Results for NBIO

Influences on public debate and policy of scientific advances in the study of the brain and behavior: theories of brain function; philosophical and scientific approaches; advances in the neurosciences, possible uses in medical therapy, and interventions involving genetic screening, genetic selection, enhancement of neurological functioning, and manipulation of behavior; questions related to medical therapy, social policy, and broader considerations of human nature such as consciousness, free will, personal identity, and moral responsibility. May be taken for 2 units without a research paper. Prerequisite: Neuroscience, Biology, or Symbolic Systems major; or Human Biology core; or consent of instructor.

Prerequisite: consent of instructor. (Staff)

Investigations sponsored by individual faculty members. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

Influences on public debate and policy of scientific advances in the study of the brain and behavior: theories of brain function; philosophical and scientific approaches; advances in the neurosciences, possible uses in medical therapy, and interventions involving genetic screening, genetic selection, enhancement of neurological functioning, and manipulation of behavior; questions related to medical therapy, social policy, and broader considerations of human nature such as consciousness, free will, personal identity, and moral responsibility. May be taken for 2 units without a research paper. Prerequisite: Neuroscience, Biology, or Symbolic Systems major; or Human Biology core; or consent of instructor.

Structure and function of the nervous system, including neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and systems neurobiology. Topics include the properties of neurons and the mechanisms and organization underlying higher functions. Framework for general work in neurology, neuropathology, clinical medicine, and for more advanced work in neurobiology. Lecture and lab components must be taken together.

Advanced seminar. Findings and implications of behavioral genetics as applied to invertebrate and vertebrate model systems. Topics include biological clocks, and sensation and central pattern generators. Relevant genetic techniques and historical perspective. Student presentation.

Contemporary visual neuroscience, emphasizing the neural mechanisms underlying primate vision and visually guided behavior. Seven foundational topics in visual neuroscience; current papers concerning each topic. Student presentations. Computer-based demonstration exercises.

Small group course for first year MSTP and Master's in Medicine students only. Focus is on pathways for combining science and medicine during graduate and postdoctoral training and in one's career, and practical aspects of translational medicine. Guest lecturers are physician-scientists who have advanced the frontiers of translational medicine. Previous lecturers have included Drs. Gilbert Chu, Jamie Topper, Irv Weissman, Beverly Mitchell, Geoff Duyk, William Mobley, Judy Shizuru, and David Cox. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

Techniques commonly used in the field of neuroscience, including molecular/genetic, electrophysiological, and whole brain imaging. Presentations by senior graduate students and examples from the literature. Optional laboratory demonstrations.

For advanced undergraduates and graduate students. Cellular and molecular mechanisms in the organization and functions of the nervous system. Topics: wiring of the neuronal circuit, synapse structure and synaptic transmission, signal transduction in the nervous system, sensory systems, molecular basis of behavior including learning and memory, molecular pathogenesis of neurological diseases. Satisfies Central Menu Areas 2 or 3. Prerequisite for undergraduates: Biology core or equivalent, or consent of instructors.

Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

Required of Neurosciences Ph.D. students every quarter. Develops professional skills in critical assessment and oral presentation of findings from current neuroscience literature in the visual presentation of quantitative data and writing research grants. The role of animals in lab research, fraud in science, the responsibility of authors and reviewers, science in a multicultural environment, and the relationship between student and mentor. Student and faculty presentations and discussions.

Provides an opportunity for student and faculty interaction, as well as academic credit and financial support, to medical students who undertake original research. Enrollment is limited to students with approved projects.

Investigations sponsored by individual faculty members. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

Advanced seminar. The principles of information processing in the nervous system and the relationship of functional properties of neural systems with perception, behavior, and learning. Original papers; student presentations. Prerequisite: NBIO 206 or consent of instructor.

Student-instructed. For students with no math background beyond basic calculus, or as a review for more advanced students. Techniques useful for analysis of neural data including linear algebra, Fourier transforms, probability and statistics, signal detection, Bayesian inference, and information theory.

How synapses, cells, and neural circuits process information relevant to a behaving organism. How phenomena of information processing emerge at several levels of complexity in the nervous system, including sensory transduction in molecular cascades, information transmission through axons and synapses, plasticity and feedback in recurrent circuits, and encoding of sensory stimuli in neural circuits.