BSCI 444/445 - Neurophysiology - Fall
2002
University of Maryland, Dept.
of Biology
Quotation:
"If a student proves to be of so perverse a disposition that he would rather listen to some idle tale than to the account of a glorious voyage or to a wise conversation, when he hears one; if he turns away from the drum-beat that awakens young ardour in his comrades, to listen to another tattoo that summons him to a display of juggling...I can see no other remedy than for his tutor to strangle him before it is too late, if there are no witnesses".
- Michel de Montaigne Essays (1580)
Course Objectives:
1. Understand the cellular and molecular basis of nervous system function
2. Understand how signals are generated and processed in the nervous system
3. Understand how the nervous system develops and is modified by experience
4. Make the lecture periods into discussions which promote active learning.
Lecturers:
Dr. Richard Payne, email: rp12@umail.umd.edu
Hours: Tues. 10:45 am - 12
noon
Office – BPS 3220 Phone: 405-6955
Dr. Elizabeth Quinlan,
email: eq5@umail.umd.edu
Hours: Thursdays 3:30 -
5:00
Office – PBS 3283: Phone: 405-7396
Text: Neuroscience. 2nd Ed .
Authors: Dale
Purves, George J. Augustine, David Fitzpatrick, Lawrence C. Katz, Anthony-Samuel
LaMantia, and James O. McNamara
Publisher Sinauer: Associates Inc.
2001
ISBN 0-87893-742-0
Lecture syllabus
Times: Tues, Thurs 12:30 – 1:45pm BPS 1243
9/3 Introduction to Course and to Neuroscience
9/5 Neurons and Glia
(Chap. 1)
9/10 Basic Neuroanatomy (Chap. 1)
9/12 Recording methods,
Electrical Theory, Resting membrane potential, channels
(Chap. 2 and "Bluff your
way......)
9/17 Action potential, voltage clamp, toxins (Chap. 3)
9/19
Passive current flow, propagation of the action potential (Chap. 3)
9/24
Patch Clamp recordings, isolation and cloning of channels (Chap. 4), ion pumps
9/26 Synaptic transmission (Chap. 5)
10/1 Experimental Methods to
investigate synaptic transmission (Chap. 5)
10/3 Neurotransmitter
systems (Chap. 6)
10/8 Neurotransmitter Receptors/ Summation (Chap.
7,8)
10/10 Somatic Sensory System/Pain (Chaps 9,10)
10/15
EXAM I (material in Chap. 1 to 8)
10/17 Photoreception and eyes
(Chap. 11)
10/22 The vertebrate retina (Chap. 11)
10/24 Central visual
pathways (Chap 12)
10/29 The central visual system (Chap. 12)
10/31 The
ear and mechanotransduction (Chap.13)
11/5 Central auditory processing
(Chap. 13)
11/7 The chemical senses (Chap. 15)
11/12 Spinal control of
movement (Chap. 16)
11/14 Brain control of movement (Chap. 17,18)
11/19
Brain control of movement (Chap. 19)
11/21 EXAM II (material in 8 to
19)
11/26 Early Brain development/construction of circuits (Chaps. 22,23)
Thanksgiving Holiday November 28 – 29
12/3 Plasticity (Chaps.
24, 25)
12/5 Cognition and memory
(material from Chaps 24 –31)
12/10 Learning and memory (material from Chaps 24 –31)
12/12
Depression/Addiction (material from Chaps 24 –31)
|
Final Exam:
Friday, Dec 20 |
1:30pm-3:30pm
BPS 1243 |
Grading Policy
Course Requirements: Neurophysiology is composed of three groups of students registered in three different courses.
- BSCI 444: Undergraduate attending lecture only will be required to complete two lecture exams, a comprehensive final, and two brief literature summaries of research papers. (3 credits)
- BSCI 445: Graduate and undergraduate students, attending both lecture and laboratory, will be required to complete two lecture exams, a comprehensive final exam, two literature summaries, brief laboratory data, summaries/reports and one laboratory project report. (4 credits). Additional information will be supplied in the laboratory.
- Zoology 708: Graduate students attending the lectures will be required to complete the two hourly exams, the comprehensive final, two brief literature summary papers, and an additional term paper to be discussed with the lecturer that is worth 100 points. (3 credits)
The required assignments have the following point values:
- Hourly examinations 75 points each (x 2)
- Final examination 125 points
- Research summaries 25 points (x 2)
- Simulation report 1 (one of
Exercises 1-4) 15 points
- Simulation notebook 10 points
- Simulation
report 2 (one of exercises 5-8) 15 points
- Brief laboratory data -
electrical circuits (10pts)/Neuroanatomy(10pts) 20 points (total)
- Lab
report 1 - results/discussion of resting potential lab 15 points
- Lab
report 2 - full write up of sensory physiology lab 25 points
- Lab Project
Reports 50 points
Therefore the point totals for the three courses are:
BSCI 444 - 325 points
BSCI 445 - 475 points
BSCI 708 - 425 points
Final course grades will be assigned as follows:
444
4445 708
A 276
pts. 403 pts. 361 pts.
B 243
pts. 356 pts. 318 pts.
C 211
pts. 308 pts. 276 pts.
D 178
pts. 261 pts. 233 pts.
There will be no further "curving". if everyone earns an "A", so much the better! You either have the points or you don't. Examinations will not be regraded except in cases of incorrect addition of points or mistakes on the part of the grader.
Make-up examinations will be given only for University approved reasons. Please refer to the most recent UMCP catalog for details.
The laboratory exercises require dissection of invertebrate animals - see the Instructor if you have a problem with this.
Laboratory Schedule
Week
beginning:
Sept. 3 - no lab
classes
Sept. 9 - Electrical
Circuits/Neuroanatomy
Sept. 16
- Electrical Circuits/Neuroanatomy
Sept. 23 - Resting
Potential of crayfish muscle/Neuron simulations: Chaps 1-4
(Neuroanatomy data due. Electrical circuit lab data due))
Sept. 30 - Resting
Potential of crayfish muscle/Neuron simulations: Chaps 1-4
Oct. 7 - Resting
Potential of crayfish muscle/Neuron simulations: Exercises
1-4
Oct. 14 - Resting
Potential of crayfish muscle/Neuron simulations: Exercises
1-4
Oct. 21 - Sensory
Physiology / Neuron simulations Exercises 5-8
Oct. 28 - Sensory
Physiology / Neuron simulations 5-8 (resting potential lab report
due)
Nov. 4 - Discussion
of simulations/Group project proposals (sensory lab report
due)
Nov. 11 - Group
project data collection (simulation
reports and notebooks due)
Nov. 18 - Group project data
collection
Nov. 27 -
Thanksgiving Week open lab for data collection
Dec. 2nd - Group Project reports
Dec. 11th - Group project reports due
BSCI 445 - see your lab T/A
BSCI 444 -
If your last name begins with:
A-E see: Xiaohong Deng, xhdeng@wam.umd.edu
F-J see: David
Boothe, Boothe@glue.umd.edu
K-N see: Simon Gelman,
gelmans@wam.umd.edu
O-S see: Monika Deshpande, konika@wam.umd.edu
S-Z see: Youjun Wang, wyoujun@yahoo.com
Zoology 708 - see Richard
Payne or Elizabeth Quinlan