Spring 2025 Class Schedule
For scheduled times of courses in other departments, go to CAESAR.
ATTENTION!
During preregistration enrollment in NEUROSCI 206-0 is limited to neuroscience majors only!
To declare a Neuroscience Major.
| Course | Title | Instructor | Lecture | Discussion |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NEUROSCI 102-0-20 | College and The Brain | Flores | TTH 11:00 am -12:20 pm | |
| NEUROSCI 206-0-22 | Systems and Behavioral Neuroscience | Wang | MWF 10:00 am - 10:50 am | |
| NEUROSCI 303-0-20 | Molecular Mechanisms of Neuropsychopharmacology | Klein | TTH 11:00 am - 12:20 pm | |
| NEUROSCI 326-0-20 | Neurobiology of Learning and Memory | Yang | TTH 2:00 pm- 3:20 pm | |
| NEUROSCI 355-0-60 | Neurogenetics of Behavior Laboratory | Kilman | TF 3:00 pm - 5:30 pm | |
| NEUROSCI 390-0-28 | Brain function through the lens of computation | Fitzgerald | MWF 10:00 am - 10:50 am | TH 3:00 pm - 3:50 pm |
| NEUROSCI 399-0 | Independent Study | Kilman | As arranged |
What happens if a class fills up during preregistration?
Preregistration allows majors to add up to 2.34 units before anyone else may register for Neuroscience related courses - lists of classes allowing preregistration. Preregistration is the ideal time for students to enroll in Group A or Group B requirements at a time when courses are only available to Neuroscience Majors. If you were unable to register for 2.34 units because the class you wanted was filled, you will be able to place your name on the waitlist during regular registration do not contact the instructor for a permission number. Having your name on the waitlist does not guarantee you a spot in the class. It offers the opportunity to take the class if a registered student drops the class which you were interested in.
What happens if a class fills up during registration?
- Place your name on the waitlist.
- Wait to be contacted by the program assistant to see if you are able to register for the class.
- Once contacted, you must either remove your name and register for the class or remove your name from the waitlist.
Quick Course References:
NEUROSCI 102-0-20 College and the brain
Taught by Dr. Luke Flores. This course will introduce students to foundational concepts of learning and memory, focusing on learning-related changes in the brain. We will examine how changes in the daily lives of college students, including changes in sleep patterns, stress levels, diet, and exercise, might impact the function of brain cells and neural circuits. We will also explore how different study patterns and techniques might engage learning centers in the brain most effectively.
May not receive credit for both NEUROSCI 102-0 and NEUROSCI 101-6 or NEUROSCI 101-7 if seminar topic was "Your Brain on College."
Foundational Discipline attribute of Natural Sciences
NEUROSCI 206-0-22 Systems and Behavioral Neuroscience
Taught by Dr. Wei Chun Wang on MWF 10:00 am -10:50 am. This course explores current understanding of the organization and function of neural systems (visual, auditory, motor, etc.) within the mammalian nervous system. Topics will include basic neuroanatomy, sensory processing, motor control, and higher cognitive functions including memory and language. Time will be devoted to presentation of essential knowledge from each area as well as to a discussion of key experiments that have contributed to our understanding. May not receive credit for both this course and the former NEUROSCI 306-0/BIOL_SCI 306-0.
This course is limited to Neuroscience Majors during preregistration but is open to all students meeting the prerequisites beginning February 27, 2025.
Prerequisite: NEUROSCI 202-0 or NEUROSCI 311-0 or BIOL_SCI 302-0.
Natural Sciences Distro Area
NEUROSCI 303-0-20 Molecular Mechanisms of Neuropsychopharmacology
Taught by Dr. William Klein on TTh 11:00 am - 12:50 pm. Neuropsychopharmacology treats brain disorders and interrogates states of consciousness by altering the activity of specific brain molecules. These molecules largely localize to synapses, remarkable structures where signaling gives rise to thought and behavior. This advanced seminar course focuses on molecular mechanisms and aberrations of synaptic signal transduction and drugs that target them. Introductory historical perspectives will be followed by consideration of contemporary issues. Class discussions focus on readings from the research literature. No book required. No final exam during finals week.
