This course offers a broad introduction to the field of neuroscience, exploring the structure and function of the nervous system from cellular and molecular mechanisms to cognitive and behavioral processes. Students will examine how diverse approaches and techniques are used to study the brain. This course lays the groundwork for understanding the biological basis of behavior and the interdisciplinary nature of neuroscience through real-world examples, hands-on learning, and group work.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 32
Prerequisites: Fulfillment of the Quantitative Reasoning (QR) component of the Quantitative Reasoning & Data Literacy requirement.
Distribution Requirements: NPS - Natural and Physical Sciences; EC - Epistemology and Cognition
Typical Periods Offered: Fall and Spring
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Spring
Notes:
This course provides an introduction to the neuroscience of emotions. We will explore the brain structures, neural circuits, and physiological processes that underlie emotions and subsequent behaviors. Topics include but are not limited to the role of the different brain regions, neurotransmitters, neuroimaging techniques, emotional regulation, the impact of emotions on cognition and behavior and the role of emotions in the development of AI.
This course does not count towards the Neuroscience major.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 32
Prerequisites: Fulfillment of the Quantitative Reasoning (QR) component of the Quantitative Reasoning & Data Literacy requirement.
Distribution Requirements: NPS - Natural and Physical Sciences
Typical Periods Offered: Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall
Notes:
How is intelligent behavior produced by the brain and how can it be replicated in machines? What role, if any, does our conscious experience play in producing intelligent behavior? This seminar explores human intelligence through the perspectives of neuroscience, cognitive science, and computer science, integrating studies of the brain, the mind, and the computations needed to create intelligent machines. This interdisciplinary approach has accelerated the pace of research aimed at understanding how intelligent agents use vision to recognize objects and events; navigate through a complex, dynamic environment; use language to communicate; and develop a conscious awareness of the world. Through exploration of current research and hands-on computer activities, students will learn about methods used to probe neural circuits and visualize brain activity; investigate human performance and behavior; and build computer models that capture the remarkable abilities of biological systems.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: None. Open to First-Years only.
Distribution Requirements: NPS - Natural and Physical Sciences
Other Categories: FYS - First Year Seminar
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes:
This course delves deeper into key concepts in neuroscience that were introduced in NEUR 101, including neural circuits and brain disorders. The course will also introduce additional topics, such as computational approaches and sensory systems. In the associated laboratory students will learn neuroanatomy and histological techniques, as well as practice neuronal modeling and scientific communication.
Units: 1.25
Max Enrollment: 24
Prerequisites: NEUR 101.
Distribution Requirements: NPS - Natural and Physical Sciences; LAB - Natural and Physical Sciences Laboratory; EC - Epistemology and Cognition
Typical Periods Offered: Fall and Spring
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring
Notes:
This course will build on the foundation acquired in NEUR 101 and NEUR 201, focusing on a deeper understanding of specialized topics in neuroscience, including mechanisms of learning and memory, movement control, and cognition. Students will explore how these processes are studied across species and integrated at the systems and computational level. The accompanying laboratory provides experience with widely used neuroscience methodologies including animal behavioral analysis and electrophysiology. Students will learn to effectively communicate their research findings both orally and in writing.
This course has a required co-requisite laboratory - NEUR 202L.
Units: 1.25
Max Enrollment: 24
Prerequisites: NEUR 201 or NEUR 100 and one of the following - BISC 110, BISC 110P, BISC 112, BISC 112Y, BISC 116/CHEM 116, or permission of the instructor.
Distribution Requirements: LAB - Natural and Physical Sciences Laboratory; EC - Epistemology and Cognition; NPS - Natural and Physical Sciences
Typical Periods Offered: Fall and Spring
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring; Fall
Notes:
This is a required co-requisite lab for NEUR 202.
Units: 0
Max Enrollment: 12
Prerequisites: NEUR 201 or NEUR 100 and one of the following - BISC 110, BISC 110P, BISC 112, BISC 112Y, BISC 116/CHEM 116, or permission of the instructor.
Typical Periods Offered: Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Spring
Notes:
A guided group research project focusing on selected topics from the literature and experimental research methods of neuroscience. Specific topics will vary with each instructor and semester.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 8
Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor required. Intended for First-Years and Sophomores.
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes: This course may be repeated once for credit.
