| Title | Instructors | Location | Time | Description | Cross listings | Fulfills | Registration notes | Syllabus | Syllabus URL | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NRSC 0060-301 | Music and the Brain | Michael Kaplan | LERN 210 | 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 | ||||
| NRSC 1110-402 | Introduction to Brain and Behavior | Jessie Greenslade Michael Kane |
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 | Michael Kane Lilly Ryll |
LLAB 104 | 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 | Michael Kane Kevin Sun |
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 | Carris Borland Michael Kane |
LLAB 104 | 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 | Claudia Heymach Michael Kane |
LLAB 104 | 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 | Tariq Cannonier Michael Kane |
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 | Michael Kane Emily Meyer |
LLAB 104 | 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 | Misgana Y Ghidewon Michael Kane |
LLAB 104 | 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 101 | 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 | https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&c=NRSC1110601 | |||
| NRSC 1110-602 | Introduction to Brain and Behavior | 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 | 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 | LEVN 111 | 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. | https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&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 | COHN 402 | 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. | https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&c=NRSC2233001 | |||||
| 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 Margaret Gardner Jamielyn R. Samper |
COLL 200 | 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 | https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&c=NRSC2249401 | |||
| 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 2350-001 | Developmental Neurobiology | Kristen Ashley Hipolit Ronni Kurzion |
GLAB 101 | TR 10:15 AM-11:44 AM | This course will focus on cellular and molecular mechanisms of the organogenesis of the central nervous system. A goal of the course will be to understand the form, function and pathology of the adult nervous system in terms of antecedent developmental processes. | ||||||
| NRSC 3334-401 | Computational Neuroscience Lab | Nicole C Rust | LLAB 109 | 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. | ||||||
| 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. | ||||||||
| NRSC 4421-301 | Functional Imaging of the Human Brain | Arielle Keller | FAGN 214 | 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=202410&c=NRSC4421301 | |||||
| NRSC 4422-601 | Neuroimmunology | Yeong Shin Yim | GLAB 102 | MW 5:15 PM-6:44 PM | This seminar will focus on how immune and central nervous systems communicate and influence each other. We begin with the anatomical and cellular basis of the thymus, gut, and brain, then discuss the connection between these organs and how these connections can influence neurological disorders. The class includes lectures, analysis of scientific literature, class discussions, and journal presentations. The course requires no prior knowledge of neuroimmunology, but understanding of basic neuroscience and immunology principles will be assumed. | ||||||
| NRSC 4429-401 | Seminar in Sleep and Memory | Anna Schapiro | GLAB 100 | F 1:45 PM-4:44 PM | Why do we sleep? This question has puzzled scientists for centuries, but one reason emerging from research in the area is that sleep is critical for forming, retaining, and transforming our memories. This seminar explores human and animal research in psychology and neuroscience that has shed light on how sleep carries out these functions. Topics will include the different stages of sleep and their roles in memory consolidation, its neural systems involved in representing memory at different timescales, and the role of dreams in processing memories. | PSYC3300401 | |||||
| NRSC 4430-601 | The Cognitive Neuroscience of Autism | John D Herrington | GLAB 102 | 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 | STIT 263 | 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 4473-401 | Neuroeconomics Seminar | Joseph W Kable | CANCELED | This seminar will review recent research that combines psychological, economic, and neuroscientific approaches to study human and animal decision-making. The course will focus on our current state of knowledge regarding the neuroscience of decision-making, and how evidence concerning the neural processes associated with choices might be used to constrain or advance economic and psychological theories of decision-making. Topics covered will include decisions involving risk and uncertainty, decisions that involve learning from experience, decisions in strategic interactions and games, and social preferences. Prerequisite: Psychology 149, 153, or 165, or permission of the instructor. | PSYC3790401 | ||||||
| NRSC 4475-301 | A Neural Systems Approach to Brain Disorders | Mary Ellen Kelly | EDUC 007 FAGN 214 |
T 1:45 PM-3:14 PM R 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. | ||||||
| NRSC 4482-301 | Clinical Psychopharmacology | Samantha M Fortin | GLAB 100 | TR 12:00 PM-1:29 PM | This course examines the history, rationale and putative mechanism of action of drugs used in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Emphasis is placed on neurobiological processes underlying psychopathology and pharmacological intervention. Drugs currently in use as well as new drugs in development will be covered. Strategies, techniques, issues and challenges of clinical psychopharmacological research will be addressed and new approaches to drug discovery, including the use of pharmacogenomics and proteomics to understand variability in drug response and identify new molecular drug targets, will be covered in depth. Specific drug classes to be considered include antidepressants, anxiolytics, typical and atypical antipsychotics, narcotic analgesics, sedative hypnotics, and antiepileptic medications. A contrasting theme throughout the course will be the use of drugs as probes to identify neural substrates of behavior. | https://coursesintouch.apps.upenn.edu/cpr/jsp/fast.do?webService=syll&t=202410&c=NRSC4482301 | |||||
| NRSC 4485-301 | Nerve and Muscle in Health and Disease | Stephen Hollingworth | GLAB 102 | 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=202410&c=NRSC4485301 | |||||
| NRSC 4999-001 | Advanced Independent Research | Judith Mclean | FAGN 116 | 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. | ||||||
| NRSC 5585-401 | Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience | Vijay Balasubramanian | DRLB A4 | 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 |
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