Prerequisite: NEUROSCI 202-0 or NEUROSCI 311-0 or BIOL_SCI 302-0.
NEUROSCI 326-0-20 Neurobiology of Learning and Memory
NEUROSCI 326-0-20 will be taught by Dr. Yue Yang on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:00 pm - 3:20 pm.
How do animals learn? This course examines how brain cells and neural circuits process an animal's experience into lasting changes in behavior. Lectures will involve in depth discussion of original research findings, with a focus on the latest molecular, neural physiology, and behavioral studies.
A key goal of the course is for students to think about the design and interpretation of experiments from the primary literature, as well as to critically evaluate how these experiments address current questions in the field of learning and memory.
Prerequisites: NEUROSCI 202-0 and NEUROSCI 206-0; or NEUROSCI 311-0 and NEUROSCI 206-0; or BIOL_SCI 302-0.
This class is available to Neuroscience Majors or Biology Majors only.
Please refer to Caesar for additional information.
NEUROSCI 326-0-20 may be used as a Neuroscience Group B elective or may be used as an Allied Field in Biology.
NEUROSCI 355-0-60 Neurogenetics of Behavior Laboratory
This class will be taught by Dr. Valerie Kilman on Tuesdays and Fridays 3:00 pm - 5:30 pm although additional time is required to complete certain tasks. Please refer to Caesar for additional information.
Project-based laboratory investigating the genetic basis of behavior in a simple model system; molecular genetic techniques used in neurobiology.
Prerequisites: NEUROSCI 202-0 and NEUROSCI 206-0; or NEUROSCI 311-0 and NEUROSCI 206-0; BIOL_SCI 302-0.
This course is limited to Neuroscience Majors during preregistration but is open to all students meeting the prerequisites beginning February 27, 2025.
NEUROSCI 355-0-60 may be used as a Neuroscience Group B elective or may be used as an Allied Field in Biology. It fulfills the laboratory requirement for the Neuroscience Major.
It may double-count as a Neuroscience Group B elective and laboratory requirement. It may double-count as an Allied Field in Biology and laboratory requirement. It may not be counted as both a Neuroscience Group B elective and an Allied Field in Biology.
NEUROSCI 390-0-28 brain function through the lens of computation
This class will be taught by James Fitzgerald. Understanding brain function is a grand challenge for twenty-first century science that promises revolutionary applications to medicine and artificial intelligence. Mathematical modeling can contribute valuably to this understanding by allowing scientists to formalize experimental findings and reason beyond their intuition.This course will introduce students to the basic building blocks of neural computation, as well as illustrate how these building blocks combine to generate myriad brain functions. We will begin with an overview of several key principles related to neural network dynamics and neural coding. The bulk of the course will then develop these principles by illustrating how computational neuroscientists have used them to model specific sensory, motor, and cognitive functions of the brain. For instance, we’ll see how neural networks can represent the sensory world, generate movement, or store memories depending on the connections between neurons. We’ll also see how these connections can change to enable learning. Over the decades, computational neuroscience has enjoyed a rich dialogue with machine learning and data science, and lectures interspersed throughout the course will explain the practical importance of computational neuroscience approaches for the modern world.
Computational neuroscience is highly interdisciplinary, and the course is open to students with a wide variety of backgrounds, including those majoring in Neuroscience, Data Science, Physics, Applied Mathematics, and Engineering. Problem sets will use Matlab, and some familiarity with coding is recommended. We recommend that Neuroscience majors complete the core NEUROSCI 202-0 and NEUROSCI 206-0 courses first.
Prerequisites: MATH 220-2 or higher
NEUROSCI 390-0-28 may be used as a Neuroscience Group B elective or may be used as an Allied Field in Biology or Computation and Modeling Systems.
NEUROSCI 399-0-60 INDEPENDENT STUDY
Student must be Neuroscience major. Research must be related to Neuroscience. The first week of class students will be required to upload to CANVAS:
- A 1-page research plan, methods, and timeline - this is written in collaboration with your proposed research mentor,
- A typical weekly schedule committing a minimum of 10 hours per week,
- An email from the proposed faculty mentor accepting you in the lab.