Systems Cognitive Neurosci

6 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

The second semester of a pair of courses designed to introduce basic concepts in neuroscience and the experimental strategies that have been used to achieve our current awareness of the structure and function of the nervous systems. This spring part of Core consists of two parts, Regulatory Systems and Cognitive Neuroscience: Regulatory Systems - Autonomic and endocrine systems important for maintenance of sleep and waking and homeostasis, and their regulation by limbic system networks. Endocrine and hypothalamic/brainstem control of salt/water balance, thermoregulation, appetite, reproductive behavior, cardiorespiratory function, immune function and circadian rhythms will be discussed and related to regulation of mood and emotion by limbic system circuits. Behavioral regulation, including the concepts of classical and operant conditioning, reinforcement and punishment, conditioned emotional responses, and self-stimulation will be considered in the second part of the course. Cognitive Neuroscience – This section of the course discusses the neural bases of higher cognitive functions, including attention, executive function, language, social and affective cognition, learning and memory, and changes in cognitive processing during development and aging. The module also introduces students to methods in modern cognitive neuroscience, including neurophysiology, neuropsychology and functional imaging in experimental animals and humans. The module further includes a introducing students to human psychophysical experiments.