Neuroscience Track Core Course

The goal of the neuroscience core course is to teach students basic concepts of neuroscience and provide a general overview of the structures, functions, and building blocks of the brain - from molecules to systems and behavior. Students will experience conceptual ideas behind classic and novel discoveries and get a general understanding of the essential methodological strategies required for those breakthroughs. The contents provided in this course are selected to give a general neuroscience backbone that is needed in all fields in neuroscience and, thus, will be a constant in the neuroscience track. Students will be asked in each module to solve different assignments, some of which will require basic skills in coding and data analysis (i.e., assignments will require Matlab or Python and Mathematica). We will offer a short introduction to these languages prior to the start of the course to help students with their assignments. However, we would strongly recommend students who haven’t coded before to take an introductory class – these are skills that will help them regardless of the lab and field of interest. Besides, students will have to present a publication in a short Journal Club-style presentation and/or write a review report of a selected paper. Faculty and/or course assistants will give direct feedback to the presentations and reviews. These exercises will (i) promote their critical reading and (ii) challenge their interpretation skills. To finalize the course, each student will have to write an essay from a list of provided topics. The topics are selected from the course content. This final exercise aims to foster critical thinking, methodological knowledge, and writing skills. Module 1 (8 Lectures): From Molecules to Single Cells. Membranes, Channels, Transporters, Receptors, Excitable membranes, Axons, Synapses, Synaptic Transmission, Exocytosis, Neuromodulation, Excitation and Inhibition, Dendrites, Dendritic integration, Synaptic plasticity and Memory, Channelopathies and Synaptopathies. (Jonas) Module 2 (8 Lectures): From Single Cells to Sensorimotor Transformations. Topic covered: General principles of sensory processing and systems (adaptation, efficient coding, topographic organization, cell-types, information theory), algorithm and sensory circuits (single-cell computations, circuit computations, sensorimotor transformations), higher sensory processing (nature and nurture), motor control and learning, and an overview of the function and involvement of different brain areas in motor control (motor cortex, basal ganglia, cerebellum, spinal cord). (Jösch). Module 3 (8 Lectures): From Neuronal Systems to Behavior. Topic covered: encoding of space, brain oscillations, emerging properties (e.g., place cells, grid cells), sleep-walking cycle regulation, memory formation. (Csicsvari) Important – Although the course is designed to give a general and conceptual overview of the brain, we encourage students to take the “Developmental neuroscience and brain diseases” (spring semester) to broaden their perspective into the molecular aspect and development of the brain. This will be particularly helpful for students aiming to affiliate with experimental groups.