2205 Biological Sciences II; (949) 824-6025
Herbert Killackey, Department Chair
Faculty
Dana Aswad: Neurochemistry and molecular neurobiology
Lawrence F. Cahill: Brain mechanisms of emotion and memory
Carl Cotman: Brain aging, Alzheimer's, cell biology, biochemistry
Ron D. Frostig: Functional organization of cortex
Christine M. Gall: Regulation of neuronal gene expression
Robert K. Josephson: Design of skeletal muscle
Herbert P. Killackey: Developmental neuroanatomy
Frank LaFerla: Alzheimer's, neural apoptosis, transgenic animal modeling
Michael Leon: Brain development
Gary S. Lynch: Brain plasticity and behavior
John Marshall: Neuropharmacological approaches to behavioral analysis
James L. McGaugh: Neurobiology of learning and memory
Raju Metherate: Synaptic physiology and plasticity in sensory neuroprocesses
Ricardo Miledi: Molecular neurobiology and physiology of ion channels and receptors
Ian Parker: Intracellular calcium and cell signaling
George Sperling: Cognition, vision, and visual perception
Arnold Starr: Clinical neurology
Georg Striedter: Neuroethology, behavioral neuroscience, evolutionary neurobiology
Katumi Sumikawa: Molecular neurobiology of synapses
Norman M. Weinberger: Neural bases of attention and learning
John H. Weiss: Excitatory amino acids in neural signaling and neuro-degeneration
Pauline I. Yahr: Behavioral neuroendocrinology
Psychobiology is concerned with the biology of the nervous system and behavior. The Department of Psychobiology emphasizes the adaptive aspects of neural and behavioral plasticity. The faculty's research interests include the biochemical, endocrinological, genetic, and experiential determinants of nervous system function and behavior. Focal topics include synaptic processes, neurophysiology, neuroendocrinology, neuroanatomy, molecular neurobiology, neuropharmacology, theoretical neurobiology, arousal and attention, learning and memory, reproductive behavior, and communication. The importance of developmental and comparative approaches to these problems is stressed.
The Department of Psychobiology offers graduate training leading to the Ph.D. in Biological Sciences. Graduate students must complete a sequence of core courses (lectures and laboratories) during their first year, and maintain an overall GPA of 3.3 or better. They also must take a minimum of four advanced courses before graduation and must participate in directed research and teaching each year. During their second year, students prepare a Master's thesis, which must be defended by the end of that year. All students meeting minimal requirements will receive an M.S. degree, but only those students judged well qualified will be recommended for continuation in the Ph.D. program. To advance to candidacy for the Ph.D., students must further prepare a research proposal and must pass an oral examination by the end of the third year. Graduation depends on successful preparation and oral defense of a dissertation based on the student's research. Students are expected to complete this program in six years of study.
Ideally, applicants for this program should have taken undergraduate courses in biology (one introductory year plus some advanced work), psychology (experimental, physiological, and learning), chemistry through biochemistry, introductory physics, calculus, and statistics. They also must submit GRE Aptitude test scores. Because graduate training emphasizes research, preference is given to applicants having laboratory research experience as undergraduates. Although students are examined for an M.S. degree as an intercalated part of the Ph.D. program, the Department accepts only those students seeking a doctorate. Applicants with substantial
outside commitments that would curtail laboratory research or prolong the time to degree are not accepted. Students are encouraged to take the GRE no later than October. The deadline for application is January 7.
200A-B-C Research in Psychobiology (2 to 12 per quarter) F, W, S. Individual research supervised by a specific professor. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
201A-B-C Research in Psychobiology (2 to 12 per quarter) F, W, S. For first-year graduate students, individual research supervised by a specific professor. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
210 Learning and Memory (1 to 4). Lecture, four and one-half hours. A survey of the biological basis for learning and memory. Prerequisite: Psychobiology graduate student or consent of instructor. May be repeated for credit.
221A-B Systems Neurobiology (6-2) F, W. Study of the mammalian nervous system at the systems level. Anatomy and physiology of sensory, motor, and integrative functions. Prerequisite: Psychobiology or Anatomy and Neurobiology graduate student or consent of instructor. May be taken for credit twice for a total of 16 units. Same as Anatomy and Neurobiology 221A-B.
222 Neurophysiology (4) F. Lecture, three hours. Biophysical mechanisms of membrane potentials, voltage- and ligand-gated ion channels, action potential propagation, synaptic transmission, and intracellular second messenger systems. Prerequisite: Psychobiology or Anatomy and Neurobiology graduate student or consent of instructor. May be taken for credit twice. Same as Anatomy and Neurobiology 222.