NEUR 250, NEUR 250H, NEUR 350, and NEUR 350H provide students with an opportunity to engage in research with a faculty member. More information is available on the Research and Internship Opportunities tab on the Neuroscience Department website. Registration takes place via the Registrar's Independent Study App.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 25
Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor.
Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Spring
Notes:
NEUR 250, NEUR 250H, NEUR 350, and NEUR 350H provide students with an opportunity to engage in research with a faculty member. More information is available on the Research and Internship Opportunities tab on the Neuroscience Department website. Registration takes place via the Registrar's Independent Study App.
Units: 0.5
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor.
Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Spring
Notes:
This upper-level neuroscience course is designed to prepare students for success in scientific research and facilitate professional development. Through an integrative approach, students will enhance their written and oral communication skills by learning to craft compelling research proposals, present their ideas effectively, and critique scientific literature. The course also explores diverse career options within and beyond neuroscience, including alternative career paths. Students will delve into current experimental methods in neuroscience, gaining a deeper understanding of cutting-edge techniques and how to apply them to their research. Additionally, the course emphasizes resilience training, equipping students with strategies to navigate the challenges of a scientific career, manage setbacks, and foster a growth mindset. By the end of the course, students will develop a comprehensive skill set that includes writing competitive grant applications, delivering impactful presentations, evaluating career opportunities, and building the emotional and professional resilience needed to thrive in their career.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 12
Prerequisites: NEUR 200 or NEUR 202.
Distribution Requirements: NPS - Natural and Physical Sciences; EC - Epistemology and Cognition
Typical Periods Offered: Fall and Spring
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Spring
Notes:
Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system. In this course, you will become familiar with the functions of glutamate in healthy neurotransmission, plasticity, and disease including stroke, epilepsy, schizophrenia, and drug addiction. In addition, you will continue to improve your ability to critically read scientific literature. This course is designed to be interactive, and lectures will be supplemented by in-class activities and discussions. In the laboratory portion of this course, you will have the opportunity to study the role of glutamate receptor mutations on C. elegans behavior, and study the role of glutamate receptors in long-term potentiation. Through these experiences you will improve your reading, critical thinking, writing, problem solving, and oral presentation skills.
This course has a required co-requisite Laboratory - NEUR 305L.
Units: 1.25
Max Enrollment: 12
Prerequisites: NEUR 200 or NEUR 202
Distribution Requirements: LAB - Natural and Physical Sciences Laboratory; EC - Epistemology and Cognition; NPS - Natural and Physical Sciences
Typical Periods Offered: Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall
Notes:
This is a required co-requisite laboratory for NEUR 305.
Units: 0
Max Enrollment: 12
Prerequisites: NEUR 200 or NEUR 202.
Typical Periods Offered: Spring
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall
Notes:
What are the neuronal mechanisms and computations that allow an animal to translate sensory information into appropriate decisions and behavior? Neuroethology seeks to understand how a nervous system translates information from the external and internal environment to behavior by examining the whole animal in its natural state. Topics will be introduced via textbook and primary literature and reviewed in lecture, followed by student-led presentations and discussions. What are the moral and societal implications of gaining a better understanding of how the brain controls behavior? We will end with an introduction to the neuroscience of morality and philosophy. This is a Maurer Public Speaking course and will offer multiple opportunities to learn and practice skills for speaking for a technical and non-technical audience.
This course has a required co-requisite Laboratory - NEUR 310L.
Units: 1.25
Max Enrollment: 12
Prerequisites: NEUR 200 or NEUR 202, or permission of the instructor. Not open to First-Years.
Distribution Requirements: LAB - Natural and Physical Sciences Laboratory; NPS - Natural and Physical Sciences
Typical Periods Offered: Spring
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring
Notes: Ann E. Maurer '51 Speaking Intensive Course. No programming experience required.
This is a required co-requisite laboratory for NEUR 310.
Units: 0
Max Enrollment: 12
Prerequisites: NEUR 200 or NEUR 202, or permission of the instructor. Not open to First-Years.
Typical Periods Offered: Spring
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring
Notes:
What are the neuronal mechanisms and computations that allow an animal to translate sensory information into appropriate decisions and behavior? Neuroethology seeks to understand how a nervous system translates information from the external and internal environment to behavior by examining the whole animal in its natural state. Topics will be introduced via textbook and primary literature and reviewed in lecture, followed by student-led presentations and discussions. What are the moral and societal implications of gaining a better understanding of how the brain controls behavior? We will end with an introduction to the neuroscience of morality and philosophy. This is a Maurer Public Speaking course and will offer multiple opportunities to learn and practice skills for speaking for a technical and non-technical audience.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 12
Prerequisites: NEUR 200 or NEUR 202, or permission of the instructor. Not open to First-Years.
