Level:
Undergraduate
Instructors:
Prof. Mark Bear
Prof. Sebastian Seung
Guest Lecturers:
Prof. Emilio Bizzi
Prof. Edward Gibson
Dr. J. Allan Hobson
Prof. Chris Moore
Prof. Richard Wurtman
Cortical area 17 also known as the primary visual cortex of the brain shown for both human and monkey. (Figure by MIT OCW. After figure 10.12 in: Bear, Mark F., Barry W. Connors, and Michael A. Paradiso. Neuroscience: Exploring the Brain. 2nd ed. Baltimore, Md.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2001. ISBN: 0683305964.)
Course Features
Course Description
This course begins with the study of nerve cells which includes their structure, the propagation of nerve impulses and transfer of information between nerve cells, the effect of drugs on this process, and the development of nerve cells into the brain and spinal cord. Next, sensory systems such as hearing, vision and touch are covered as well as a discussion on how physical energy such as light is converted into neural signals, where these signals travel in the brain and how they are processed. Other topics include the control of voluntary movement, the neurochemical bases of brain diseases, and those systems which control sleep and consciousness, learning and memory.