Neuroscience is a multidisciplinary course that covers the basic science of the human brain with an emphasis on human neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, neurochemistry and neuropsychology. It is required for medical students in the first year of the M.D. program as well as many graduate students in Ph.D. programs in Neuroscience. A limited number of students in Masters programs are allowed to enroll with the permission of the Course Manager. This course is taught as a block in 5 weeks beginning in January immediately after New Years and ending in the first week in February. During this time, students normally do not take other courses. The course is equally divided between lectures in the morning that cover the difficult conceptual issues of neuroscience and small group tutorial and laboratories that allow discussion of these concepts and hands on exposure to human brain specimens. There is a midterm examination worth 20% of the final grade at the beginning of week three and a final examination worth 80% of the grade at the end of week five. Both examinations consist of written questions as well as practical questions. The written exam is given as multiple choice questions pertaining to the conceptual and factual content of the course. The practical exam uses images of the brain ranging from electron micrographs of synapses to dissections or pathological specimens of the human brain to assess laboratory and lecture material on the structure of the human brain.
The main goals of this seminar are to introduce students to the literature on autism, a rapidly growing area of interest among scientists and the public. Both clinical and basic research perspectives will be covered, from a multidisciplinary approach. Classes will focus on a discussion of primary source readings and students will have the opportunity to explore in depth one aspect of autism in their final paper for the course.
As the principal graduate level introductory course in neuroscience on the Medical Campus, the Neuroscience Course has a diverse set of objectives and goals.
- To learn the three-dimensional structural neuroanatomy of the human brain from gross specimens, stained tissue sections, electron micrographs and modern neuroimaging modalities including CT and MRI scans.
- To learn and understand the basic neurophysiology of neurons from the level of the membrane to the synapse.
- To learn the basic neurochemistry of neurons and the neuropharmacology of the neurotransmitter systems by which they communicate.
- To learn the structure and physiological function of the major sensory, motor and homeostatic systems of the brain.
- To learn the structure and function of systems subserving higher cognitive functions such as learning, memory, emotions, language and executive functions.
- To learn the basic principals of pathological changes that lead to nervous system impairment.
The core faculty who teach are members
of the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology and the Department of Physiology and Biophysics. These core
faculty give most of the lectures and run all the small group discussions and laboratories. Additional
lectures are given by other faculty from these departments as well as from the Department of Neurology,
the Department of Pharmacology, the Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine.
In addition to the teaching in the Neuroscience course, most faculty have active research programs investigating
different aspects of neuroscience. The core faculty in the academic year 2005 are:
Dept. of Anatomy and Neurobiology
Dr. Douglas Rosene (Course Manager)
Dr. Jennifer Luebke
Dr. Julie Sandell
Dr. Jean-Jacques Soghomonian
Dr. Antonio Valero-Cabre
Dr. Irina Zhdanova
Dr. Charles Zucker
Dept. of Physiology and Biophysics
Dr. Karen Allen
Dr. Carter Cornwall
Dr. Fernando Garcia-Diaz
Dr. Maria Gomez
Dr. Simon Levy
Dr. Enrico Nasi
Dr. Paul OÕBryan
|