Distribution Requirements: NPS - Natural and Physical Sciences
Typical Periods Offered: Fall and Spring
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes: Ann E. Maurer '51 Speaking Intensive Course. No programming experience required.
Hormones act throughout the body to coordinate basic biological functions such as development, differentiation, and reproduction. This course will investigate how hormones act in the brain to regulate physiology and behavior. We will study how the major neuroendocrine axes regulate a variety of functions, including brain development, reproductive physiology and behavior, homeostasis, and stress. The regulation of these functions by hormones will be investigated at the molecular, cellular, and behavioral levels.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 12
Crosslisted Courses: BISC 315
Prerequisites: NEUR 200 or NEUR 202; or one of the following (BISC 110, BISC 110P, BISC 112, or BISC 112Y) and BISC 203; or BISC 116, CHEM 116 and BISC 203; or permission of the instructor. Open to Juniors and Seniors only.
Distribution Requirements: EC - Epistemology and Cognition; NPS - Natural and Physical Sciences
Typical Periods Offered: Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall
Notes:
This course will examine primary literature on neurodegenerative diseases. We will discuss primary research articles on various topics including, but not limited to, the underlying pathological mechanisms and clinical symptoms of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Throughout the course we will address aberrant protein aggregation, genetic variants, and therapeutic treatments associated with these two neurodegenerative diseases. The course will consist of student-led presentations of primary research articles, in-class discussions, writing assignments, and a video essay. Learning goals for this course include enhancing scientific literacy, critically examining research inequities, building teamwork skills, and practicing self-reflection.
Units: 1.25
Max Enrollment: 12
Prerequisites: NEUR 200 or NEUR 202.
Distribution Requirements: LAB - Natural and Physical Sciences Laboratory; EC - Epistemology and Cognition; NPS - Natural and Physical Sciences; LAB - Natural and Physical Sciences Laboratory; EC - Epistemology and Cognition; NPS - Natural and Physical Sciences
Typical Periods Offered: Spring
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Fall
Notes:
This is a required co-requisite lab for NEUR 320.
Units: 0
Max Enrollment: 12
Prerequisites: NEUR 200 or NEUR 202.
Typical Periods Offered: Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall
Notes:
Although we spend a major part of our lives sleeping, we understand surprisingly little about sleep and dreaming. In this course we will discuss recent advances made in the field of neuroscience of sleep. Course topics include basic neurobiology of sleep (what is sleep, how is it regulated) as well as specialized discussions of sleep-related learning and memory investigated in different model systems. You will get familiar with these topics through a combination of in-depth review sessions, in-class activities and student presentations of the primary literature. In the laboratory section of this course, we will design and execute a complete, novel, experiment with a small group. We will investigate sleep, learning and memory in different model organisms. The project groups will write up their results in a research article to be submitted to the undergraduate journal "Impulse". Assignments are given to hone presentation and writing skills and to give students the opportunity to explore their favorite topic in more detail. In this Maurer Public Speaking Intensive course, we will build towards presenting in front of a larger audience through multiple public speaking assignments.
This course has a required co-requisite Laboratory - NEUR 325L.
Units: 1.25
Max Enrollment: 12
Prerequisites: NEUR 100. Not open to First-Years.
Distribution Requirements: LAB - Natural and Physical Sciences Laboratory; EC - Epistemology and Cognition; NPS - Natural and Physical Sciences
Typical Periods Offered: Spring
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes: Ann E. Maurer '51 Speaking Intensive Course.
This is a required co-requisite laboratory for NEUR 325.
Units: 0
Max Enrollment: 12
Prerequisites: NEUR 100. Not open to First-Years.
