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Introduction to Neuroscience - MIT 9.01

Class length: 16 weeks. Start anytime.

Creator: amyk

Status: Established

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Description

This course is an introduction to the mammalian nervous system, with emphasis on the structure and function of the human brain. Topics include the function of nerve cells, sensory systems, control of movement, learning and memory, and diseases of the brain.

Level: Undergraduate

Instructors: Prof. Mark Bear, Prof. Sebastian Seung

Course Meeting Times Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session

Recitations: 1 session / week, 1 hour / session

Goals: To provide a systematic introduction to the mammalian nervous system, emphasizing the structural and functional organization of the human brain. To expose students to the field of neuroscience and some of the neuroscientists at MIT.

Content: This course begins with the study of nerve cells: their structure, the propagation of nerve impulses and transfer of information between nerve cells, the effect of drugs on this process, and the development of nerve cells into the brain and spinal cord. We then move to the sensory systems such as olfaction, hearing, and vision and discuss how physical energy such as light is converted into neural signals, where these signals travel in the brain, and how they are processed. Next we study the control of voluntary movement. Finally, we cover the neurochemical bases of brain diseases and those systems which control motivation, emotion, learning and memory.

Warning: the reading assignments are substantial

Prerequisites and Difficulty

None

Materials and Technical Requirements

Textbook: Bear, Mark F., Barry W. Connors, and Michael A. Paradiso. Neuroscience: Exploring the Brain, 3rd ed. Baltimore, MD: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2006. ISBN: 9780781760034. [Preview in Google Books.]