TuTh 9:30-10:45
Location: Room: 215 Morrill III-South

schedule #407859

Course Organizer: Dr. Geert de Vries
E-Mail: gjd@cns.umass.edu
Office: 528 Tobin Hall
Phone: 545-0663

This is a core course required of all Neuroscience and Behavior Program PhD and MS students. The purpose of the course is to provide students with an overview of neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and the scientific study of behavior. The course is divided into three modules. In Part I the lectures will provide a basic understanding of the structure of the mammalian brain and illustrate the usefulness of approaching neuroscientific and neurological problems from a neuroanatomical perspective. The lab sessions will include dissecting sheep brain and studying plastinated sections of human brains. This section will conclude with a theoretical as well as a practical exam, which will test the ability to recognize brain structures. Part II will cover functional neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, in particular the neural control of vision, feeding, reproduction, sleep and circadian rhythms. Part III, students will be introduced to the study of behavior from evolutionary, developmental, neural, and methodological points of view.

Required Text:

Neuroscience/ D. Purves et al. (editors), Sinauer Associates & Lange; 4th edition;2008; ISBN: 978-0-87893-697-7

Recommended Study Aid:

The Human Brain Coloring Book by M.C. Diamond, Barnes and Noble Books.