Courses for Spring 2023

	Title	Instructors	Location	Time	Description	Cross listings	Fulfills	Registration notes	Syllabus URL
NRSC 0060-301	Music and the Brain	Michael Kaplan	GLAB 100	TR 12:00 PM-1:29 PM	Every human culture that has ever been described makes some form of music. The musics of different cultures cover a wide range of styles, but also display fascinating similarities, and a number of features are shared by even the most disparate musical traditions. Within our own culture, music is inescapable-there are very few individuals who do not listen to some form of music every day and far more who listen to music virtually all day long. Appreciation of music comes very early: newborns prefer music to normal speech and mothers all over the world sing to their babies in a fundamentally similar way. And yet, despite this seeming ubiquity, the real origin and purpose of music remains unknown. Music is obviously related to language, but how? Why do so many cultures make music in such fundamentally similar ways? What goes into the formation of music "taste" and preferences? Does music have survival value, or is it merely "auditory cheesecake", a superfluous byproduct of evolution as some critics have maintained? What is the nature of musical ability and how do musicians differ from non-musicians? In this course, we will look for answers by looking at the brain. Almost 200 years of scientific research into brain mechanisms underlying the production and appreciation of music is beginning to shed light on these and other questions. Although the sciences and the arts are often seen as entirely separate or even in opposition, studying the brain is actually telling us a lot about music, and studying music is telling us just as much about the brain.		Living World Sector
NRSC 1110-401	Introduction to Brain and Behavior	Michael Kane	COLL 200	TR 10:15 AM-11:44 AM	Introduction to the structure and function of the vertebrate nervous system. We begin with the cellular basis of neuronal activities, then discuss the physiological bases of motor control, sensory systems, motivated behaviors, and higher mental processes. This course is intended for students interested in the neurobiology of behavior, ranging from animal behaviors to clinical disorders.	BIOL1110401, PSYC1210401	Living World Sector		https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202310&c=NRSC1110401
NRSC 1110-402	Introduction to Brain and Behavior	Venkata Sai Chaluvadi	LLAB 104	M 8:30 AM-9:59 AM	Introduction to the structure and function of the vertebrate nervous system. We begin with the cellular basis of neuronal activities, then discuss the physiological bases of motor control, sensory systems, motivated behaviors, and higher mental processes. This course is intended for students interested in the neurobiology of behavior, ranging from animal behaviors to clinical disorders.	BIOL1110402, PSYC1210402	Living World Sector
NRSC 1110-403	Introduction to Brain and Behavior	Adriana Hernandez Vasquez	OTHR IP	M 10:15 AM-11:44 AM	Introduction to the structure and function of the vertebrate nervous system. We begin with the cellular basis of neuronal activities, then discuss the physiological bases of motor control, sensory systems, motivated behaviors, and higher mental processes. This course is intended for students interested in the neurobiology of behavior, ranging from animal behaviors to clinical disorders.	BIOL1110403, PSYC1210403	Living World Sector
NRSC 1110-404	Introduction to Brain and Behavior	Marissa Maroni	LLAB 104	M 12:00 PM-1:29 PM	Introduction to the structure and function of the vertebrate nervous system. We begin with the cellular basis of neuronal activities, then discuss the physiological bases of motor control, sensory systems, motivated behaviors, and higher mental processes. This course is intended for students interested in the neurobiology of behavior, ranging from animal behaviors to clinical disorders.	BIOL1110404, PSYC1210404	Living World Sector
NRSC 1110-405	Introduction to Brain and Behavior	Sierra Foshe	OTHR IP	M 1:45 PM-3:14 PM	Introduction to the structure and function of the vertebrate nervous system. We begin with the cellular basis of neuronal activities, then discuss the physiological bases of motor control, sensory systems, motivated behaviors, and higher mental processes. This course is intended for students interested in the neurobiology of behavior, ranging from animal behaviors to clinical disorders.	BIOL1110405, PSYC1210405	Living World Sector
NRSC 1110-406	Introduction to Brain and Behavior	Sarah Applebey	OTHR IP	M 3:30 PM-4:59 PM	Introduction to the structure and function of the vertebrate nervous system. We begin with the cellular basis of neuronal activities, then discuss the physiological bases of motor control, sensory systems, motivated behaviors, and higher mental processes. This course is intended for students interested in the neurobiology of behavior, ranging from animal behaviors to clinical disorders.	BIOL1110406, PSYC1210406	Living World Sector
