The objective of this course is to provide each student with a solid foundation in the fundamental concepts of basic neuroscience. This course will cover the basics of how the nervous system is studied, the fundamentals of neural signaling, synaptic transmission, neural cell signaling early brain development and structure of neural circuits.

Learning forms the foundation of social interactions in human and non-humans: the ability to learn and memorize locations, situations, individuals, facts and tasks are fundamental. We will discuss the cellular and molecular mechanism underlying learning and memory and the most highly studied model systems. Approaches to these processes along with human diseases presenting with learning and memory deficits will be discussed.

Cellular and molecular neuroscience is a new and rapidly evolving field of neuroscience which spans genetics and epigenetics of single nerve cells, development and cellular communication within the nervous system. This course is designed to cover these basic concepts as well as emergent ideas and technologies in the field.

The promise of personalized medicine and the power of human genome sequencing have changed how scientists approach the field of neuroscience. This course covers classical genetics, non-Mendelian inheritance, and epigenetics as they relate to neurodevelopmental and neurological disorders. Practical applications including genome-wide association (GWAS), next-generation sequencing, epigenetics, genome editing and screening methods will also be discussed.

This course focuses on contemporary review of cellular, molecular and genetic underpinnings of neurological disorders. Strengths and weaknesses of various pre-clinical animal model studies in select neurological disease will be covered. Additional important topics including pharmacological treatments and their limitations, the role of heritability in neurological disease, economic and societal impacts of neurological disease on emerging ethical issues in a post-genomics era.