24 Hours in Our Brain

(4 Credits)

What is happening in our brain right now? Whether we are awake or asleep, our brain works around the clock to manage our daily life. When we are moving our bodies, navigating a new city, having a conversation, making decisions, or resting, our brain is continuously working behind the scenes. But how does it manage all of these activities, sometimes simultaneously? This course will start with a brief introduction of the principal structure and function of the human brain. You will go on a brief tour of the different cell types and their unique features in the brain. Then the course will progress through "24-hours" of recognizable real-world examples of brain activity where we will discuss the underlying activities and biological processes that are behind day-to-day activities. In doing so, we will discover the biological principles of our intelligent behaviors such as learning, representations and decision-making. We will also consider how some of these processes are influenced not just by our genes, but also through culture, technology, and human evolution.