Systems Neuroscience Laboratory

2-4-6 units. Institute LAB · Undergraduate

Consists of a series of laboratories designed to give students experience with basic techniques for conducting systems neuroscience research. Includes sessions on anatomical, neurophysiological, and data acquisition and analysis techniques, and how these techniques are used to study nervous system function. Involves the use of experimental animals. Assignments include weekly preparation for lab sessions, two major lab reports and a series of basic computer programming tutorials (MATLAB). Instruction and practice in written communication provided. Enrollment limited.

Spring 2013 · Systems Neuroscience Lab

Topics

Course expectations, methods for studying the brain, animal research and safety
Anatomical terminology, concepts and equipment in neurophysiology
Tissue sectioning, staining, and microscopy
Introduction to neurophysiology and action potentials at work
The compound potential and action potential (frog nerve)
Principles of sensory processing
Science writing
Plotting, spike detection, movie creation and data analysis
Practice preparation
Movie design
Data collection
Data analysis 1
Data analysis 2
MR Imaging and electroencephalography

Readings

[O&S] = Oakley, Bruce, and Rollie Schafer. Experimental Neurobiology: A Laboratory Manual . University of Michigan Press, 1978. ISBN: 9780472086900.
Listed reading
WEEK #: 2 · RECITATION READINGS: Hubel, D. H., and T. N. Wiesel. “ Receptive Fields of Single Neurones in the Cat’s Striate Cortex .” Journal of Physiology 148, no. 3 (1959): 574–91. ↗
Reading assignment
[O&S] Chapter 2.1: “The Electrophysiological Setup.” pp. 10–1.
Listed reading
[O&S] Chapter 2.5: “Electronic Stimulator.” pp. 25–8.
Listed reading
[O&S] Chapter 2.6: “Preamplifier.” pp. 29–33.
Listed reading
Diester, Ilka, Matthew T Kaufman, et al. “ An Optogenetic Toolbox Designed for Primates .” Nature Neuroscience 14, no. 3 (2011): 387–97. ↗
Listed reading
Ramos-Vara, J. A. “ Technical Aspects of Immunohistochemistry .” Veterinary Pathology 42, no. 4 (2005): 405–26. ↗
Listed reading
Rinberg, D., and H. Davidowitz. “ Do Cockroaches ‘Know’ About Fluid Dynamics? ” Nature 405, no. 6788 (2000): 756. ↗
Listed reading
Hubel, David H. “Impulses, Synapses and Circuits.” (PDF) Eye, Brain, and Vision . W. H. Freeman, 1995, pp. 12–31. ISBN: 9780716760092. ( Online version ) ↗
Listed reading
Kolb, Bryan, and Ian Q. Whishaw. “How Do Neurons Convey Information?” Chapter 4 in Introduction to Brain and Behavior . Worth Publishers, 2000, pp 123–37. ISBN: 9780716751694.
Listed reading
WEEK #: 5 · RECITATION READINGS: Thorpe, Simon, Denis Fize, et al. “ Speed of Processing in the Human Visual System .” Nature 381, no. 6582 (1996): 520–2. · PRE-LAB READINGS: [O&S] Chapter 4.2: “Compound Action Potential: Frog Sciatic Nerve .” pp. 85–96. ↗
Reading assignment
WEEK #: 6 · RECITATION READINGS: Armstrong-James, Michael, and Kevin Fox. “ Spatiotemporal Convergence and Divergence in the Rat S1 ‘Barrel’ Cortex .” The Journal of Comparative Neurology 263, no. 2 (1987): 265-81. · PRE-LAB READINGS: Andermann, Mark L., and Christopher I. Moore. “ A Somatotopic Map of Vibrissa Motion Direction within a Barrel Column .” Nature Neuroscience 9, no. 4 (2006): 543–51. ↗
Reading assignment
WEEK #: 7 · RECITATION READINGS: Andermann, Mark L., Jason Ritt, et al. “ Neural Correlates of Vibrissa Resonance: Band-Pass and Somatotopic Representation of High-Frequency Stimuli .” Neuron 42, no. 3 (2004): 451–63. · PRE-LAB READINGS: Research report reading: Gopen, George D., and Judith A. Swan. “ The Science of Scientific Writing .” American Scientist 78 (1990): 550–8. ↗
Reading assignment
WEEK #: 8 · RECITATION READINGS: No readings assigned · PRE-LAB READINGS: No readings assigned
Reading assignment
Maunsell, John H. R., and David C. Van Essen. “ Functional Properties of Neurons in Middle Temporal Visual Area of the Macaque Monkey. I. Selectivity for Stimulus Direction, Speed, and Orientation .” Journal of Neurophysiology 9, no. 5 (1983): 1127–47. ↗
Listed reading
Britten, Kenneth H., Michael N. Shadlen, et al. “ The Analysis of Visual Motion: A Comparison of Neuronal and Psychophysical Performance .” The Journal of Neuroscience 12, no. 12 (1992): 4745–65. ↗
Listed reading
Buy at MIT Press Dayan, Peter, and Laurence F. Abbott. “Neural Encoding I: Firing Rates and Spike Statistics.” Chapter 1 in Theoretical Neuroscience: Computational and Mathematical Modeling of Neural Systems . MIT Press, 2001, pp. 3–43. ISBN: 9780262041997. ↗
Listed reading
Linden, Monica L., Arnold J. Heynen, et al. “ Thalamic Activity that Drives Visual Cortical Plasticity .” Nature Neuroscience 12, no. 4 (2009): 390–92. ↗
Listed reading
Borst, Alexander, and Martin Egelhaaf. “ Principles of Visual Motion Detection .” Trends in Neuroscience 12, no. 8 (1989): 297–306. ↗
Listed reading
Egelhaaf, Martin, Roland Kern, et al. “ Neural Encoding of Behaviourally Relevant Visual-Motion Information in the Fly .” Trends in Neurosciences 25, no. 2 (2002): 96–102. ↗
Listed reading
Birbaumer, Niels, Ander Ramos Murguialday, et al. “ Brain-Computer Interface in Paralysis .” Current Opinion in Neurology 21, no. 6 (2008): 634–8. ↗
Listed reading
Maguire, Eleanor A., David G. Gadian, et al. “ Navigation-Related Structural Change in the Hippocampi of Taxi Drivers .” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 97, no. 8 (2000): 4398–403. ↗
Listed reading

Prerequisites & course information

Prereq: 9.01 or permission of instructor U (Fall) 2-4-6 units. Institute LAB

Sources

Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Spring 2013
MIT OCW calendar ↗
MIT OCW readings ↗
MIT OCW syllabus ↗
Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.