NRSC 1110-407	Introduction to Brain and Behavior	Brianna Disanza	OTHR IP	M 5:15 PM-6:44 PM	Introduction to the structure and function of the vertebrate nervous system. We begin with the cellular basis of neuronal activities, then discuss the physiological bases of motor control, sensory systems, motivated behaviors, and higher mental processes. This course is intended for students interested in the neurobiology of behavior, ranging from animal behaviors to clinical disorders.	BIOL1110407, PSYC1210407	Living World Sector
NRSC 1110-408	Introduction to Brain and Behavior	David Goldberg	OTHR IP	M 7:00 PM-8:29 PM	Introduction to the structure and function of the vertebrate nervous system. We begin with the cellular basis of neuronal activities, then discuss the physiological bases of motor control, sensory systems, motivated behaviors, and higher mental processes. This course is intended for students interested in the neurobiology of behavior, ranging from animal behaviors to clinical disorders.	BIOL1110408, PSYC1210408	Living World Sector
NRSC 1110-409	Introduction to Brain and Behavior	Marcos Sanchez Navarro	OTHR IP	T 8:30 AM-9:59 AM	Introduction to the structure and function of the vertebrate nervous system. We begin with the cellular basis of neuronal activities, then discuss the physiological bases of motor control, sensory systems, motivated behaviors, and higher mental processes. This course is intended for students interested in the neurobiology of behavior, ranging from animal behaviors to clinical disorders.	BIOL1110409, PSYC1210409	Living World Sector
NRSC 1110-601	Introduction to Brain and Behavior	Judith Mclean	GLAB 100	TR 5:15 PM-6:44 PM	Introduction to the structure and function of the vertebrate nervous system. We begin with the cellular basis of neuronal activities, then discuss the physiological bases of motor control, sensory systems, motivated behaviors, and higher mental processes. This course is intended for students interested in the neurobiology of behavior, ranging from animal behaviors to clinical disorders.	BIOL1110601, PSYC1210601	Living World Sector
NRSC 1110-602	Introduction to Brain and Behavior	Grace Mcmahon Digiovanni Judith Mclean	LLAB 104	M 5:15 PM-6:44 PM	Introduction to the structure and function of the vertebrate nervous system. We begin with the cellular basis of neuronal activities, then discuss the physiological bases of motor control, sensory systems, motivated behaviors, and higher mental processes. This course is intended for students interested in the neurobiology of behavior, ranging from animal behaviors to clinical disorders.	BIOL1110602, PSYC1210602	Living World Sector
NRSC 1110-603	Introduction to Brain and Behavior	Jacob T Lewin Judith Mclean	LLAB 104	W 5:15 PM-6:44 PM	Introduction to the structure and function of the vertebrate nervous system. We begin with the cellular basis of neuronal activities, then discuss the physiological bases of motor control, sensory systems, motivated behaviors, and higher mental processes. This course is intended for students interested in the neurobiology of behavior, ranging from animal behaviors to clinical disorders.	BIOL1110603, PSYC1210603	Living World Sector
NRSC 1160-001	ABCS of Everyday Neuroscience	Loretta Flanagan-Cato	OTHR IP	TR 10:15 AM-11:44 AM	This course is an opportunity for undergraduates to share their interest and enthusiasm for neuroscience with students in grades 9-12 attending urban public schools in West Philadelphia. The course will allow Penn students to develop their science communication and teaching skills. Students will prepare neuroscience demonstrations, hands-on activities, and assessment tools. In parallel, the course aims to engage local high school students, increasing their interest and knowledge in science, and ultimately promoting lifelong science literacy.			Perm Needed From Instructor	https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202310&c=NRSC1160001
NRSC 2217-401	Visual Neuroscience	Long Ni Alan A Stocker	GLAB 101	MWF 10:15 AM-11:14 AM	An introduction to the scientific study of vision, with an emphasis on the biological substrate and its relation to behavior. Topics will typically include physiological optics, transduction of light, visual thresholds, color vision, anatomy and physiology of the visual pathways, and the cognitive neuroscience of vision.	PSYC2240401, VLST2170401	Living World Sector
NRSC 2233-001	Neuroethology	Judith Mclean	GLAB 101	TR 1:45 PM-3:14 PM	In course, students will learn how neurobiologists study the relationship between neural circuitry and behavior. Behaviors such as bat echolocation, birdsong, insect olfaction, spatial navigation, eye movement and others will be used to explore fundamental principles of brain function that include brain oscillations, population codes, efference copy, sensorimotor maps and sleep replay. The course will also discuss the various methodologies that are used to address these questions. The reading material will be derived mostly from the primary literature.
