Catalog Description
Bi/CNS 150. Neurobiology. 10 units (4-0-6); first term. General principles of the function and organization of nervous systems, providing both an overview of the subject and a foundation for advanced courses. Topics include the physical and chemical bases for action potentials, synaptic transmission, and sensory transduction; anatomy; development; sensory and motor pathways; memory and learning at the molecular, cellular, and systems level; and the neuroscience of brain diseases. Instructors: Adolphs and Lester.
Lectures will be held at MWF 11-12 in the 1st Floor Broad Center Lecture Hall.
Contacts
- Contact information for the course staff is on the staff page.
- For questions about specific recitation sections, email the section TA.
- For issues with the website, email Mason.
Course Calendar & Links
Please refresh your browser to make sure you are seeing the most recent version of this page. Lecture slides are often posted in draft form the evening preceding the lecture, by 9 PM.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/28/2015 | 9/29/2015 | 9/30/2015 | 10/1/2015 | 10/2/2015 |
|
Introduction to the Course: The Evolution of Neurons, Brains, and Minds (Lester & Adolphs) |
Anatomy of the Central Nervous System (Adolphs) |
Discussion Section |
Development 1 (Adolphs) | |
|
Ch. 1: p. 5-10 | Problem Set 0 Out |
Ch. 15: p. 337-344 |
Ch. 52: p. 1165-1185 | |
| 10/5/2015 | 10/6/2015 | 10/7/2015 | 10/8/2015 | 10/9/2015 |
|
Voltage-Dependent Channels and Action Potentials 1 (Lester) |
Voltage-Dependent Channels and Action Potentials 2 (Lester) |
Discussion Section |
Synapses 1: Presynaptic Transmitter Release (Lester) | |
|
Ch. 5, 6, & 7 | Problem Set 1 Out |
Ch. 5, 6, & 7 |
Ch. 5, 6, & 7 | |
| 10/12/2015 | 10/13/2015 | 10/14/2015 | 10/15/2015 | 10/16/2015 |
|
Synapses 2: The Acetylcholine Receptor and Organization of the Nerve-Muscle Synapse (Lester) |
Problem Set 1 Due at 4:30pm |
Glutamate Receptors in the CNS (Lester) |
Discussion Section |
Development 2 (Lester) |
|
Ch. 12 | Problem Set 2 Out |
Ch. 12 |
Ch. 9 | |
| 10/19/2015 | 10/20/2015 | 10/21/2015 | 10/22/2015 | 10/23/2015 |
|
Inhibition, Electrical Integration of Signals, and Cable Properties of Dendrites and and Axons (Lester) |
Problem Set 2 Due at 4:30pm |
Inward Rectifiers and Glia (Lester) |
Discussion Section |
The G Protein Pathway in Neuroscience (Lester) |
|
Ch. 10: p. 211–227 | Problem Set 3 Out |
Ch. 2: p. 28–35 |
Ch. 11 | |
| 10/26/2015 | 10/27/2015 | 10/28/2015 | 10/29/2015 | 10/30/2015 |
|
Recreational Drugs (Lester) |
Problem Set 3 Due at 4:30pm |
Vision 1: The Visual System from Retina to Visual Cortex (Adolphs) |
Vision 2: The Retina and Detection of Light (Lester) | |
|
Kandel Ch. 11 | Midterm Out |
Ch. 25 |
Ch. 26: p. 577-586 | |
| 11/2/2015 | 11/3/2015 | 11/4/2015 | 11/5/2015 | 11/6/2015 |
|
Vision 3: Higher-level Vision and Object Recognition (Adolphs) |
Midterm Due at 4:30pm |
The Motor System (Lester) |
Discussion Section |
The Olfactory System (Lester) |
|
Ch. 26: p. 577-602 |
Ch. 14, p. 309 |
Ch. 32: p. 712–726 | ||
| 11/9/2015 | 11/10/2015 | 11/11/2015 | 11/12/2015 | 11/13/2015 |
|
The Auditory System (Adolphs) |
The Somatosensory System (Adolphs) |
Discussion Section |
Learning & Memory 1: Types of Memory, Declarative Memory, and the Hippocampus (Adolphs) | |
|
Ch. 30 & 31 | Problem Set 4 Out |
Ch. 22: p. 475–480, 491–495 |
Ch. 65, 66, & 67 | |
| 11/16/2015 | 11/17/2015 | 11/18/2015 | 11/19/2015 | 11/20/2015 |
|
Learning & Memory 2: Cellular Mechanisms and Synaptic Plasticity (Lester) |
Problem Set 4 Due at 4:30pm |
Learning & Memory 3: Nondeclarative Memory and Modulation (Adolphs) |
Discussion Section |
Neurodegenerative Disease: Alzheimer’s & Parkinson's disease (Lester) |
|
Ch. 65: p. 1441–1447 | Problem Set 5 Out |
Ch. 65: p. 1441–1447 |
Ch. 43 | |
| 11/23/2015 | 11/24/2015 | 11/25/2015 | 11/26/2015 | 11/27/2015 |
|
Emotion and Social Behavior (Adolphs) |
Problem Set 5 Due at 4:30pm |
Autism (Adolphs) |
Thanksgiving Holiday |
Thanksgiving Holiday |
|
Ch. 47: p. 1056–1061 | Problem Set 6 Out |
Ch. 64: p. 1425–1434 | ||
| 11/30/2015 | 12/1/2015 | 12/2/2015 | 12/3/2015 | 12/4/2015 |
|
Aminergic Systems, Mood and Depression (Lester) |
Problem Set 6 Due at 4:30pm |
Schizophrenia (Lester) |
Discussion Section |
The Future (Lester & Adolphs) |
|
Ch. 63: p. 1402–1418 |
Ch. 62 | Final Out | ||
| 12/7/2015 | 12/8/2015 | 12/9/2015 | 12/10/2015 | 12/11/2015 |
|
Final Due at 4:30pm | ||||