Neuroscience Courses

Offerings

  • see through body with spine and brain highlighted

    NEUR 110N | INTRODUCTION INTO BRAIN DISEASES

    Instructor:  Beverly Piggott, Neuroscience & Biology

    Credits: 3

    Days & Times: Spring, T/R 3:30-4:50

    Pre-requisites: None, H.S. Biology recommended

    Course Description: Bad things happen to good brains! Communities, families, caregivers and patients are too often confronted with injuries and disorders that affect the brain, such as traumatic brain injury, epilepsy, or Alzheimer’s disease. Meant for both non-science and science majors, this Gen. Ed. Natural Science survey course explores the symptoms, underlying causes, current efforts in research and treatments for a variety of brain diseases, as well as what these disorders can teach about normal brain function.

  • human head with lights in brain stares at neuropathways in the air

    NEUR 280 | Fundamentals of Neuroscience I

    Instructor: Michael Kavanaugh, Neuroscience; Katie Holick, Neuroscience & Pharmacy

    Credits: 3

    Days & Times: Fall, T/R 2-3:20

    Pre-requisites: None

    Course Description: Before we tackle the hard problem, the mind and consciousness, we have to understand the easy problem: how the brain works! This course focuses on the molecular and cellular underpinnings of brain function. Topics range from the basis of neuronal signaling to sensory systems organization to mechanisms involved in learning, memory, and complex behaviors. Neuroscience, Pre-Med, Psychology, and Human Biology majors should be especially interested in this course.

  • Rainbow brain

    NEUR 281 | Fundamentals of Neuroscience II

    Instructor:  Katie Holick, Neuroscience & Pharmacy

    Credits: 3

    Days & Times: Spring, T/R 1-2:20

    Pre-requisites: NEUR 280

    Course Description: How does our brain help us 'sense' the world around us and aid us in responding appropriately? This course will focus on a foundational understanding of the sensory systems, cognitive processing, perception, and memory. Specific topics include: the organization of sensory systems, the control of movement; mechanisms for learning, memory, and complex behaviors. In addition, disease states as a result of disruption of homeostasis of these processes will also be discussed. Neuroscience, Pre-Med, Psychology, and Human Biology majors will enjoy this course and find it relevant to their future professions.

  • Silver Neural networks float in a dark background

    NEUR 380 | Cellular & Molecular Neuroscience

    Instructor:  Beverly Piggott, Neuroscience & Biology

    Credits: 3

    Days & Times: Fall, MWF 1:00-1:50

    Pre-requisites: NEUR 280

    Course Description: What really happens at the cellular and molecular levels that allows the brain to control who we are and everything we do? This course explores subcellular organization, various forms of cellular communication, mechanisms of learning and memory, energy metabolism, axonal growth and guidance, synapse dynamics, as well as how all of these may be altered in disease and injury. The course will be especially valuable to Neuroscience, Biochemistry, Cellular & Molecular and Human Biology majors.

  • Plastic red brain with labels on toothpicks and paper

    NEUR 441 | CNS Diseases

    Instructor:  Sarah Certel, Neuroscience & Biology; Richard Bridges, Neuroscience & Biology

    Credits: 3

    Days & Times: Fall (odd years), T/R 11:00-12:20

    Pre-requisites: NEUR 280 or PSYX 250N or Consent of Instructor

    Course Description: At some point in our lives, each of us will be affected by neurological disease. Every student should take this course to gain a basic understanding of the underlying neural, molecular, and cellular basis of CNS diseases including Alzheimer’s, ALS, and neurodevelopment disorders. In addition, we will discuss emerging technologies that have the potential to revolutionize neurological and psychiatric treatment. This course should be of particular interest to Neuroscience, Pre-Med, Psychology, and Human Biology majors.

  • a student leans over graph paper with lab supplies all around

    NEUR 458 | Neuroscience Research Techniques Lab

    Instructor:  Jesse Hay, Neuroscience; Sarah Certel, Neuroscience & Biology; Kasper Hansen, Neuroscience & Biology

    Credits: 4

    Days & Times:  Fall, T/R 8:00-9:20

    Pre-requisites: None

    Course Description: Why is NEURO 458 a required course? This laboratory course will allow you to gain critically relevant technical and communication skills used in contemporary neuroscience research. Topics covered include disease-modeling behavioral assays, electrophysiology, and neuronal cell culture and imaging techniques. Students will gain knowledge-based and hands-on, career-transferable skills in experimental design, data collection, statistical analysis, and written and oral communication. We are excited to offer NEUR 458 as a capstone course for Neuroscience majors.

  • multi colored pills in a pile

    NEUR 475 | Neuropharmacology

    Instructor:  Richard Bridges, Neuroscience & Biology; Katie Holick, Neuroscience & Pharmacy

    Credits: 3

    Days & Times: Fall, T/R 8:00-9:20

    Pre-requisites: BIOB 160N or NEUR 280 or PSYX 250N AND CHMY 121N or 141N or Consent of Instructor

    Course Description: Ever wonder how drugs used to treat disorders like epilepsy, depression, schizophrenia, Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s disease actually work within the nervous system? This course will provide students a better understanding of the chemical signaling systems in the brain, how these systems change in disease, and how drugs modulate their activity. The course should be of particular interest to Neuroscience, Pre-Med, Psychology, Chemistry, Biochemistry and Human Biology majors.

  • Rainbow brain

    NEUR 481 | Systems Neuroscience: Neural Networks and Cognition

    Instructor:  Michael Kavanaugh, Neuroscience & Biology

    Credits: 3

    Days & Times: T/R 1:00-2:20

    Pre-requisites: NEUR 280 or PSYX 280 or permission of instructor

    Course Description: Perception, plasticity, neural networks, learning, consciousness, intelligence, free will- how is modern systems neuroscience shaping the way we think about these concepts? How is cognitive neuroscience research guiding the development of machine learning and AI (and vice versa)? This course will consider these topics from the starting point of the brain as an organic computer that has evolved to decode sensory information, learn, remember, and guide our actions in response to dynamic environmental cues. This course will be of particular interest to students studying cognitive neuroscience or psychology.

  • human head, transparent with brain details showing through

    NEUR 491 | Neuroanatomy

    Instructor:  Katie Holick, Neuroscience & Pharmacy

    Credits: 3

    Days & Times:  Spring

    Pre-requisites: NEUR 280 or BIOB 160N and PSYX 250 or Consent of Instructor

    Course Description: Have you ever wondered what structures of the brain carry out such a vast set of complex functions? This neuroanatomy course will outline the fundamental relationship between the structure and function of the central and peripheral nervous systems using both preserved specimens and advanced technology such as virtual reality (VR). Neuroscience, Pre-Med, Psychology, and Human Biology majors will find this course directly related to their future professions.

  • a human head with a maze and a red line that comes out of the mouth with sound waves

    NEUR 491 | Neurolinguistics

    Instructor:  Danielle Fahey, Neuroscience & SLHOS

    Credits: 3

    Days & Times:  Spring

    Pre-requisites: none

    Course Description: What regions of the brain support language? How are parts of language differentiated in the mind? How do babies, bilinguals, or people with brain damage do language? This cognitive neuroscience course will outline the theoretical models of language processing and the empirical domains that have contributed to these models. Neuroscience, Pre-Med, Psychology, Communicative Sciences and Disorders, and Linguistics majors will find this course related to their future professions.