Neuroscience

• CAS NE 530: Neural Models of Memory Function
  Computational models of neurobiological mechanisms for memory function and spatial navigation, with a particular emphasis on cellular and circuit models of the hippocampus and related cortical structures. Also offered as CAS PS 530.
• CAS NE 535: Translational Research in Alzheimer’s Disease
  An introduction to translational research focused on Alzheimer's disease, with particular emphasis on the search for new therapeutic targets, from observations of pathogenic phenotypes in patients to the development of appropriate animal and cellular models of the disease. Also offered as CAS BI 535.
• CAS NE 542: Neuroethology
  The purpose of this course is to link neurobiology to behavioral ecology and the properties of the sensory stimulus environment. Examples include vocal learning in songbirds, sensory-motor integration in bats, and marine odor plume navigation in lobsters and sharks. Students choose and develop a research topic in the second half of the course. Three hours lecture; one hour discussion. Also offered as CAS BI 542.
• CAS NE 544: Developmental Neuropsychology
  Study of the neural mechanisms underlying behavioral development. Topics include the plasticity of the developing brain in response to deprivation or damage and mechanisms underlying specific syndromes (e.g., aphasia, dyslexia, learning disabilities, hyperactivity, autism, and Tourette's syndrome). Also offered as CAS PS 544.
• CAS NE 545: Neurobiology of Motivated Behavior
  Molecular and neuroendocrine mechanisms controlling reproductive and parental behaviors, ingestive behaviors and metabolism, and circadian rhythms, pain perception, and reward in vertebrates. Three hours lecture plus student-led discussions of relevant research papers. Also offered as CAS BI 545.
• CAS NE 560: Perception and Quantitative Physiology of the Auditory System
  Introduction to the mammalian auditory system from a systems prospective. The class follows how sound propagates into the ear, how mechanical energy is transformed into a neural code, how that code is transformed through the mammalian auditory pathway from the cochlea to the cortex, and how auditory sensation and perception are related to this chain of neural processing. Anatomy and physiology cover the structure and function of the middle ear, cochlea, brainstem, midbrain, thalamus, and cortex. Perceptual topics include basic sensitivity, spatial hearing, pitch perception, auditory scene analysis, attention, and speech perception. Implications for hearing impairment and prosthetic hearing devices are covered. Associated discussion sessions cover recent research findings from general-interest, high-impact publications.
• CAS NE 594: Topics in Neurobiology
  Examines contemporary topics in neurobiological research, drawing from recent literature. Students critically evaluate papers, assess the soundness of methods, distinguish correct from incorrect interpretations of data, and discuss the soundness of conclusions. Topic for Spring 2015: Channelopathies: When Ion Channels Go Bad. Also offered as CAS BI 594.

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