98-99 University Bulletin Entry for:


Neuroscience

(file last updated: [8/10/1998 - 15:27:1])


Objectives

Undergraduate Concentration

The concentration in neuroscienceis designed to provide an interdisciplinary program of study ofthe neural mechanisms involved in the control of human or animalbehavior. The concentration combines a strong foundation in basicscience with more specialized courses in biology and psychology.This program is especially appropriate for students wishing topursue graduate work in experimental cognitive psychology, neuralmodeling, or the neurosciences.

Graduate Program in Neuroscience

The graduate program in neuroscience,leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, is designed to equip studentswith the advanced knowledge and training necessary to conductresearch in an interdisciplinary field. The program comprisesthree broadly defined areas: behavioral neuroscience involveswork with humans in neuropsychology, experimental cognitive neuroscience,sensory psychophysics, etc.; cellular and molecular neuroscienceprovides training in molecular biology, biophysics, and biochemistryappropriate to neurobiology; and computational and integrativeneuroscience trains students in the use of experimental and theoreticalmethods for the analysis of brain function. A typical programwill consist of laboratory rotations as well as formal relevantcourses, including an advanced course in the student's area ofexpertise.


How to Become an UndergraduateConcentrator

The neuroscience concentrationrequires a strong science courseload. There is a meeting eachfall at which interested students can meet with neuroscience facultyto discuss the concentration. The requirements are listed belowand include many options. It is recommended that each concentratormeet with his or her advisor to determine which options best meeteach student's needs. Because of the number of basic science requirements,it is recommended that students begin enrolling in these coursesearly, especially those listed as prerequisites for advanced coursesin the concentration. Students interested in senior research shouldcontact prospective mentors during the spring of their junioryear.


How to Be Admitted tothe Graduate Program

The general requirements foradmission to the Graduate School, given in an earlier sectionof this Bulletin, apply here. Applicants for admissionto the neuroscience program are also required to take the GraduateRecord Examination. The student's undergraduate curriculum shouldinclude related fundamental science courses.

Students currently enrolledin other programs at Brandeis may elect to switch over to obtaina neuroscience Ph.D. if they have already met or will meet thedegree requirements for the neuroscience degree.


Committee

Eve Marder, Chair

(Biology)

Laurence Abbott

(Biology)

Susan Birren

(Biology)

Paul DiZio

(Psychology)

Irving Epstein

(Chemistry)

Leslie Griffith

(Biology)

Jeffrey Hall

(Biology)

Michael Kahana, UndergraduateAdvising Head

(Psychology)

James Lackner

(Psychology)

Irwin Levitan

(Biochemistry)

John Lisman

(Biology)

Christopher Miller

(Biochemistry)

Sacha Nelson, Graduate AdvisingHead

(Biology)

Daniel Oprian

(Biochemistry)

Jordan Pollack

(Computer Science)

Michael Rosbash

(Biology)

Robert Sekuler

(Psychology)

Piali Sengupta

(Biology)

Gina Turrigiano

(Biology)

Xiao-Jing Wang

(Physics)

Kalpana White

(Biology)

Arthur Wingfield

(Psychology)

Edgar Zurif

(Psychology)


Requirements for the UndergraduateConcentration

A.All students will be required to take the core course in neurobiology,NBIO 140b, and at least one core course in quantitative methods:NBIO 136b, NPSY 137b, PSYC 51a, or 210a.

Students must choose one ofthe two tracks described below--Option I leading to a B.A. degreein neuroscience, or Option II leading to a B.S. degree in neuroscience.

Option I: The B.A. Degreein Neuroscience

The standard neuroscience optionis designed to provide students with a general background in neuroscience.In addition to the courses required of all candidates (listedabove), students must take six semester courses from thosecourses listed under Biology/Psychology Electives--at least twocourses must be selected from each group. Students must also takeat least nine semester courses from the Basic Science Electives.

Biology/Psychology Electives

The biology elective coursesare: BCHM 100a, 101a, 102a, BIBC 22a, 105b, BIOL 22b, 42a, 103b,149b, NBIO 45b, 141a, 143b, 144b, 145, 146b, 147a, and NBCH 148b.

The psychology elective coursesare: NPSY 12a, 22b, 120b, 125a, 127a, 154a, 159a, 172a, 175b,196b, and 199a.

A student who has completedtwo courses in both groups may petition to substitute NEUR 98a,b, or NEUR 99d for one of the remaining two courses. Studentsmust enroll in all laboratories that accompany courses used tosatisfy these requirements.

Basic Science Electives

The basic science electivesinclude all courses numbered 10 and above in chemistry, computerscience, mathematics, and physics. Courses numbered below 10 maynot be included in this group. Laboratory courses are countedas one-half of a regular semester course.