NRSC 2240-001	Chronobiology and Sleep	David M Raizen			Topics to be covered include basic principles of chronobiology; neuroscience mechanisms of circadian rhythms and sleep; phylogeny and ontongeny of sleep; human sleep and sleep disorders; circadian dysfunction; circadian and sleep homeostatic influences in human health and safety.
NRSC 2249-401	Cognitive Neuroscience	Michael Arcaro Linfeng Han	DRLB A8	TR 1:45 PM-3:14 PM	The study of the neural systems that underlie human perception, memory and language; and of the pathological syndromes that result from damage to these systems.	PSYC1230401	Natural Sciences & Mathematics Sector
NRSC 2260-401	Neuroendocrinology	Loretta Flanagan-Cato	FAGN 216	TR 1:45 PM-3:14 PM	This course is designed to examine the various roles played by the nervous and endocrine systems in controlling both physiological processes and behavior. First, the course will build a foundation in the concepts of neural and endocrine system function. Then, we will discuss how these mechanisms form the biological underpinnings of various behaviors and their relevant physiological correlates. We will focus on sexual and parental behaviors, stress, metabolism, neuroendocrine-immune interactions, and mental health.	PSYC2260401			https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202310&c=NRSC2260401
NRSC 2269-001	Autonomic Physiology	Jennifer N Heerding	LLAB 109	TR 12:00 PM-1:29 PM	This course will introduce the student to the functioning of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), which is critically involved in the maintenance of body homeostasis through regulation of behavior and physiology. The course will begin with a review of the basic anatomy and physiology of the ANS including the sympathetic, parasympathetic and enteric divisions. The mechanisms by which the ANS regulates peripheral tissues will be discussed, including reflex and regulatory functions, as will the effect of drugs which modulate ANS activity. The role of the ANS in regulating behavior will be addressed in the context of thirst, salt appetite and food intake.				https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202310&c=NRSC2269001
NRSC 2273-401	Neuroeconomics	Christian Benitez Joseph W Kable	LEVN 111	TR 3:30 PM-4:59 PM	This course will introduce students to neuroeconomics, a field of research that combines economic, psychological, and neuroscientific approaches to study decision-making. The course will focus on our current understanding of how our brains give rise to decisions, and how this knowledge might be used to constrain or advance economic and psychological theories of decision-making. Topics covered will include how individuals make decisions under conditions of uncertainty, how groups of individuals decide to cooperate or compete, and how decisions are shaped by social context, memories, and past experience.	PSYC2555401	Living World Sector
NRSC 3334-401	Computational Neuroscience Lab	Yuzhang Chen Nicole C Rust	TOWN 315	TR 10:15 AM-11:44 AM	This course will focus on computational neuroscience from the combined perspective of data collection, data analysis, and computational modeling. These issues will be explored through lectures as well as Matlab-based tutorials and exercises. The course requires no prior knowledge of computer programming and a limited math background, but familiarity with some basic statistical concepts will be assumed. The course is an ideal preparation for students interested in participating in a more independent research experience in one of the labs on campus.	PSYC3281401
NRSC 3375-101	Laboratory in Animal Behavior	Michael Kane	LLAB 104	R 12:00 PM-2:59 PM	This course will allow students to understand the variety, function, and evolution of complex behaviors in simple animals and how the genes governing these behaviors can be used to provide insight into human behavior and brain disease. The course is structured to allow students to experience what it is like to work in a neuroscience research laboratory. We will use the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) as our model organism (with one class dedicated to song birds). Over the course of the semester, we will examine the underlying neurobiology, physiology, and genetics of a variety of fly behaviors to understand aggression, taste, learning and memory, courtship, neurodegenerative diseases, and circadian rhythms. We will review both current and historical research advances in detail by focusing on primary literature. Students will be expected to design, analyze and interpret the behavioral experiments that are employed. Students will learn how to conduct animal behavior research, enhance their ability to critically read scientific literature, and improve their written and oral communication skills through paper presentations and written reports.				https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202310&c=NRSC3375101
