Current Issues in Behavioral Neuroscience

Graduate

This course explores the neural circuit basis of emotion—particularly fear—using cellular, systems‑level, and computational approaches in animal models. Beginning with historical and modern theories, we will quickly move to primary‑literature discussions of the neural circuitry that may underlie emotional experience. Students will critically engage with methodology and experimental findings from neurophysiological recordings (electrophysiology, calcium imaging) and evaluate causal manipulations (optogenetics, chemogenetics) of neural circuits in the amygdala and connected regions. Problem‑sets and presentations will develop conceptual and quantitative reasoning in this subject.