222L Neurophysiology Laboratory (2) W. Use of contemporary techniques for studying membrane channels and receptors. Methods include extracellular and intracellular recording, patch clamp, quantal analysis of synaptic transmission, heterologous expression of genes encoding channels and receptors, and fluorescence calcium monitoring. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory only. Prerequisite: Psychobiology or Anatomy and Neurobiology graduate student or consent of instructor. May be taken for credit twice. Same as Anatomy and Neurobiology 222L.
223 Synaptic, Cellular, and Molecular Neurobiology (4) W. Lecture, three hours. Chemical basis of molecular and cellular events in neurobiology, including neurotransmitter biosynthesis and release, structure and function of ion channels, second messenger pathways, gene regulation, and synaptic plasticity. Prerequisite: Psychobiology or Anatomy and Neurobiology graduate student or consent of instructor. May be taken for credit twice. Same as Anatomy and Neurobiology 223.
224 Developmental Neurobiology (4) S. Lecture, three hours. Developmental mechanisms involved in formation of the nervous system in both invertebrates and vertebrates. Analysis of cellular mechanisms involved in differentiation, morphogenesis, synaptic connectivity, and electrical activity. Sexual differentiation. Prerequisite: Psychobiology or Anatomy and Neurobiology graduate student or consent of instructor. May be taken for credit twice. Same as Anatomy and Neurobiology 224.
240 Advanced Analysis of Learning and Memory (4) F of odd years. Lecture and seminar, three hours. Advanced analysis of contemporary research concerning the nature and neurobiological bases of learning and memory. Special emphasis is given to time-dependent processes involved in memory storage.
241 Advanced Analysis of Hormones and Behavior (4). Lecture and seminar, three hours. Relationships that exist among endocrine secretions, the brain, and behavior. The biology of reproduction is covered in detail as are the roles of hormones in development stress and social behavior.
242 Development of Synaptic Functions (4) S. Lecture and seminar, three hours. Analysis of the ontogenetic development of synaptic functions in the brain and peripheral nervous system. Emphasis at the molecular and cellular levels. Prerequisite: graduate status in Psychobiology or consent of instructor.
243 Advanced Analysis of Comparative and Developmental Neurobiology (4) S of even years. Lecture and seminar, three hours. The vertebrate nervous system approached from both its phylogenetic and ontogenetic history. Emphasis is given to contemporary experimental approaches to selected neuronal systems.
244 Advanced Neurochemistry (4) W of even years. Lecture and seminar, three hours. Integrated survey of the chemical and physiological mechanisms of synaptic transmission. Selected topics include growth and modification of synaptic connections from a chemical viewpoint.
245 Advanced Topics in the Neurobiology of Aging (4) S. Covers the major topics and rapidly advancing areas in the molecular and cellular events leading to brain aging and dementia. Lectures are presented by investigators active in the fields of aging and neurodegeneration.
246 Advanced Analysis of Attention and Learning (4) S of odd years. Lecture and seminar, three hours. Consideration of behavioral and neural aspects of attention. Examination of the concept of "attention" from a behavioral point of view, and classical and current approaches to brain mechanisms which form the substrates of behavioral attention.
247 Advanced Integrative Neurobiology (4). Lecture and seminar, three hours. Consideration of selected topics in neurobiology in which multidisciplinary approaches have been used to analyze function.
249 Electronics for Biologists (4) W. Lecture, three hours; laboratory, four hours. Basic principles of electricity; properties and use of discrete components and integrated circuits; circuit analysis and design. Intended for advanced students in the life sciences. Same as Physiology and Biophysics 205.
250 Basal Ganglia and Movement Disorders (4). Principles underlying the organization and functions of the basal ganglia and amygdala are considered. The circuitry, neurotransmitters, and influences on cortex and brainstem motor regions are discussed. Clinical disorders of the basal ganglia, including parkinsonism and ballism, are included.
251 Clinical Neurology for Neuroscientists (4) S of odd years. Presentation of problems of clinical neurology through patient presentation, examination, and discussion. Patients with lesions or defects at various levels of the nervous system are examined.
252 Advanced Analysis of Animal Behavior (4) W of odd years. Lecture and seminar, three hours. Consideration of the adaptive functions of species-typical behavior patterns, as well as their physiological control and ontogeny.