Option II: The B.S. Degreein Neuroscience

The B.S. program is an intensiveneuroscience option designed to provide students with a strongbackground in neuroscience and associated areas. In addition tothe courses required of all candidates (listed above), studentsmust take seven semester courses from those listed abovein Biology/Psychology Electives, with at least two courses selectedfrom each group. Candidates for the B.S. must also take at least10 semester courses from the offerings given above in BasicScience Electives. Courses numbered below 10 may not be includedin this group.

Among courses offered to fulfillthe requirements of this concentration: no course may be takenpass/fail; no more than one grade of D in a semester course willbe allowed; and students must enroll in all accompanying laboratorycourses.

B.Honors Program

Candidates for honors in neurosciencemust petition the program committee during the fall of their senioryear to enter the Senior Honors Program. Candidates must enrollin NEUR 99d.

Combined B.S./M.S. Program

Candidates for honors in neurosciencemay be admitted to a special four-year B.S./M.S. program uponrecommendation of the Neuroscience Program and approval by theGraduate School. Application must be made by May 1 preceding thesenior year. Applications should include a proposed course ofstudy specifying how the degree requirements will be met, a transcript,and a brief description of the proposed research project. To qualifyfor the B.S./M.S. degree in neuroscience students must completea total of 38 courses. These courses must include those neededto satisfy the requirements for the B.S. degree, as indicatedabove, plus three additional electives chosen from the Biology/Psychologyelectives listed above. Of the 10 electives required for the B.S./M.S.degree, at least six must be at the graduate level (and completedwith a grade of B- or above). In addition, a substantial researchcontribution is required and students must submit a research thesisto the neuroscience graduate committee for review. A thesis submittedfor the master's degree may also be submitted for honors in neuroscience.


Requirements for the Degreeof Master of Science

Graduate students will be eligiblefor an M.S. in neuroscience if they complete six graduate levelcourses in neuroscience or related fields to be agreed upon withthe neuroscience advising head with a grade of B- or better, anda research project. The six courses will include at least oneeach in the three subareas of neuroscience listed, and M.S. candidatesmust either take NBIO 140b or have taken its equivalent beforeentering the program. The research component can be met by satisfactoryperformance in three or four laboratory rotations (including submissionof written rotation reports) or submission of a researchthesis to the Neuroscience Graduate Committee for review.

Residence Requirement

The minimum residence requirementfor the M.S. degree is one year.


Requirements for the Degreeof Doctor of Philosophy

Program of Study

NBIO 140b (Principles of Neuroscience)is required. Students must complete at least three 12-week laboratoryrotations, at least two of which must be in neuroscience labs.One such lab may be in a Brandeis non-neuroscience lab. They alsomust complete at least six graduate-level courses relevant totheir area of interest, with a course program to be agreed uponby the advising head of the subarea, the student, and the advisor.These must include at least three neuroscience courses, and atleast one not in the student's own subarea. Other courses shouldbe relevant graduate level courses (such as molecular biologyor biochemistry for the molecular and cellular students, advancedstatistics for the behavioral neuroscience students, etc.).

Qualifying Examination

Complete two proposition-typequalifying exams. One of these shall be in the field of neuroscience,but not directly related to the student's thesis work (secondyear). One shall be in the form of a formal thesis proposal (thirdyear).

Teaching

Act as a teaching assistantfor two semesters in courses taught by neuroscience faculty, oras needed in the home departments of the neuroscience faculty.Assignment of the teaching duties will be the responsibility ofthe neuroscience graduate program head, who will consult withthe relevant departments (psychology, biology, biochemistry, chemistry,and physics) concerning TA needs each year.

Residence Requirement

The minimum residence requirementis three years.

Journal Club

Enroll and participate in theNeurobiology Journal Club throughout their stay at Brandeis.

Dissertation and Final OralExamination

Complete a Ph.D. thesis inthe field of neuroscience. Normally, this work would be carriedout in the laboratory of one of the members of the neurosciencetraining faculty. After submission of the dissertation, the candidatewill be expected to present the principal results of his or herwork and its significance during an examination in defense ofthe dissertation. A public seminar to the University communityis also required.


Courses of Instruction


(1-99) Primarily for UndergraduateStudents

NPSY 12a Sensory Processes

[ cl35 ss]

Prerequisite: PSYC 1a, orMATH 10a, or permission of the instructor.

Examines the human senses,with an emphasis on seeing and hearing. Sensory function and malfunctionstudied from standpoints of anatomy, physiology, and psychophysics.Insights from the study of special observers including developmentallyimmature humans, members of nonhuman species, and people withabnormal sensory systems including abnormalities resulting frominjuries to the brain. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Sekuler

NPSY 22b Cognitive Processes

[ cl19 ss]

Prerequisite: PSYC 1a orMATH 10a, and sophomore standing in psychology or neuroscience.This course may not be repeated for credit by students who havetaken LING 150b in previous years.

