Evolutionary theory
Text: Chapter 1 & 2 and Ricklefs R & Finch CE. A Natural History of Aging, Chapters 1
&2 (available on-line)
FREE RADICAL THEORY OF AGING
Instructor: Dr. Kelvin Davies
- Oxidative stress: causes and consequences
- Antioxidant enzymes and compounds
- Damage repair and removal systems
- Adaptive responses to oxidative stress
- Oxidative stress and ageing
Text: Chapter 2 and “handouts’ on blackboard
GENETICS OF AGING
Instructor: Dr. Caleb Finch
- Species differences
- Human sex differences
- Twins
- Centenarians
Text: Chapter 2 and Finch CE & Longo V. Evolutionary Medicine: From Dwarf model
systems to healthy centenarians. Science 299: 1342-1346; 2003.
PATHOLOGIES ASSOCIATED WITH AGING
Instructor: Dr. Caleb Finch
- Cancer
- Vascular Disease
- Alzheimers Disease
Text: Ricklefs R & Finch CE. A Natural History of Aging, Chapters 4
THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM
Instructor: Dr. Christian Pike
- The endocrine glands
- Mechanism of hormone action
- Diabetes, stress response and glucose regulation
- GH, IGF-1 and longevity regulation
Text: Chapter 14
THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
Instructor: Dr. Christian Pike
- Basic components of the immune system
- Age-related changes in the immune system
- Self recognition in the immune system
- The cell biology of HIV
Text: Chapter 15
INFLAMMATION IN AGING
Instructor: Dr. Todd Morgan
- Basic pathways and mechanisms
- Acute versus chronic
- Effects on the brain
Text: Chapter 15 and “Additional Materials” on Blackboard
THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
Instructor: Dr. Todd Morgan
- Anatomy and physiology of the cardiovascular system
- Age-related changes
- Age-related disorders: atherosclerosis, high blood pressure
Text: Chapter 4 and “Additional Materials” on Blackboard
THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Instructor: Dr. Todd Morgan
- Anatomy and physiology of the respiratory system
- Age-related changes
- Age-related disorders: pneumonia
Text: Chapter 5 and “Additional Materials” on Blackboard
THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
Instructor: Dr. Todd Morgan
- Anatomy and physiology of the digestive system
- Age-related changes
- Age-related disorders
Text: Chapter 10 and “Additional Materials” on Blackboard
DIET AND NUTRITION IN AGING
Instructor: Dr. Todd Morgan
- Diet and age-related diseases
- Obesity and type 2 Diabetes
- Guidelines for healthy living
Text: Chapter 11 and “Additional Materials” on Blackboard
NORMAL FUNCTION OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
Instructor: Dr. Christian Pike
- Basic anatomy of the nervous system
- The synapse: target of drug therapy and drug abuse
6
- How neurons communicate
Text: Chapter 6
AGING AND AGE-RELATED DISEASES OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
Instructor: Dr. Christian Pike
- Normal age-related changes in the nervous system
- Dementia
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Parkinson’s disease
- Huntington’s disease
Text: Chapter 6
THE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM
Instructor: Dr. Christian Pike
- Main functions
- Male and Female systems: age changes, sexual activity
- Frequency and enjoyment of sexual activity
- Abnormal and disease conditions
Text: Chapter 13
THE URINARY SYSTEM
Instructor: Dr. Christian Pike
- Anatomy and physiology of the kidney and urinary system
- Incontinence, a major cause of institutionalization
- Other age-related changes in urinary system
- Alterations of drug metabolism in the elderly
Text: Chapter 12
THE INTEGUMENTARY AND MUSCULAR SYSTEMS
Instructor: Dr. Todd Morgan
- Anatomy and physiology of skin
- Age-related changes in skin
- Anatomy and physiology of muscle
- Age-related changes in muscle
Text: Chapter 3 & 8 and “Additional Materials” on Blackboard
THE SKELETAL SYSTEM
Instructor: Dr. Todd Morgan
- Anatomy and physiology of bone
- Age-related changes in bone
- Osteoporosis
Text: Chapter 8 and “Additional Materials” on Blackboard
EXERCISE AND AGING
Instructor: Dr. Todd Morgan
- Age-related changes in activity and physical performance
- Beneficial effects of exercise during aging
Text: Chapter 11 and “Additional Materials” on Blackboard
THE SENSORY SYSTEMS
Instructor: Dr. Christian Pike
7
- The visual system and effects of age
- The auditory system and effects of age
- Age-related changes in chemical senses with aging
Text: Chapter 7
8
EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVES ON LONGEVITY
Instructor: Dr. Caleb Finch
- Comparative biology of aging
- Life history and trade-offs
- Human evolution
Readings: Ricklefs and Finch, Capter 1 & 7;
Finch CE & Stanford CB. Meat adaptive genes and the evolution of slower aging in humans.
Q Rev Biol 79: 1-54; 2004