Typical Periods Offered: Spring
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes:
This Calderwood Seminar explores the intersection of neuroscience, art, and society, with a strong emphasis on the value of diversity—both diversity in neuroscience research(-ers), and neurodiversity in society—and how to effectively communicate these topics to the public. Assignments will highlight the contributions of diverse scientists and neurodivergent artists, our individual experiences and how those are shaped by our memories, and the neural mechanisms of experiencing art. Students will create public-facing content that makes complex neuroscience accessible to all, through weekly assignments like writing neuroscience-inspired poetry, press releases, and zines. Through these tasks, students will develop their skills in translating scientific knowledge to a lay audience, with creativity and clarity. In keeping with the structure of the Calderwood seminar, weekly deadlines in this class are firm so as to allow classmates time to reflect and comment on each other’s work.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 12
Prerequisites: NEUR 200 or NEUR 202.
Distribution Requirements: ARS - Visual Arts, Music, Theater, Film and Video; NPS - Natural and Physical Sciences
Other Categories: CSPW - Calderwood Seminar in Public Writing
Typical Periods Offered: Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall
Notes:
Neuropharmacology is the study of how drugs act on the nervous system. In this course, you will learn the molecular mechanisms of drug action, increase your depth of knowledge of the various neurotransmitter systems, and apply this knowledge to understand how drugs are used to treat disorders of the nervous system including pain, sleep disorders, affective disorders, addiction, schizophrenia, neurodegeneration, seizures, and stroke. You will have the opportunity to discuss primary literature, lead class discussions, and investigate the properties of drugs that appear in the popular press. Through these experiences you will improve your reading, critical thinking, writing, and oral presentation skills.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 12
Prerequisites: NEUR 200 or NEUR 202, or permission of the instructor. Not open to First-Years.
Distribution Requirements: NPS - Natural and Physical Sciences
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Spring
Notes:
The electrical activities of neurons in the brain underlie all of our thoughts, perceptions, and memories. However, it is difficult to measure these neural activities experimentally, and also difficult to describe them precisely in ordinary language. For these reasons, mathematical models and computer simulations are increasingly used to bridge the gap between experimental measurements and hypothesized network function. This course will focus on the use of mathematical models and computer simulations to describe the functional dynamics of neurons in a variety of animals. Topics will range from single neuron biophysics to the analysis of circuits thought to underlie sensory perception and memory. Topics will be introduced by background lectures, followed by student-led presentations of primary literature and construction of a computer model of the system studied. Lab will introduce students to computer programming of mathematical models in MATLAB and the neuron-simulator NEURON.
This course has a required co-requisite Laboratory - NEUR 335L.
Units: 1.25
Max Enrollment: 12
Prerequisites: NEUR 200 and calculus at the level of MATH 115, or permission of the instructor.
Distribution Requirements: LAB - Natural and Physical Sciences Laboratory; MM - Mathematical Modeling and Problem Solving; NPS - Natural and Physical Sciences
Typical Periods Offered: Spring
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes: No programming experience is required.
This is a required co-requisite laboratory for NEUR 335.
Units: 0
Max Enrollment: 12
Prerequisites: NEUR 200 and calculus at the level of MATH 115, or permission of the instructor.
Typical Periods Offered: Spring
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes:
A guided group research project focusing on selected topics from the literature and experimental research methods of neuroscience. Specific topics will vary with each instructor and semester.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 8
Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor required. Intended for Juniors and Seniors.
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered
Notes: This course may be repeated once for credit.
NEUR 250, NEUR 250H, NEUR 350, and NEUR 350H provide students with an opportunity to engage in research with a faculty member. More information is available on the Research and Internship Opportunities tab on the Neuroscience Department website. Registration takes place via the Registrar's Independent Study App.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor. Open to juniors and seniors.
Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Spring
Notes:
NEUR 250, NEUR 250H, NEUR 350, and NEUR 350H provide students with an opportunity to engage in research with a faculty member. More information is available on the Research and Internship Opportunities tab on the Neuroscience Department website. Registration takes place via the Registrar's Independent Study App.
Units: 0.5
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor.
Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Spring
Notes:
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 15
Prerequisites: Permission of the department.
Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Spring
Notes: Students enroll in Senior Thesis Research (360) in the first semester and carry out independent work under the supervision of a faculty member. If sufficient progress is made, students may continue with Senior Thesis (370) in the second semester.
Units: 1
Max Enrollment: 25
Prerequisites: NEUR 360 and permission of the department.
Typical Periods Offered: Spring; Fall
Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Fall; Spring
Notes: Students enroll in Senior Thesis Research (360) in the first semester and carry out independent work under the supervision of a faculty member. If sufficient progress is made, students may continue with Senior Thesis (370) in the second semester.