OMG CLASSES!!!
My classes are listed!! If you are curious, here they be!!
Session 1 (August/September):
Introduction to Neuroscience Methods and Lab
- Offered Term 1 - T,TH 10-11:30 a.m. in room S640
- This course provides an introduction to the recording of signals from live neurons using microscopic and electrophysiologic methods. The course introduces the basics of instrumentation in the recording of real time biological signals. We then show how these principles are applied in the design and execution of microscopy and electrophysiology experiments on live neurons in culture and acute neuronal slices. The course is designed to run in parallel with a lab course.
- Offered Term 1 – M or W 9a.m.–12p.m. in room S640
- This is the laboratory course that is designed to run in parallel with the Introductory Neuroscience Methods lecture course. The lab is designed to give students hands on experience applying the ideas for real time recording of microscopic and neurophysiological signals. This course will prepare the students to directly apply what they have learned in the lecture course to their actual application in under real experimental conditions.
Molecular Methods
Organization of the Cell
Research Rotation
Session 2 (October/November):
Anatomy & Development of the Nervous System
- Offered Term 2 – M,W, F 3:45–4:45 p.m. in room N317
- Anatomy and Development of the Nervous System is designed to introduce the graduate student to the basic structure and function of the nervous system, and describe its rough development. It is intended for first year graduate students without any specific advanced knowledge of neuroscience. It should be readily accessible to all graduate students at Baylor College of Medicine, but it is a required core course for Neuroscience graduate students. The first 10 lectures in the course cover the basic anatomy of the nervous system, starting with somatosensory pathways, then moving to motor control systems. We next cover the anatomy of the auditory, visual and olfactory systems before discussing the limbic forebrain and cerebral cortex. The second half of the class covers development of the nervous system, starting with neuronal induction, differentiation and migration. We then cover axon guidance, target recognition and synapse formation and elimination before finishing with a discussion of neural circuit development.
Genetics for Neuroscience
- Offered Term 2 – T, Th 2:00–3:30 p.m. in room S640
- This course integrates Genetics into Neuroscience and is intended to teach neuroscience students how to tackle neurobiological problems using genetic strategies and tools. In the introduction, students will be exposed to the basic concepts in genetics. After this introductory lecture, we will explain the advantages and approaches used in invertebrate model organisms, C. elegans and D. melanogaster. This will focus on different genetic, cell biological and neurobiological tools available in these organisms and will cover 5 lectures. In the 2nd part, we will switch to vertebrate genetics, focusing on mouse genetics, highlighting the different techniques and approaches commonly in the mouse and finally we will discuss genetic approaches in humans in the last 2 lectures.
Science as a Profession - Ethics
Research Rotation
Session 3 (January/February):
Analyses of Neuronal Function
- Offered Term 3 – TBD in room S640 (Course #GS-NE-431)
- This course will cover all basic aspects of the intrinsic electrophysiological properties of neurons and of synaptic transmission. It will also introduce principles of synaptic integration and plasticity. Topics covered include: the resting membrane potential, passive spread of membrane signals, structure and function of voltage gated and ligand gated ion channels, active electrogenic properties of dendrites and axons, mechanisms of action potential conduction, presynaptic mechanisms of neurotransmitter vesicle filling, storage, exocytosis and endocytosis, neurotransmitter transporters and clearance, postsynaptic receptors and signal transduction pathways, synaptic structure and dynamics.
Neurobiology of Sensation
- Offered Term 3 – M,W,F 3:30–4:30 p.m. in room S640 (Course #GS-NE-433)
- This course provides an overview of basic Systems Neuroscience from a modern perspective. The course covers the mechanisms of sensory transduction in various modalities, the development and organization of sensory pathways using the visual system as an example, the control and execution of motor programs at various levels of the central nervous system and their final transduction in motor actions. In addition, the course covers the relation between neural activity and sensory perception as well as higher cognitive processes (e.g., working memory, attention) using several well-studied examples. Finally, the course provides an introduction to how sensory information is processed within nervous systems at the network and single cell level, as well as how that processing leads to specific motor actions.
Research Rotation
Term 4 (March/April):
Higher Brain Function
- Offered Term 3 – T, Th 2:30–4 p.m. in room S640 (Course #GS-NE-434)
- This course discusses aspects of systems’ neuroscience related to higher brain function. In the first part of the course, the role of the limbic system in higher brain functions such as memory, attention, and emotions is considered. The second part of the course covers the role of the extended amygdala and the mesolimbic system in reward and addiction. Part III of the course will engage students in discussion of human brain processes including decision making, goal directed learning and the representation of self and others.
