In this introduction to the neuroscience major, relationships between brain and behavior are examined at a variety of levels, including neurochemical, neurophysiological, physiological, and cognitive functioning. This course does not normally count towards the psychological science major.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: No Junior, Senior Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken PSYC 275. Recommended: AP Chemistry or Biology, CHEM 101/CHEM 111, BIOL 101, or BIOL 182 is strongly recommended. Prospective neuroscience majors should complete this course by the end of the sophomore year. Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None Formerly: Crosslisted with PSYC 170
NEUR 201 - Topics in Neuroscience: Strategies & Discoveries in Systems Neuroscience
This intermediate-level course approaches the study of neuroscience through a critical analysis and interpretation of primary literature, experimental design and execution, general quantitative analysis, and effective communication of ideas (both written and oral formats). This course offers a unique opportunity for students to understand a variety of concepts and challenges within systems neuroscience through the lens of the scientific process.
Credits: 1.00 Prerequisites:NEUR 170 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: No Junior, Senior Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
NEUR 202 - Topics in Neuroscience: Strategies & Discoveries in Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
This intermediate-level course approaches the study of neuroscience through a critical analysis and interpretation of primary literature, experimental design and execution, general quantitative analysis, and effective communication of ideas (both written and oral formats). This course offers a unique opportunity for students to understand a variety of concepts and challenges within cellular & molecular neuroscience through the lens of the scientific process.
Credits: 1.00 Prerequisites:NEUR 170 and BIOL 182 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: No Junior, Senior Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.
Credits: variable Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
Focuses on the visual sensory and cognitive processes that enable humans to elaborate a mental model of the physical world. The course examines the ways humans internally represent external objects and how events in turn influence their perceptions. Readings focus on the behavioral and neurophysiological aspects of low-level vision and face recognition, visual awareness and attention, and mental imagery.
Credits: 1.00 Crosslisted:PSYC 353 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: PSYC 170 or
Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Recommended:PSYC 200 is recommended. Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
Language is a distinctive human ability that distances humans from the rest of the animal kingdom - including chimpanzees, with whom people share 98 percent of the same genetic inheritance. Although language is considered as primarily serving communication in its advanced form, it is also an important vehicle for thought, with the potential to extend, refine, and direct thinking. The interaction of language with other cognitive abilities is the central focus of the course. Students compare the communication systems of other species with human language, examine efforts to teach human language to apes, learn how psycholinguists conceptualize and investigate language-mind relationships, and inquire into the cognitive abilities of various types of language users, such as bilinguals and deaf and hearing signers. Attention also is given to evolutionary changes in the neural structures implicated in human language and to neural processes constraining the developmental course of language acquisition.
Credits: 1.00 Crosslisted:PSYC 355 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: PSYC 170 or NEUR 170 or PSYC 250 or PSYC 251 or PSYC 275 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
What is the relationship among brain, physiology, and behavior in humans and animals? What can we learn about the relationship of brain and behavior that can be useful for understanding and treating psychological and behavioral disorders in humans? This course examines a wide variety of research strategies used in the contemporary study of brain, physiology, and behavior.
Credits: 1.00 Crosslisted:PSYC 373 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: PSYC 170 or NEUR 170 or PSYC 275 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
Cognitive neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field - drawing from chemistry, biology, medicine, neuroscience, psychology and philosophy - that explores the relationship between the mind and the brain. The scope of this course is broad, focusing on brain mechanisms for such diverse processes as sensation and perception, attention, memory, emotion, language, and consciousness. Students read primary journal articles on case studies from the clinical literature of patients with localized brain damage and reports from the experimental and neuroimaging literature on the effects of invasive and noninvasive manipulations in normal subjects. Mind-brain relationships are considered in the context of cognitive theories, evolutionary comparisons, and human development.
Credits: 1.00 Crosslisted:PSYC 375 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: (NEUR 170 or PSYC 170 or PSYC 275) Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Recommended:PSYC 200 is recommended. Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
NEUR 376 - Functional Neuroanatomy and Neural Development
The first quarter of the course focuses on mechanisms of neural development including proliferation of stem cells, migration, differentiation, and synapse formation. The latter portion of the course examines the function of neuroanatomical regions and their relationship to the variety of symptoms associated with schizophrenia. As the more overt symptoms of schizophrenia do not appear until late adolescence, knowing how and when various regions of the brain develop is essential for understanding the emergence of various neurological deficits in this disease.
Credits: 1.00 Crosslisted:PSYC 376 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: (NEUR 170 or PSYC 170 or PSYC 275) and (BIOL 182 or BIOL 212) Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
Discussion of the effects of drugs upon psychological processes and behavior in humans. Readings in the textbook treat the mechanisms of action (physiological and neurochemical) of various classes of drugs used in therapy or “on the street.” Readings in professional journals illustrate the experimental study of drug effects in humans and in animals.