254 Molecular Neurobiology (4) S. Lecture, three hours. The application of genetic and recombinant DNA technology to neurobiology. Topics include the study of neuronal proteins which play important roles in the formation of synapses and synaptic transmission.
257 Advanced Topics in Dementia (4) S. Seminar, three hours. Understanding of dementia becomes increasingly important as individuals live longer and the elderly account for a larger percentage of the population. Topics focus on Alzheimer's disease and related disorders to examine pathology, diagnosis, treatment, and basic research. Lectures are presented by investigators active in dementia. May be taken for credit two times as topics vary.
258 Advanced Analysis of Neurogenetics (4) S. Seminar, three hours; discussion, one hour. Analysis of the genetic basis of neurological development and disorders. Emphasis on the approaches used to identify novel, neurologically relevant genes and analysis on the molecular level. Focuses on understanding how genetic changes alter cellular functions and the clinical consequences that ensue.
259 Cortical Plasticity (4) S. Lecture, two hours; discussion, one hour. Consideration of contemporary research on anatomical, physiological, and behavioral aspects of plasticity in the cerebral cortex during development, recovery of function and learning, emphasizing visual, somatosensory, and auditory cortices. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
NOTE: Consent of instructor required for seminar courses numbered 260279. In order to earn four units of credit, three quarters must be taken. Partial credit may be earned for individual segments.
260 Seminar in Learning and Memory (1.3) F, W, S. Open only to Psychobiology graduate students.
261 Seminar in Systems Dynamics (1.3) F, W, S. Open only to Psychobiology graduate students.
262 Seminar in Molecular Neurobiology (1.3) F, W, S. Open only to Psychobiology graduate students.
263 Seminar in Comparative and Developmental Neurology (1.3) F, W, S. Open only to Psychobiology graduate students.
264 Seminar in Neurochemistry (1.3) F, W, S. Open only to Psychobiology graduate students.
265 Reproductive Physiology and Behavior (1.3) F, W, S. Open only to Psychobiology graduate students.
266 Seminar in Attention and Learning (1.3) F, W, S. Open only to Psychobiology graduate students.
267 Seminar in Neural Systems (1.3) F, W, S. Role of calcium and other second messengers in intracellular cell signaling mechanisms. Open only to Psychobiology graduate students.
268 Calcium and Cell Signaling (1.3) F, W, S. Open only to Psychobiology graduate students.
269 Seminar in Neural Injury (1.3) F, W, S. Open only to Psychobiology graduate students.
270 Seminar in Neuromechanisms (1.3) F, W, S. Open only to Psychobiology graduate students.
271 Seminar in Auditory Neurophysiology (1.3) F, W, S. Open only to Psychobiology graduate students.
272 Seminar in Neurophysiology of Behavior (1.3) F, W, S. Open only to Psychobiology graduate students.
273 Seminar in Comparative Behavior (1.3) F, W, S. Open only to Psychobiology graduate students.
274 Seminar in Central Trophic Factors and Plasticity (1.3) F, W, S. Open only to Psychobiology graduate students.
275 Seminar in Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology (1.3) F, W, S. Open only to Psychobiology graduate students.
276 Seminar in Molecular Neuroscience (1.3) F, W, S. Open only to Psychobiology graduate students.
277 Seminar in Neurobiology (1.3) F, W, S. Open only to Psychobiology graduate students.
278 Seminar in Molecular Neuropathology (1.3) F, W, S. Open only to Psychobiology graduate students. May be repeated for credit.
279 Seminar in Synaptic Function in Neocortex (1.3) F, W, S. Open only to Psychobiology graduate students. May be repeated for credit.
280 History of Neuroscience (4). An overview of the conceptual and technical foundations of contemporary neuroscience from ancient times to the present. The subjects include synapses, neurons, brain organization, sensory, motor and regulatory systems, learning and memory, human brain function and dysfunction.
281 Seminar in Vision and Attention (1.3) F, W, S. Topics typically include: mechanisms of motion and depth perception; pattern recognition; system analyses of perceptual functions; and attention processes in visual motion, search, and short-term visual memory. Emphasis is placed on comparisons between neural mechanisms, psychophysical models, and computer algorithms. May be repeated for credit as topics vary.
290 Colloquium in Psychobiology (1.3) F, W, S. Lecture, three-fourths hour; discussion, three-fourths hour. Presentation of contemporary research problems in psychobiology and related areas by invited speakers. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory only. May be repeated for credit.
399 University Teaching (4-4-4) F, W, S. Limited to Teaching Assistants.