Cognitive factors in perception,attention, memory, and language. Experimental investigations willbe emphasized. Usually offered every fall.

Messrs. Kahana and Wingfield

NBIO 45b The PhysiologicalBasis of Psychological Processes

[ sn ]

Enrollment limited to 75.

Understanding how the brainworks is one of the major challenges of modern science. Topicsto be covered include perception, memory, emotion, and behavioralcontrol. Principles of neuropharmacology, brain anatomy, and electrophysiologyare reviewed. Illustrates how the combined use of physiologicaland psychological methods give insight into brain processes. Usuallyoffered every year.

Mr. Lisman

NEUR 98a Readings in Neuroscience

Signature of the instructorrequired.

Usually offered every year.

Staff

NEUR 98b Readings in Neuroscience

Signature of the instructorrequired.

Usually offered every year.

Staff

NEUR 99d Senior Research

Signature of the instructorrequired.

Usually offered every year.

Staff


(100-199) For Both Undergraduateand Graduate Students

NPSY 120b Man in Space

[ sn ss ]

Topics include how orbitalflight is achieved, spacecraft life support systems, circulatorydynamics, sensory-motor control and vestibular function in freefall, and the physiological and psychological adaptations necessaryin space flight, and how astronauts must readapt on return toEarth. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Lackner

NPSY 125a Advanced Topicsin Perception and Adaptation

[ sn ss ]

Signature of the instructorrequired.

Covers current issues and theoriesin vision, vestibular function, proprioception, and adaptationto unusual force environments from psychological and biologicalperspectives. Usually offered in odd years.

Mr. Lackner

NPSY 127a Motor Control

[ ss ]

Enrollment limited to 20.

Surveys control of posture,movement, gesture, and speech from various perspectives includingmuscle properties, reflex organization, central neural mechanisms,spatial representations, and learning, and development. Emphasizesresearch in physiology, psychology, biomechanics, and artificialintelligence. Usually offered in odd years.

Mr. DiZio

NBIO 136b ComputationalNeuroscience

[ sn ]

Prerequisites: MATH 10aand b, and either PHYS 10a and 10b, CHEM 11a and 11b, BIBC 22aand BIOL 22b, or approved equivalents. Enrollment limited to 20.

An introduction to the development,analysis, and computer simulation of mathematical models. Topicsinclude modeling of neurons, neural networks, population dynamics,magnetic systems, nonlinear oscillations, and chaotic systems.Usually offered in odd years.

Mr. Abbott

NPSY 137b Cognitive Modeling

[ cl19 snss ]

Signature of the instructorrequired.

A general introduction to theconstruction and simulation of mathematical models of human cognitiveprocesses. The major emphasis will be on models of human learningand memory. Students will be expected to have some backgroundin computer programming. Usually offered in even years.

Mr. Kahana

NBIO 140b Principles ofNeuroscience

[ cl19 sn]

Prerequisite: BIOL 22b orpermission of the instructor.

Basic principles of neurobiology.Topics include ion channels and their role in generating restingand action potentials, basics of synaptic physiology and pharmacology,locomotion, visual processing, learning, among others. Usuallyoffered every year.

Ms. Marder

NBIO 143b DevelopmentalNeurobiology

[ sn ]

Prerequisite: BIOL 111a(formerly BIOL 61a). Signature of the instructor required.

Mechanisms used in the formationof the nervous system will be discussed. Topics include determinationof the neuronal precursors, pattern formation in the nervous system,neuronal differentiation, and mechanisms responsible for neuralspecificity. Usually offered in even years.

Ms. Birren

NBIO 144b The Neurobiologyof Memory

[ sn ]

Prerequisite: NBIO 140b.Signature of the instructor required.

Topics include definition ofthe types of memory, genetic and pharmacological perturbationsof memory, and neural network approaches to memory. Principalfocus on the cellular and molecular basis of memory. Anatomical,biochemical, and physiological work on long-term potentiationin the hippocampus will be extensively discussed. Usually offeredin odd years.

Mr. Lisman

NBIO 145b Integrative Neuroscience

[ sn ]

Prerequisite: NBIO 140b.

How the nervous system processesinformation and generates behavior, with an emphasis on understandinghow circuit dynamics result from the interaction of cellular andsynaptic processes. Topics include generation of rhythmic behaviors,structure and function of the auditory, visual, and sematosensorysystems processing, and learning and memory. Usually offered everyyear.

Mr. Abbott

NBIO 147a Neurogenetics

[ sn ]

Prerequisites: BIOL 18a,b,BIBC 22a and BIOL 22b. Signature of the instructor required.