Credits: 1.00 Crosslisted:PSYC 377 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: (NEUR 170 or PSYC 170 or PSYC 275) and PSYC 200 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
Courses in specific neuroscience topics offered by various staff members. Inquiries about the topics offered any given term should be directed to the coordinator of the Neuroscience Program.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Restrictions: Not open to students who have either received credit for or are currently enrolled in PSYC 300NE. Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
NEUR 379 - Fundamentals of Neurochemistry/Neuropharmacology
Focuses on two diseases: relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and idiopathic Alzheimer’s disease. The initial portion of the course examines the various methods neurochemists utilize to answer questions about these two diseases. The remainder of the course focuses on the epidemiological, neuroanatomical, cellular, biochemical, and molecular aspects of the two diseases. Multiple sclerosis is a more intercellular question examining the interaction of immune cells and the glia of the nervous system whereas Alzheimer’s disease tends to focus more on intracellular mechanisms leading to the synthesis of beta-amyloid and the formation of neurofibrillary tangles, the two hallmarks of this disease.
Credits: 1.00 Crosslisted:PSYC 379 Corequisite:NEUR 379L Prerequisites: (PSYC 170 or PSYC 275 or NEUR 170) and (BIOL 182 or BIOL 212) and CHEM 263 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
Credits: 0.00 Corequisite:NEUR 379 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
An introduction which demonstrates that nature and nurture both play a fundamental role in the development of behavioral traits; and how genes interact with environment to shape the development of various behavioral traits. The course will use an interdisciplinary approach that integrates the studies in genetics, neuroscience, and behavior; with a comparative approach to explore human and other animal models; and cover the traditional behavioral genetic methodologies as well as modern molecular genetic techniques.
Credits: 1.00 Crosslisted:PSYC 381 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:NEUR 170 or PSYC 170 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
This seminar and laboratory course examines the physiology of the nervous system. Topics include ion channel structure and function, synaptic transmission, second messenger systems, neuromodulation, the neurophysiological basis of behavior in “simple” animals, the evolution of neural circuits, the cellular basis of learning and memory, and the cellular basis of selected human nervous system diseases.
Credits: 1.00 Crosslisted:BIOL 384 & PSYC 384 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:NEUR 170 or PSYC 170 or PSYC 275 or BIOL 182 or BIOL 212 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
Neuroethology is a sub-field of neuroscience focused on the study of the neural basis of natural behavior. Many types of behavior and a wide array of animals are studied, and the approach is often comparative and evolutionary. Students delve into the neuroethological literature, examining the neural basis of animal communication, navigation, movement, sensory processing, feeding, aggression, and learning.
Credits: 1.00 Crosslisted:BIOL 385 & PSYC 385 Corequisite:NEUR 385L Prerequisites:NEUR 170 or PSYC 170 or PSYC 275 or BIOL 182 or BIOL 212 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Recommended:PSYC 309 or BIOL 320 (formerly BIOL 220) is recommended. Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
Required corequisite to NEUR 385. Laboratory exercises teach methods of behavioral analysis and electrophysiological recording techniques.
Credits: 0.25 Corequisite:NEUR 385 Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
Examines the cell biology behind the functioning of the nervous system. Students explore how cells make fate decisions during neural development, how neurons elaborate the complex structures they take on, how they form and refine specific connections, and how these together allow the precise transmissions of complex signals. Students also examine the molecular pathways by which sensory systems transduce physical stimuli into electrochemical signals and integrate that information into the nervous system.
Credits: 1.00 Crosslisted:BIOL 389 Corequisite: None Prerequisites:BIOL 182 or BIOL 212 Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.
Credits: variable Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
Opportunity for individual study in areas not covered by formal course offerings, under the guidance of a member of the faculty.
Credits: variable Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: None Class Restriction: None Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
Neuroscience majors plan and carry out one-term experimental research projects under the guidance of faculty members in the neuroscience program; such students enroll in NEUR 498 in either the fall or spring. For students who wish to be considered for honors, two-term thesis projects are required; such students enroll in NEUR 498 in the fall and NEUR 499 in the spring. On occasion, students who are not pursuing honors or high honors may complete two semesters of senior research by taking NEUR 498 in the fall and NEUR 499 in the spring. With permission, PSYC 450, when appropriate, may be substituted for 498.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: Only Neuroscience Majors and Minors Class Restriction: Only Senior Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None
Neuroscience majors plan and carry out one-term experimental research projects under the guidance of faculty members in the neuroscience program; such students enroll in NEUR 498 in either the fall or spring. For students who wish to be considered for honors, two-term thesis projects are required; such students enroll in NEUR 498 in the fall and NEUR 499 in the spring. On occasion, students who are not pursuing honors or high honors may complete two semesters of senior research by taking NEUR 498 in the fall and NEUR 499 in the spring. With permission, PSYC 450, when appropriate, may be substituted for NEUR 498.
Credits: 1.00 Corequisite: None Prerequisites: None Major/Minor Restrictions: Only Neuroscience Majors Class Restriction: Only Senior Area of Inquiry: Natural Sciences & Mathematics Liberal Arts CORE: None