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Neurobiology - BIOL 540Winter 2012

Instructor: Dr. John LayneOffice: 808 Rieveschl HallTel: 556-9718

Email: john.layne@uc.edu

Office Hours: Tuesday, Thursday 2-3pm, or by appointment.

Class Time / Location: MWF 9:00 - 9:50 pm 800 Swift Hall

Required Text: Neuroscience, 4th edition by Purves, Augustine, Fitzpatrick, Hall, LaMantia

McNamara & White. Sinauer, Sunderland, MA, 2008.Supplemental texts (on reserve in the Chemistry/Biology Library):Principles of Neural Science, by Kandel, Schwartz & Jessell

Neurobiology by Shepherd

From Neuron to Brain by Kuffler, Nicholls & Martin

BE SURE TO CHECK THE COURSE BLACKBOARD SITE FREQUENTLY FOR CLASSANNOUNCEMENTS AND ASSOCIATED CLASS MATERIAL.

Overview/Goals: Biology 540 is the second of an informal trio of upper-level animal physiology

courses (along with Animal Physiology and Sensory Physiology), meant to .provide a fairlycomprehensive education in the physiological basis of behavior. The goal of this course is to help

you understand the nervous system from cellular physiology and molecular mechanisms to control

of complex behavior. Specific goals are:

1) To understand the electrophysiological basis of membrane potentials, action potentials,

and synaptic potentials, and to extend these concepts to neural circuits that mediate

behaviors;

2) To realize the integrative nature of neurobiology, and the wide range of levels,

approaches, animal models and methodologies used in its study;

3) To relate the principles of neurobiology to specific topics that interest each of you.

This course serves as a Biology Major Elective for those pursuing a Bachelors degree in biology.

Prerequisite:Successful completion of the Introductory Sequence (BIOL 101-103; 111-113), Cell Structure and

Function (301).

Animal Physiology (572) is recommended.

Attendance Policy:

I do not require attendance (but see below).

Grading Policy:

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Exams: There will be four exams of equal value. The exams will not be comprehensive but may

require you to have knowledge of material from previous exam periods, particularly exam 1. The

material to be covered on each exam will consist of lecture material as well as assigned readings.Cell phones, computers etc. are not permitted at all during the exam.

Quizzes: There will be three short quizzes per week. These will be administered online(Blackboard). Questions will be based on readings assigned for the upcoming lecture, and must be

completed one hour before the lecture. Quizzes will be posted at least 36 hours prior to their

respective deadlines. Makeup quizzes follow the same protocol as makeup exams.

Class participation: No formal points will be awarded for class participation. However, small

adjustments may be made, at the instructors discretion, to the final letter grade, based on class

participation.

The final class grade will be determined on a standard grading scale to be posted on Blackboard (A,

B, C, D, F, including plus and minus grades) as follows:

Exam 1 20% 100 ptsExam 2 20% 100 pts

Exam 3 20% 100 pts

Exam 4 20% 100 ptsQuizzes 20% 100 pts

Total 500 pts

Once final grades are assigned, there will be no adjustments (except in the case of a clerical error).

Extra credit may be offered at the instructors discretion. Failure to take the final exam without

prior arrangement will automatically result in a grade of zero for the final, which will be averaged

in with the rest of the course grades.

Weather:If the university announces that classes are closed on the day that an exam is scheduled, the examwill take place during the next class period. Any changes will be announced via email and on

Blackboard. It is your responsibility to ensure that your correct email address is registered with

blackboard.

Makeup Policy:

Make-up midterm exams will not be given unless there is a medical or family emergency; in these

cases notification from a doctor or other appropriate authority will be required and it will beverified. The student must notify the instructor prior to the exam that he/she is unable to take the

test. The make-up exam must be taken within three weekdays of the originally scheduled time andwill consist of a different test on the same subject matter. There is no scheduled make-up exam for

the final. A grade of zero will be given to students with an invalid or non-verifiable absence, or

who do not contact the instructor within the required time period.

Academic Integrity Statement:

The University Rules, including the Student Code of Conduct, and other policies related toacademic integrity will be enforced. Any violation of these regulations, including acts of plagiarism

or cheating, will be dealt with swiftly. If you are unclear on what exactly constitutes plagiarism,

talk to me. The Student Code of Conduct document can be accessed at:

http://www.uc.edu/ucinfo/conduct.html.

Special Needs Statement:

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If you have any special needs related to your participation in this course, including identified visual,

hearing, or physical impairments, a communication disorder, and/or a specific learning disability

that may influence your performance in this course, please contact me to arrange for reasonableprovisions to ensure an equitable opportunity to meet all course requirements. Some

accommodations may require prior approval by Disability Services (513-556-6823).

General:

To do well in this course, you need to attend classes, take detailed notes during the lectures,

participate in discussions (not graded, but helpful to you and the rest of the class), and read any

assigned material before and/or after class. I encourage you to sit near the front of the classroom so

that you can easily hear and see the material. I will post the PowerPoint lecture slides prior to class,and I highly advise you to augment them with your own notes. Anything that is mentioned in class

is fair game for the test, regardless of whether it is written on a slide or not.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask in class, contact me before or after class, or

by email or phone. I will be checking my email up to 9pm the night before an exam in case youhave related questions.

--THIS SYLLABUS IS SUBJECT TO MODIFICATION AS NECESSARY--

SCHEDULE:

Date Day Lecture Topic Reading

Jan 4 W 1 Introduction Ch 1, start Ch 2

Jan 6 F 2 Membrane potential Ch 2

Jan 9 M 3 Membrane potential Ch 2

Jan 11 W 4 Action potential Ch 3

Jan 13 F 5 Action potential Ch 3Jan 16 M * Martin Luther King Jr. Day *

Jan 18 W 6 Channels and Transporters Ch 4

Jan 20 F 7 Channels and Transporters Ch 4

Jan 23 M * Exam 1 *

Jan 25 W 8 Synaptic Transmission Ch 5

Jan 27 F 9 Neurotransmitters and their Receptors Ch 6

Jan 30 M 10 Neurotransmitters and their Receptors Ch 6

Feb 1 W 11 Molecular signaling in Neurons Ch 7

Feb 3 F 12 Synaptic plasticity Ch 8

Feb 6 M 13 Synaptic plasticity Ch 8

Feb 8 W * Exam 2 *

Feb 10 F 14 Somatic sensory system Ch 9

Feb 13 M 15 Proprioception and stretch reflex Ch 9

Feb 15 W 16 Pain Ch 10

Feb 17 F 17 Lower motor circuits Ch 16

Feb 20 M 18 Upper motor circuits Ch 17

Feb 22 W 19 Upper motor circuits Ch 17

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Feb 24 F 20 Basal Ganglia Ch 18

Feb 27 M * Exam 3 *

Feb 29 W 21 Cerebellum Ch 19

Mar 2 F 22 Modification of Brain through experience Ch 24Mar 5 M 23 Modification of Brain through experience Ch 24

Mar 7 W 24 Repair and Regeneration Ch 25

Mar 9 F 25 Repair and Regeneration Ch 25

Mar 12 M 26 Sleep/Wakefulness Ch 28

TBA -- Exam 4