BIO-105 (2023) Cellular Biology and Biochemistry for engineers

BIO-479 Immunology - advances and therapeutic implications

BIO-482 Neuroscience: cellular and circuit mechanisms

This course focuses on the biophysical mechanisms of mammalian brain function. We will describe how neurons communicate through synaptic transmission in order to process sensory information ultimately leading to motor behavior.

The brain processes information through the concerted activity of many neurons, which communicate with each other through synapses organised in highly dynamic networks. The first goal of this course is to gain a detailed understanding of the structure and function of the fundamental building blocks of the brain, its synapses and neurons. In considering this goal, we will also examine some basic methods including cellular electrophysiology and optical imaging. This will enable the student to critically evaluate how neurons are studied. The second goal is to learn how synaptic input is integrated and processed in single neurons based on the active and passive properties of axons and dendrites. Students will assemble their knowledge of synapses and neurons into a coherent picture of neuronal network function, with specific emphasis on the interactions of excitatory glutamatergic and inhibitory GABAergic neurons, plasticity and neuromodulation. The third goal, will be to place neuronal networks in the context of how they contribute to associative learning and sensory processing ultimately leading to behavioural decisions and motor output. These topics will be examined during Week 9 of the semester in a written exam.

In the second part of the semester, students will carry out a miniproject analysing a neurophysiological dataset. Each student must submit their miniproject report by the last Friday of the semester.

BIO-493 Scientific project design in integrative neurosciences

Summary

In this course, students will investigate causal neuronal network mechanisms underlying sensory-guided decision-making in mice. Students will analyse published data to develop integrative neuroscience research projects including the design of new experiments to test specific falsifiable predictions.

Students will work together in small groups to jointly write a ~20-page report to be handed in by the end of the semester, which will count for two-thirds of the final grade.

Students will also give a ~15 minute oral presentation (10 minutes presentation + 5 minutes discussion) during the semester, which will count for one-third of the final grade.

 

Content

Neurons function in highly-distributed brain-wide networks which process sensory information and guide flexible goal-directed behavior across diverse timescales according to animal needs in different contexts. New technologies provide increasingly-high-resolution measurements of the activity of many individual neurons measured simultaneously across different brain regions offering unprecedented opportunities for investigating neuronal network dynamics. High-density multichannel silicon probes for electrophysiological measurement of extracellular potentials can provide access to the action potential firing times of hundreds of neurons measured simultaneously with millisecond precision during quantified mouse behavior in sensory decision-making tasks. Such data begin to offer the first insights into how dynamic brain-wide neuronal computations might underlie simple cognitive functions, and in this course we will explore two such data sets. We will first discuss relevant literature, and then re-analyse the underlying data to reproduce and extend key published findings. Guided through discussions in class, students will then develop hypotheses for causal neuronal mechanisms underlying specific aspects of the data. Finally, students will design new experiments, models, simulations, and analyses to test specific falsifiable hypotheses.

BIOENG-451 Scientific literature analysis in neurobiology

In this course, you will learn how to read a paper critically and understand its content. We will examine published papers and discuss which conclusions can be justified and which require some wishful thinking. We will dissect papers in the field of 'Developmental Neurobiology', focusing in particular on a molecular and cellular perspective, discussing recent research, as well as classic landmarks. The subareas you will learn about include 'Patterning and Gene Regulation', 'Lineages and Tracing', "Migration and Synaptogenesis", "Single-cell analyses and computation", and "Human development and in vitro models".

In part I (8-9 weeks), after two introductory lectures, each week, we will evaluate in class papers:  few of the participants will be asked to lead the discussion (in the form of an oral presentation, i.e., a journal club), while the rest of the class will be expected to participate in the discussion, producing a summary of the main findings in the proper context, and an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the paper. This will require studying background material so that your presentation places the paper in context.

In part II (5-6 weeks), students will work in small groups and perform mini-projects where they will reproduce/extend analyses of key papers. The projects will be orally presented by the teams during the last week.

The assessment will be based on your oral presentations, written submissions and participation in the discussions throughout the course during the semester.