NRSC 3492-101	Experimental Methods in Synaptic Physiology	Michael Kaplan			In this lab course, a small number of students meet once per week to discuss topics in synaptic physiology and to become proficient at sharp electrode techniques for intracellular recording, using isolated ganglia from the snail Heliosoma. The first part of each class will consist of discussion of weekly reading from the primary literature, with the remainder of the class devoted to hands-on experiments. After learning to record from and characterize single neurons, students will study synaptic transmission by stimulating incoming nerve trunks or by recording from pairs of interconnected neurons. As a midterm assignment, students will prepare and present a short research proposal using this model system, to be evaluated by the class. For the last half of the course, the class will work together on one or two of these proposals, meeting at the end of each class to pool our data, analyze the results and discuss their significance.			Perm Needed From Instructor
NRSC 3999-001	Independent Research				Individual research of an experimental nature with a member of the standing faculty leading to a written paper. The grade is based primarily on a serious term paper describing original research carried out by the student. Students must submit a proposal prior to registering. During the semester, students must attend two seminars to discuss planning and independent research project, ethical concerns in research and writing a scientific paper. Attendance at the meetings is mandatory. Students doing more than one credit of independent study will be required to present a poster at the annual Student Research Symposium.			Perm Needed From Instructor
NRSC 4421-301	Functional Imaging of the Human Brain	Arielle Keller	PSYL A30	F 12:00 PM-2:59 PM	The course will provide a detailed overview of functional brain imaging and its potential uses. Issues regarding advantages and disadvantages of different modalities, study design image analysis & interpretation and how these relate to various neurological & psycholigical phenomena will be discussed. Class will cover the following specific topics in this general time frame: Introduction to functional brain function, basics of nuclear medicine imaging (including instrumentation, image acquisition, and radiopharmaceuticals for positron emission tomography and single photon emission computed tomography), imaging of neurological disorders, imaging of psychological disorders, introduction to activation studies, image analysis and statistical problems, study design, literature review, journal article presentation, tour of Penn imaging facilities, interpretation of imaging studies, implications for clinical and research, and implications for understanding the human mind and consciousness.				https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202310&c=NRSC4421301
NRSC 4425-601	Neurotechnology: From Concept to Clinic	Mijail Serruya	GLAB 102	M 5:15 PM-8:14 PM	The nervous system, and in particular the brain, remains the least understood part of the human body and is also the site of devastating, irreversible injury and disease. This course reviews wearable and implantable medical devices and surgical techniques that have been developed to treat conditions of the nervous system. The course will begin with a review of human neuroanatomy and neurophysiology and proceed to establish benchmarks and context for evaluating device efficacy. Contrasts with pharmaceuticals and the emergence of "electroceuticals" will be discussed. An overview of the bench-to-bedside process will be provided and then we will cycle through a series of major neuro-related medical devices (cochlear implants, deep brain stimulators, epiretinal arrays, responsive neurostimulators, spinal cord stimulators, functional electrical stimulation), and surgical approaches (nerve grafts, tendon transfers). The course will conclude with a focus on brain-computer interfaces and autologous engineered neural constructs and explore the ethical and medical implications of implanting such devices in able-bodied people, bottlenecks in enhancement and critical evaluation of the idea of superintelligence. This course may be of interest to students interested in pursuing careers in medicine, surgery, artificial intelligence, software development, medical device design, electrical engineering, and business.
NRSC 4430-601	The Cognitive Neuroscience of Autism	John D Herrington	WILL 220	MW 7:00 PM-8:29 PM	This course examines neurobiological mechanisms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The cognitive neuroscience literature on autism will be roughly categorized around major theoretical models and their relation to autism, focusing on cognitive neuroscience and functional brain imaging, along with some structural imaging and EEG.
