Neurobiology:ZOO4744andZOO5785,Fall2016,3credits

class: Tue,Thur,8:009:15a,VH131
JamieTheobald,PhD
prereq: GeneralBiologyI&II
BiologicalSciences
text: PrinciplesofNeuralScience,5thed.
OE204
Kandel,Schwartz,Jessell,Hudspeth,Siegelbaum
Tue,Thur,10:00a12:00p
McGrawHill,NewYork,2013
3053487319
text: AnAnthropologistonMars
theobald@fiu.edu
OliverSacks,Picador,1995
web: http://faculty.fiu.edu/~theobald/courses/zoo4744neurobiology/
Descriptionandlearninggoals
Neurobiologytheofstudywhatnervoussystemsdoandhowtheydoitisoneofthegreat
frontiersinscience.Howdoesahoneybeelandonaflower,oraturtlefindthebeachofitsbirth
decadeslater?Whydowesleepanddream?Howdoesapitcherthrowinthestrikezone,ora
hitterattempttoconnect?Whatarecolors,warmth,andflavors?Thesequestionssamplethe
enormous field of neural science. This course will examine neural function at the levels of
moleculesandcells,systemsandphysiology,andfinallydevelopmentandbehavior.Wewill
discussthehistoryofexperimentsandmodelorganismsthatbringustoourcurrentlevelof
understanding.Bytheendofthiscourseyoushouldbeableto:explainthephysical,molecular,
and cellular basis of active membranes; predict how molecular changes affect large scale
function; compare transduction and encoding in different sensory systems; understand the
productionofcoordinatedmovement;followdevelopmentalprocessesthatbuildthenervous
system;andassesstheroleofexperience,learning,andotherhighlevelprocessesinshaping
behavior.Dependingonquestionsandinterest,Imayaddtopics,ordropsomethatwedon'tget
to.Iwouldratherskipsectionsthanrushthroughmaterial.
Grading
ZOO4744:3exams(25,30,and35%)+inclasswrittenquestions(10%)
ZOO5785:3exams(20,25,and30%)+inclasswrittenquestions(10%)+presentation(15%)
The exams will be short answer and plotting. They aren't explicitly cumulative, but
understanding previous material is necessary. They will only cover topics that Ive done in
lecture,butdoingwellwillrequireyoutothinkthroughproblemsyoumightnothaveseen
beforeinotherwords,rotememorizationwontcarryyouthrough.Theintentistogetyouto
thinkhardaboutthematerialandaskquestionswhenyoudontunderstand.Nothingismore
importantthanregularattendanceandaskingquestions.Illcurveexamsbyscalingthescoresto
thetopscore.Forexample,ifthetopscoreis90%,Illdivideeveryscoreby0.9togetthe
recordedscore.Youcanmakeupamissedexamonlyifyouprovidewrittendocumentationof
theemergencythatkeptyouaway.Graduatecreditrequiresapresentationonatopicinthe
neurobiologyliteraturegiventothewholeclass.Meetwithmeearlyinthetermtodiscuss.
Finally,gradeassignmentswillfollowasimplescaleof:90%orbetter=A,80%orbetter=B,
70%orbetter=C,60%orbetter=D,otherwisefail.Scoringwithin1%of90or80willgetyou
a+,forexample89%willearnaB+.Pleasemakeyourselfawareoftheuniversitypolicieson
academicmisconductandsexualharassment,andthendontdothosethings.

Neurobiology:ZOO4744andZOO5785,Fall2016,3credits
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date

topic

reading

23 Aug

Introductionandstructure

25 Aug

Ionchannels

Kandel4,5

30 Aug

Membranepotential

Kandel6

1 Sept

Passivesignaling

Sacks1

6 Sept

Actionpotentialgeneration

Kandel7

8 Sept

Actionpotentialpropagation

Sacks2

13 Sept

Synaptictransmission

Kandel8,9

15 Sept

Synapticintegration

Kandel10

20 Sept

Review

22 Sept

Exam1Structureandtransmission

27 Sept

Sensorycoding

Kandel21

29 Sept

Touch,temperature,pain

Kandel23

4 Oct

Haircells,balance,andhearing

Kandel30

6 Oct

SmellandTaste

Kandel32,26

11 Oct

Vision,color,motiondetection

Sacks3

13 Oct

Musclecontractionandbiomechanics

Kandel34

18 Oct

Motorunits,force,andfatigue

Kandel33

20 Oct

Motorplanningandmotorlearning

Sacks4

25 Oct

Review

27 Oct

Exam2Sensoryandmotorsystems

1 Nov

Neurogenesis

Kandel53

3 Nov

Axongrowthandsynapseformation

Kandel54

8 Nov

Synapsesandexperience

Kandel55

10 Nov

Learning

Kandel65

15 Nov

Memory

Sacks5

17 Nov

Sleepanddreams

Kandel51

22 Nov

Language

Kandel60

24 Nov

Thanksgiving

Sacks6

29 Nov

Mentalhealthanddisorders

Sacks7

1 Dec

Review

8 Dec

Exam3Developmentandbehavior

7:309:30VH131