• Fall 2021, Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:40a - 1:15p
  • Instructor: Dr. James Ackman (jackman@ucsc.edu)
    • Office Hours:
  • Teaching assistants:

Lecture content will be recorded and be made available for later viewing.

Description

Students will learn about the structure and function of the nervous system. The first half of the class will focus on basic neuroanatomy and electrical signaling between neurons. The second half will focus on how the nervous system responds to sensory input and controls movement.

Requirements

  • Textbook (required for the whole course):
    • Neuroscience by Purves et al. Sinauer Associates Inc., 6th edition ('6e', 2017)
      • Note: The fifth edition (5e) is also suitable for this course.

Assignments and Grading

The format of the exams will include true/false, multiple choice, matching, and short answer questions. The final exam will cover all materials in the course.

Homework assignments will include a mixture of questions and exercises, similar in style to those of exams, to help you prepare and gain knowledge of the material.

Creative projects can be optionally completed.

Course Schedule

Lecture Date Content Reading
01 Sep 23 Overview, Anatomy of the nervous system 1 html , pdf, video, videoPrev Ch.1
02 Sep 28 Anatomy of the nervous system 2 html , pdf, video, videoPrev Ch. 1, Appendix 1
03 Sep 30 Neuronal signaling– generation of the resting potential html , pdf, video, videoPrev Ch. 2
04 Oct 05 Neuronal signaling– voltage dependent membrane permeability html , pdf, videoPrev Ch. 3
05 Oct 07 Ion channels html, pdf, audio, videoPrev Ch. 4
06 Oct 12 Synaptic transmission html, pdf, audio, videoPrev Ch. 5 p. 85-101
07 Oct 14 Review video
Oct 19 Exam 1
08 Oct 21 Neurotransmitters and receptors one html, pdf, video, videoPrev Ch. 5 p. 102-111, Ch. 6
09 Oct 26 Neurotransmitters and receptors two html, pdf; three html, pdf, video, videoPrev 6
10 Oct 28 Somatic sensory system html, pdf, video, videoPrev Ch. 9
11 Nov 02 Pain html, pdf, video, videoPrev Ch. 10
12 Nov 04 Vision 1– the eye html, pdf, video, videoPrev Ch. 11
13 Nov 09 Vision 2– central visual pathways html, pdf, video, videoPrev Ch. 12
-- Nov 11 Veteran's Day, no class review videoPrev
Nov 16 Exam 2
15 Nov 18 Lower motor neurons html, pdf, video, videoPrev Ch. 16
16 Nov 23 Upper motor neurons html, pdf, video, videoPrev Ch. 17
17 Nov 30 Basal ganglia- motor modulation html, pdf, video, videoPrev Ch. 18
18 Dec 02 Emotions and the limbic system html, pdf, video, videoPrev Ch. 29 (5e) / Ch. 31 (6e)
Dec 07 Final, 12:00 – 3:00p

Lecture site keyboard and gesture bindings:

  • Navigate: arrow keys and spacebar
  • Overview toggle: o or esc
  • Fullscreen: f
  • Show notes: s or add ?showNotes=true to url
  • Search toggle: ctrl-shift-f
  • Menu toggle: m
  • List keyboard shortcuts: ?

interactive action potential simulation

brain facts, in numbers at UW by E. Chudler

brain maps database portal, anatomical structure and gene expression patterns in the rodent and human brains, by the Allen Institute for Brain Science

Neuroscience Information Framework, collection of neuroscience knowledge resources and searchable databases

Creative Commons, tools to help dissemination of humanity's collective content

Inkscape, freely available open source software for illustrations, figure making

ImageJ|Fiji, freely avaiable open source software for image processing and scientific image analysis

Creative projects

art
works produced by human creative skill and imagination
a skill at doing a specified thing, typically one acquired through practice
science
the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment