Introduction to Neuroscience: Behavioral Neuroscience      (2009-2010)

 

 

Dr. Nachum Ulanovsky, Dr. Tali Kimchi, Dr. Rony Paz

 

 

Time:  The 1st semester of 2009-2010.  Meetings take place on Tuesdays, between 9 – 11 am. 

Location:  Belfer building, Botnar auditorium.

 

 

This course will introduce students to Behavioral Neuroscience, first by providing an in-depth introduction to behavior, and then focusing on two different approaches that are common in the field: One approach ("neuropsychological") is to study animals in artificial well-controlled tasks, the other ("neuroethological") approach utilizes the animal's natural behaviors.  We will introduce general aspects, and will also discuss these approaches by focusing on several well-studied example systems.

 

 

Part A:  Introduction to Brain and Behavior  (Kimchi, Ulanovsky)

 

  1. Overview of the course (Ulanovsky). 

Introduction to Behavior (Kimchi).    (10/11/2009)     [PDF1]   [PDF2]

 

  1. Sensory ecology: evolutionary adaptations of animal sensory systems to their environment (Ulanovsky).    (17/11/2009)     [PDF]

 

  1. No lecture – Israel Society for Neuroscience meeting.    (24/11/2009)

 

  1. Hormonal mechanisms of behavior.  Sexual behaviors and their neural mechanisms (Kimchi).   (1/12/2009)    [PDF]

 

 

Part B:  Neural mechanisms of Behavior – the Neuroethological approach  (Ulanovsky)

 

  1. Basic concepts: neuroscience and neuroethology.  Example system 1: Electrolocation in weakly-electric fish.   (8/12/2009)    [PDF]

 

  1. Example system 2: Multisensory integration in the brain of the barn owl. (Guest lecture by: Dr. Yoram Gutfreund, Technion)     (15/12/2009)     [PDF]

 

  1. Example system 3: Echolocation in bats: behavior, principles of biosonar signal design, neural processing.   (22/12/2009)    [PDF]

 

  1. Example system 4: Neurobiology of spatial cognition.  Introduction to spatial memory, orientation and navigation: (i) Navigational strategies in different animals. (ii) Sensory mechanisms of navigation: vision, magnetic navigation, etc.   (29/12/2009)    [PDF]

 

  1. The navigation circuits in the mammalian brain: Place cells, grid cells, head-direction cells. Computational models of navigation.   (5/1/2010)    [PDF]

 

 

Part C:  Neural mechanisms of Behavior – the Neuropsychological approach  (Paz)

 

  1. Introduction: Basic concepts, standard behavioral tasks.  Example system 5: The representation and production of voluntary movement in the brain. Computational models of artificial and natural movements.    (12/1/2010)    [PDF]

 

  1. Example system 6: A neuroscience approach to the study of learning.  Reward and its representation in neural circuits.   (Guest lecture by: Dr. Genela Morris, Haifa University)   (19/1/2010)   [PDF]

 

  1. Fear and its representation in neural circuits.    (26/1/2010)   [PDF]

 

  1. Example system 7: A neuroscience approach to the study of Emotions.    (2/2/2010)   [PDF]

 

 

 

Course requirements:  Final exam; 20% of the exam will be on classical papers in behavioral neuroscience, which will be compulsory reading material.

 

 

Materials for Exam: 

-         The papers for the exam. 

-         The movies used in the lectures. 

-         The audio recordings of all the lectures (very large files).



Bibliography:


- Behavioral Neurobiology, Carew J. (Sinauer, 2000).

- Behavioral Neurobiology: An Integrative Approach, Zupanc G. (Oxford, 2004).

- Learning and behavior, Bouton M. (Sinauer, 2007).

- The computational neurobiology of reaching and pointing, Shadmehr R. and Wise S. (MIT, 2005).
- Sensory Ecology, Dusenbery D. (Freeman, 1992).

- An introduction to behavioral endocrinology, 3rd ed., Nelson R. (Sinauer, 2005).