NRSC 4440-301	The Neuroscience behind the addiction to chocolate, wine, coffee and tobacco	Mariella De Biasi	DRLB 4E9	TR 10:15 AM-11:44 AM	Both clinical observations and popular culture support the idea that food might have addictive properties. Similar to the narrative for addictive drugs,individuals and the media use terms like "food addict" and "chocoholic", and refer to cravings, symptoms of withdrawal, and escalating patterns of eating that might be viewed as evidence of tolerance. The class will discuss chocolate and coffee as examples of so-called "addictive" food and compare their effects and mechanisms with those of alcohol and nicotine, two substances with well-characterzed addictive properties. Furthermore, we will discuss why some forms of overeating are thought to reflect an addictive behavior. Considering the social dimension of alcohol,coffee, and tobacco consumption and the fact that large numbers of the population consume them together, we will also discuss the possible interactive effects of combinationsof these psychoactive substances on mood and disease state. At the end of the course the student will become familiar with the diagnostic criteria for substance dependence, the anatomy and physiology of the brain circuits involvedin reward processing and drug depencence, and the neurotransmitter systems involved.
NRSC 4475-301	Neurodegenerative Diseases	Mary Ellen Kelly	FAGN 214	TR 1:45 PM-3:14 PM	This course will familiarize students with advances in our understanding of the clinical features and pathogenesis of a wide range of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, prion diseases, Parkinson's disease and atypical parkinsonisms, neurodegenerative ataxias, motoneuron diseases, degenerative diseases with chorea, iron and copper disorders, and mitochondrial diseases. Students will analyze original research reports on a range of proposed pathological cellular processes that may represent steps in cell dealth pathways leading to neuron loss seen in these diseases. Significant emphasis will be placed on the fast-expanding fieldexploring genetic contributions to neurodegenerative disease, as identification of genetic mutations pathogenenic for familial neurodegenerative diseases has been a major driving force in neurodegenerative research and pointed researchers towards essential molecular process that may underlie these disorders. Strategies for therapeutic intervention in the management, prevention, and cure of neurodegenerative disease will be addressed.				https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202310&c=NRSC4475301
NRSC 4485-301	Nerve and Muscle in Health and Disease	Stephen Hollingworth	DRLB 4N30	TR 10:15 AM-11:44 AM	In this seminar course, we will deepen our understanding about excitability in the nervous system and in skeletal and cardiac muscle. A particular focus of the course will be the roles which calcium ions play as second messengers in nerve, muscle and synapse. We will study disease processes involving excitability and calcium handling, such as Long QT syndrome and hyperkalemic periodic paralysis. The later part of the course will have a journal club format, based on the reading and presentation of original papers, including papers about non-opioid analgesia and malignant hyperthermia. We will learn about the techniques used to study intracellular calcium and about how calcium is handled in nerve and muscle. Classical, physiological experiments will be interpreted in terms of modern molecular knowledge.				https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202310&c=NRSC4485301
NRSC 4999-001	Advanced Independent Research	Judith Mclean	LLAB 109	M 1:45 PM-3:14 PM	Continuation of NRSC 3999 research. Students will be required to attend weekly Honors Seminar meetings and give an oral presentation of their research at the annual Student Research Symposium.			Perm Needed From Instructor
NRSC 5585-401	Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience	Vijay Balasubramanian	LEVN 111	TR 8:30 AM-9:59 AM	This course will develop theoretical and computational approaches to structural and functional organization in the brain. The course will cover: (i) the basic biophysics of neural responses, (ii) neural coding and decoding with an emphasis on sensory systems, (iii) approaches to the study of networks of neurons, (iv) models of adaptation, learning and memory, (v) models of decision making, and (vi) ideas that address why the brain is organized the way that it is. The course will be appropriate for advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students. A knowledge of multi-variable calculus, linear algebra and differential equations is required (except by permission of the instructor). Prior exposure to neuroscience and/or Matlab programming will be helpful.	BE5300401, NGG5940401, PHYS5585401, PSYC5390401	Natural Sciences & Mathematics Sector