Meeting
times:
Fridays 9am-11am. Room 909 North West Corner Building
Instructor: Rafael Yuste, Professor,
Dept. Biological Sciences, 906 NWC, rmy5@columbia.edu, Phone: 854-2354
Office Hours: By arrangement
Credits: 3
Text: (available in BookCulture, the Columbia Bookstore and in the Science
Library Reserve section)
Required:
Behavioral Neurobiology: An Integrative Approach, 2nd
edition
Günther K. H. Zupanc
Publication Date: July 1, 2010 | ISBN-10: 0199208301
| ISBN-13: 978-0199208302 |
Also: Articles chosen from the relevant literature.
Description:
This
course is an advanced seminar that will review current knowledge about the
computations carried out by circuits present in the CNS. This year the seminar
will focus on Neurotehology, reviewing the rich
tradition of exquisite behavioural and computational
studies in than field and connecting that information with relevant knowledge
in neural circuits.
The
class will run as a seminar discussion, where it is assumed that every student
will have studied the reading material ahead of time and will be knowledgeable
enough to explain it.
Targeted
audience:
W3004 and W3005, or similar courses, are ideal background for the course. To
maintain a small class size and ensure the participation of all students in all
the discussions, only 20 students will be admitted. Graduate students are
welcome but undergraduate students in their final year majoring in Neuroscience
and Behaviour will have preference. Auditors will not
be accepted.
Instructor
permission is necessary for registration.
Grading: An short (maximum 5
page) essay on any of the topics discussed in the course is due on the last day
of class and will be used for the final grade, together with evaluation of
class participation.
Sessions:
September 6th: 1. Introduction
September 13th: 2. Fundamentals of
Neurobiology
September 20th: 3. Fundamentals of
Ethology
September 27th: 4. Behavioral
Neurobiology: A Brief History
October 4th: 5. Spatial Orientation and
Sensory Guidance
October 11th: 6. Neuronal Control of
Motor Output
October 18th: 7. Neuronal Processing of
Sensory Information
October 25th: 8. Sensorimotor
Integration: The Jamming Avoidance Response of the Weakly Electric Fish
November 1st: 9. Neuromodulation:
The Accommodation of Motivational Changes in Behavior
November 8th: 10. Biological Timing and
Circadian Clocks
November 15th: 11. Large-Scale
Navigation: Migration and Homing
November 22nd 12. Communication
December 6th:
13. Cellular Mechanisms of Learning and Memory
December 13th:
Review