Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology Course Descriptions

Using active-learning methods and real-world examples, this course is designed to provide a fuller understanding of how the brain works and how neuronal activity underlies complex human behaviors. We will explore topics like: drug overdoses, Botox injections, sensory systems, emotions and memories.

Fall, spring. Variable topics of special interest in the field of Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology. Any of these NBB 190 courses will satisfy the new General Education freshman seminar requirement and will also count as an NBB elective.

(Same as Anthropology 200.) Spring. Prerequisite: Biology 141. This course presents an introduction to evolutionary processes and biological bases of behavior. Lectures and readings will be organized around a developmental and life history perspective and will emphasize the importance of context in biological mechanisms and the interaction of social life, behavior, and cognition. Examples drawn especially from humans and nonhuman primates will be used to place human behavior in the Context of other species and to illustrate the dual inheritance of biology and culture in our species. Topics covered will include evolutionary mechanisms, adaptation, phylogenetic constraints, neural and neuroendocrine mechanisms of behavior, life history theory, developmental programs, principles of allometry, sexual selection and alternative reproductive strategies, social bonds and socialization, and the cognitive bases of social interaction in humans and nonhumans.

The focus will be to educate students in the scientific method: generating testable hypotheses, sampling randomization and control techniques. Students will learn the basic statistical vocabulary necessary to read and interpret scientific articles in the field.

Spring. Prerequisites: Biology 141 and 142, or permission of instructor. The focus will be to extend basic understandings of the scientific method as a process that actually produces a product. The elements of scientific writing, publication, and presentation are introduced in the classroom.

(Same as Biology 360.) Fall, Spring. Prerequisites: Biology 141, Chemistry 141 and 142. An introduction to cellular and integrative neurobiology. Topics include the electrochemical and biophysical mechanisms for neuronal signaling and synaptic transmission, and the neural bases of behavior in inverterates and vertebrates.

(Same as Psychology 353.) Spring. Prerequisite/co-requisite: NBB 301. This course presents an integrated coverage of work at the intersection of animal behavior, evolution, and cellular/systems neuroscience. The course surveys the major areas of behavioral neuroscience.

Neurobiological substrates supporting human social cognition and behavior. Review and synthesis of relevant research in neuropsychology, psychiatry, neuroimaging, and experimental animal research.

(Same as Psychology 321.) This course examines the role hormones, particularly steroid hormones, play in the development and activation of reproductive behaviors in animals and humans. In addition, the role of hormones in the development of sex differences in the brain and behavior will be explored. The first third of this course covers biological mechanisms of hormone production and the regulation and function of the neuroendocrine system. A background in biology is helpful, but neither required, nor necessary. The concepts necessary to understand the biology of the neuroendocrine system are developed in class. The last two-thirds of the course cover the behavioral effects of hormones and are divided into the immediate effects of hormones (activation) and long-term effects of hormones (organization). Research covers both animals and humans with everything from sex changing fish to sex change in human's topics for consideration. This course provides a comprehensive overview of the manner in which hormones produce physical modifications and modulate sexual behavior in a variety of species.

Prerequisites: NBB 301 and permission of instructor. A course in experimental neuroscience designed for juniors who may be interested in research. One module stems from the current research linking a single gene, the vasopressin I a receptor, to monogamous behavior in voles. The second module will teach students to handle primary cultures of neurons and glia and to use immunocytochemistry and current imaging techniques to identify cell types and cellular substructures.

Fall. Prerequisites: NBB 201, 301, and 302; or permission of instructor. A writing intensive senior seminar utilizing the primary literature to examine current issues, trends, and controversies in the field of neuroscience and behavioral biology. (Satisfies General Education Requirements for post-freshman writing and advanced seminar.)

This course will trace contemporary issues in neuroscience from their origins in classical times through the 19th century and on to new frontiers with emphasis on primary works by the creators of neuroanatomy and neurophysiology.

(Same as Psychology 414.) The course examines developmental changes in brain organization linked to different aspects of cognitive development, especially during the first three years of life. The topics cover changes in cerebral specializations linked to sensory processing, attention, memory, face recognition, language and social/emotional development. Issues pertaining to brain plasticity and the relative contributions of genetic and experiential factors on brain development will also be addressed. Throughout the course we will discuss how research in developmental cognitive neuroscience can influence and constrain general theories of child development.

The primary focus of this course will be to provide an overview of the organic foundations of selected neurological disorders. The first part of the course will be an introduction to the functional neuroanatomy of the "normal" brain. The second part of the course will introduce some clinical aspects related to damage/degeneration in these areas; such as stroke, ischemia, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, Epilepsy, amnesias/ dementias paying attention to traditional neuropsychological assessment/tests that differentiate among them.

This course will focus on the application of imaging technology (Computed Tomography (CT), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Positron Emission Tomography (PET), etc. to the study of brain function and anatomy. We will cover the history of the development of brain imaging methods, the technical basis for various imaging methods, and learn to apply imaging methods in the realms of both basic and clinical science.

The focus will be drug development, namely the process by which a condition to be treated is identified and then medications are developed, tested, and finally distributed to patients.

(Same as Biology 460S.) Spring. Prerequisites: Biology 141 and 142. This course will examine the experimental foundations underlying our understanding of the mechanisms regulating development of the nervous system. Topics will include neurogenesis, migration of the neuronal precursors, axon guidance, programmed cell death, and the formation of the synaptic connections. Through study of primary literature and texts, students will develop skills in identifying hypotheses and analyzing the logic of the experiments used to test these hypotheses.

Variable topics of special interest in the field of Neuroscience & Behavioral Biology.

Honors research in neurobiology/behavior. Registrants attend biweekly meetings to present progress reports of their ongoing research, discuss how to write proposals and papers and give oral presentations.

Honors research in neurobiology/behavior. Registrants attend biweekly meetings to present progress reports of their ongoing research, discuss how to write proposals and papers, and give oral presentations. To receive credit for the course and to satisfy the senior-year writing requirement, a student's thesis must be accepted by the Honors Program.

Independent, faculty-mentored research; designed as a prelude to conducting laboratory research under the same mentor.

Fall, Spring, Summer. 1-4 hour credit. Prerequisite: permission of instructor; cannot be taken concurrently with NBB 497WR. A maximum of four hours of NBB 495A, 495B, 497R, 497, or 499R accepted as an elective toward the NBB major. Independent, faculty-mentored research; designed as a prelude to conducting laboratory research under the same mentor.

Independent research in neurobiology/behavior. Registrants attend biweekly meetings to present progress reports of their ongoing research, discuss how to write proposals and papers, and give oral presentations.