Neurobiology of Disease
- Offered Term 4 – F 3–5p.m. in room S640 (Course #GS-NE-422)
- This course covers some of the most important and scientifically tractable disorders of nervous system function. The course will expose the students to the incidence, clinical manifestations, pathophysiology and current scientific models of the causes and mechanisms of disorders of the adult brain. The course is a problem-based small group session that is largely taught through guided formal student presentations. Faculty from BCM and other universities work intensively with students to help them prepare their lectures. The first hour of each session is a formal lecture presented by students that introduces the clinical presentation of the disease, its etiology, epidemiology, and current treatment strategies. The lecture then introduces advances made in the scientific understanding of the disease process at the molecular, cellular and systems’ level. In the second hour, students lead the discussion of research papers that have led to a conceptual breakthrough in understanding the disease. They include animal models or human studies or a combination of the two. Each presentation concludes with an open discussion and critique of the presentation by the entire group, with the two mentor faculty present to facilitate and guide the discussion.
The course is mandatory for first year Neuroscience students and may be taken as an elective by other students. Topics covered include: stroke, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, seizure disorders, brain tumors, multiple sclerosis„ amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, brain and spinal cord injury, addiction, depression and schizophrenia.
Research Rotation
Electives!!
Concepts of Learning and Memory
- Offered 4th Term, M,W,F; 9-10 a.m. in room N-317 (Course #GS-NE-462J)
- This course is designed to introduce graduate students to the field of learning and memory. This field has exploded in the last few years with the introduction of new techniques, new approaches, and new concepts. The course will introduce the student to classical and modern concepts of learning and memory across all levels at which learning and memory is studied, inlcuding behavioral, anatomical, cellular, molecular and genetic levels of analysis. The basic concepts of learning and memory will also be related to known diseases of learning and memory.
Developmental Brain Disorders
- Offered Term 4 – M,W 3–4:30 p.m. in room N317 (Course #GS-NE-437)
- This course will focus on developmental brain disorders, such as Fragile X syndrome, Rett syndrome, disorders of neuronal migration and heritable epilepsies. Lectures and Discussions will focus on the molecular basis of these disorders and understanding how these molecular abnormalities produce neurological deficits. Emphasis will also be placed on discussing potential therapeutics through an understanding of the molecular basis of the disease. The goals of the course will be:
- To instruct graduate students in the medical aspects of developmental brain disorders
- To instruct medical students in the scientific approaches used to study developmental brain disorders
- To instruct both sets of students in the most current understanding of molecular pathobiology and to increase awareness of and interest in translational research as applied to these diseases.
Law, Brains & Behavior
- Offered Term 1 & 2 – M 6:30 – 9:30pm at Rice University (GS-NE-438)
- This course addresses how new discoveries in neuroscience will intersect with the making of law, the punishment of criminals, and the development of new rehabilitation strategies. The readings will bring together a unique conjunction of neurobiology, legal scholarship, and policy making. The goals of the course will be to facilitate an understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of behaviors that are subject to legal consequences for individuals and groups, and using this emerging base of scientific information to design modern, evidence-based policy.
Emerging questions at the interface of law and neuroscience include: Is it a legitimate defense to claim that a tumor or a brain injury ‘made you do it’? In what ways are the brains of minors similar or different from adult brains in their capacity for decision-making and impulse control – and how do those similarities/differences help inform policy for punishment and rehabilitation? Can modern technologies such as structural and/or functional brain imaging be leveraged for rehabilitation? Who should have access to information about our brains? How should juries assess responsibility, given that most behaviors are driven by systems of the brain that we cannot control?
In conjunction with currently available literature on the topic, individual student projects will study and develop suggestions for new experiments and evidence-based policy. An example would be designing experiments that could identify neural signatures predictive of recidivism, and developing the policy structures in which these predictions should be used.
Introduction to fMRI
- Offered Term 1&2 – Tues 2:00–5:00 p.m. at UT MSB, 6431 Fannin St (GS-NE-439)
- The course is a combination of didactic lectures on fMRI, reviews of the published literature, and small group discussion. Students work in small groups to design an fMRI experiment on a topic of interest. Practical advice on designing and conducting fMRI experiments are emphasized.
Neuropharmacology
- Offered 3rd Term, 3:30-5 p.m. in room S744 (Course #370-425J)
- The objectives of this course are to examine how pharmacological agents have been used to elucidate the function of neurotransmitter systems in the central nervous system. In addition, the mechanism of some clinically effective drugs are reviewed in terms of the structure and function of the brain. The textbook used for this class will be Molecular Neuropharmacology: A Foundation for Clinical Neuroscience, by Nestler, Hyman and Malenka. 3 credits.
OK to be fair, there was way too much information in that. I’m just excited :D
