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Neuroscience Graduate Program at UCSF
Neuroscience Courses 2009 - 2010
Year Long Courses
NS221: Current Topics in Neuroscience
Students will read and discuss papers related to the current week’s formal Neuroscience Seminar series, attend the seminar, and meet with the speaker.
Directors: Linda Noble, email: Linda.noble@ucsf.edu and Antonello Bonci, email: Antonello.bonci@ucsf.edu
Offered: Every year
Schedule: Follows selected seminar speakers’ schedules. Class meets twice a week 5:30-7:30pm on Tuesdays and 9-10am on Fridays for each selected speaker. Approximately 10 speakers selected per year. Entire schedule coming soon.
Note: This is a year-long course. Students who wish to take in must sign up for it in the fall, winter and spring quarters (starting in the fall quarter).
Courses by Semester
NS201A: Basic Concepts in Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
An interdisciplinary introduction to fundamental aspects of nervous system function. The course emphasizes the ionic and molecular basis of excitability, synaptic transmission and signal transduction.
Directors: Jenny LaVail, email: lavailj@vision.ucsf.edu; Jeffrey Lansman, email: jeff.lansman@ucsf.edu; Eric Huang, email: eric.huang2@ucsf.edu
Offered: Every fall
Schedule: 9-11am, 3 times per week.
NS240: Neurobiology of Vision
Visual information processing by the retina and central nervous system. Molecular, electrophysiological,
pharmacological, anatomical, and psychophysical approaches will be discussed. Topics may include
synaptic interactions, diseases specific to the visual system, color vision, form perception, motion
detection, and visual development.
Directors: Jonathan Horton, email: hortonj@vision.ucsf.edu; and Michael Stryker, email: stryker@phy.ucsf.edu
Offered: Advanced Neuroscience Courses are taught in the evenings, 2 nights a week for 2 hours/night, between 5-8 pm. Every three years.
Schedule: Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:30pm-7:30pm.
NS219: Topics in Basic or Translational Neuroscience (Mini Course)
Basal Ganglia in Heath and Disease (AB)
The ability to control one’s movements is essential to life. Neural circuits involving the basal ganglia are critical for proper motor control, and disruption of these circuits leads to movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease. The striatum, which is the input nucleus of the basal ganglia, is a major site of activity-dependent plasticity in both health and disease. Because the striatum lies upstream of other basal ganglia nuclei, cellular and synaptic plasticity within this region alters the transfer of information throughout basal ganglia circuits. The goal of this mini-course will be to provide intense exposure to basic physiological functions of the basal ganglia, and to how these functions are altered in neurological diseases such as Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. This class will meet four times a week for 2 hours each day to have in depth discussions on current research papers (normally 1-2 papers per class) that are of relevance for the course topic. There will be a total of 10 classes. At the end of this course, students should have an up-to-date, fundamental understanding of the basic physiology and pathophysiology of the basal ganglia, and current tools and approaches used to study this brain region.
Directors: Paul Muchowski, email: pmuchowski@gladstone.ucsf.edu and Anatol Kreitzer, email: akreitzer@gladstone.ucsf.edu
Schedule: Starting November 9th, Monday-Thursday until November 24th. (This class will be on November 11th which is a UCSF Holiday.) Entire schedule coming soon.
NS201B: Basic Concepts in Systems Neuroscience
Introduction to fundamental aspects of nervous system development, including neural determination, axon guidance, and neuron-target interactions, and overview of basics of integrative neural function, including sensory, motor and limbic systems, and computational neuroscience.
Director: Michael Brainard, email: msb@phy.ucsf.edu, Eric Huang, email: eric.huang2@ucsf.edu
Offered: Every Winter
Schedule: 9-11am, 3 days/week. Entire schedule coming soon.
NS248: Neural and Behavioral Data Analysis
Lectures, critical discussions, and problem solving using Matlab. Topics will include: probability, descriptive statistics, binomial and poisson processes, analysis of spike trains, and analysis of dynamic neural and behavioral data. Previous Matlab experience strongly suggested.
Director: Loren Frank
Offered: Every two years.
Schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10am-12pm.
NS219: Topics in Basic or Translational Neuroscience (Mini Courses)
Info for each course will be listed on the pages below: (coming soon)
Homeostatic Control
TBD
TBD
PDF List of all PIBS Mini Courses for Spring 2010
NS214: Ethics and Responsible Conduct of Research
Coordinator: Bill Lindstaedt, email: bill.lindstaedt@ucsf.edu
All Correspondance to Shauna Brodie, email: ocpd@ucsf.edu
Time: TBD
2nd Year Students Must Attend