Development and function ofthe nervous system and responses of excitable cells studied inneurological and behavioral mutants. Characterization and manipulationof genes, defined by these mutations and using molecular biologicaltools. Organisms: microbes, roundworms, fruit flies, mammals.Neurobiological areas: embryonic neural development, nerve celldifferentiation and pattern formation, membrane excitability,responses to visual and chemical stimuli, biological rhythms,reproductive behavior. Usually offered every third year. Lastoffered in the fall of 1995.

Mr. Hall

NBCH 148b Advanced Topicsin Neuroscience

[ sn ]

Prerequisite: NBIO 140bor permission of the instructor. May be taken concurrently withNEUR 140b.

Focuses on the ionic and molecularbasis of action and synaptic potentials. Students examine theHodgkin-Huxley experiments on axonal action potentials and thepropagation of action potentials in the dendrites of CNS neurons.Students also examine ionotropic glutamate receptors includingtheir electrical and molecular properties, interaction with otherproteins, and their involvement in synaptic plasticity. Usuallyoffered every year.

Ms. Turrigiano

NPSY 154a Human Memory

[ cl1 cl19sn ss ]

Prerequisite: NPSY 22b orNBIO 140b. Signature of the instructor required.

Presents a systematic analysisof current memory research and theory with an emphasis on listlearning experiments and neural network models. Usually offeredin even years.

Mr. Kahana

NPSY 159a Advanced Topicsin Episodic Memory

[ cl1 ss]

Prerequisite: NBIO 140bor NPSY 154a, and permission of the instructor. Signature of theinstructor required.

Deals with current topics inthe study of episodic memory. Discussions and readings on topicssuch as memory for temporal order, category learning, associativesymmetry, item versus associative recognition, theories of searchin free recall, and the memory systems controversy. Usually offeredevery year.

Mr. Kahana

NPSY 172a Temporal Patterningof Behavior

[ sn ss ]

Signature of the instructorrequired.

Concerns the way animals controland perceive spatially directed posture and movement. Topics rangefrom the definition of optical, mechanical, and acoustic informationabout orientation to how body orientation and motion with respectto these referents may be represented. Usually offered in oddyears.

Mr. Lackner

NPSY 175b The Neuroscienceof Vision

[ sn ss ]

Prerequisite: PSYC 12a orpermission of the instructor.

Examines the neural basis ofhuman vision from several complementary perspectives. Relatesvisual capacities of human observers to the structure and functionof the visual system. Considers computational approaches to vision,the results of brain-imaging studies, and the consequences ofdamage to the human visual system. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Sekuler

NPSY 196b Advanced Topicsin Cognition

[ sn ss ]

Prerequisite: NPSY 159aor permission of the instructor. Signature of the instructor required.

This seminar covers currentissues and research in memory, speech perception, and processingresource limitations. Emphasis will be placed on the current literaturein the field. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Wingfield

NPSY 199a Neuropsychology

[ cl1 cl19sn ss ]

Prerequisite: NPSY 22b orBIBC 22a, or permission of the instructor.

Designed as an introductionto human neuropsychology. Topics include cerebral dominance, neuroanatomicalmapping, and localization of function, with special referenceto language, memory, and related cognitive function. Usually offeredevery spring.

Mr. Wingfield


(200 and above) Primarilyfor Graduate Students

NPSY 207b Seminar in Perception

(Formerly PSYC 207b)

Examines the various aspectsof visual information by which objects and events in three-dimensionalspace are perceived by human observers. Current research in psychologyand in artificial intelligence is considered. Usually offeredin even years.

Mr. Lackner

NEUR 298a and b Readingsin Neuroscience

Usually offered every year.

Staff

NEUR 299a and b Master'sResearch Project

Usually offered every year.

Staff

NEUR 300a and b LaboratoryRotations

Staff

NBIO 306d Topics in Neurobiology

Usually offered every year.

Ms. Birren

NBIO 340d Computationaland Systems Neurosciences

Usually offered every year.

Mr. Abbott

NPHY 341b Neural Computation

An advanced graduate seminaron current theoretical issues dealing with the dynamics and informationprocessing of neural systems. Usually offered every year.

Mr. Wang

NEUR 401d Dissertation Research

Independent research for thePh.D. degree. Specific sections for individual faculty membersas requested.

Staff


CONT 300b Ethical Practicein Health-Related Sciences

Required of all first-yeargraduate students in health-related science programs. Not forcredit.

Scientists are becoming increasinglyaware of the importance of addressing ethical issues and valuesassociated with scientific research. This course, taught by Universityfaculty from several graduate disciplines, will cover major ethicalissues germane to the broader scientific enterprise, includingareas or applications from a number of fields of study. Lecturesand relevant case studies will be complemented by two public lecturesduring the course. Usually offered every year.

Ms. Ringe


Cross-Listed Courses

BIOL 149b

Molecular Pharmacology