Neurobiology BIOL 31500 Spring 2011
	Instructor - Jean Hardwick
	Office - CNS 168
	Phone - 274-3213
	Email - jhardwick@ithaca.edu

OfficeHours:  M 9-10:00, F 12:00-1:00, or by appointment
Lectures:	MWF 11:00-11:50, CNS 119
Discussion:	W 12:00-12:50, CNS 119
	Schedule Discussion Papers
Textbook:  Neuroscience, Purves, et al (2007) 4th edition.   Additional materials, such as papers, will be available on BlackBoard.

1. To gain a general understanding of the organization and function of the nervous system
2. To understand the cellular and molecular events that control neuronal function
3. To understand how disruptions in these components lead to disease and impairment of neuronal function
4. To develop your ability to read and understand current research in neuroscience
5. To develop your ability to communicate current research in neuroscience through oral and written formats

Grading:

Exams: 20% each

There will be three in class exams, as indicated on the syllabus.  These exams will be given on Wednesdays to allow plenty of time from both the regular lecture hour and the discussion hour for the exam.  The Monday class before the exam will be set aside for a review session. These exams will test your general understanding of the material presented in lectures, as outlined in goals 1-3 above.

Paper Presentation:  15%

During the discussion sections we will be going over primary literature papers and current topics in neuroscience (goals 4 and 5 above).  Each student will be expected to help lead the discussion of one research paper during the semester (you will work in groups of three for this).  The goal is to discuss how current neuroscience research is done and to then put that research into context within society and its applications. The oral presentations will be graded based on both the individual student performance and the performance of the group as a whole. The expectations used for grading are outlined in the evaluation sheets which are available on the course Blackboard site.

Discussion participation:  10%

Those students not presenting are still expected to read the papers prior to the class and come prepared to discuss them.  You are expected to come to class with a minimum of two questions regarding the papers assigned for that week.  These questions should be typed and turned in to me PRIOR to the presentation.  You probably should keep one copy for yourself to use during the discussion.  One question can be related to the methods, but at least one question should be more general (i.e. related to background material, interpretation, or future directions). Class participation will be monitored in each discussion section and grades determined accordingly. 

Written assignment:  20%

Attendance:   

I do not take attendance in lecture. However, exams are based on the material presented in class, some of which is not included in the text.  Attendance at discussion sections is mandatory and points will be deducted for unexcused absences.

 Academic Honesty: 

All the work in this class must be your own, unless stated otherwise.  Confirmed instances of academic misconduct will result in a zero for that assignment or test, and referral to the school judiciary system. Please refer to the Student Handbook for a detailed description of the policies regarding student academic conduct.

 Students with Disabilities: 

In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and The Americans with Disabilities Act, reasonable accommodation will be provided to students with documented disabilities on a case-by-case basis.  Students must register with the Office of Academic Support Services for Students with Disabilities and provide the appropriate documentation to the College.  Before a student can expect to receive any academic adjustment, an accommodation plan from the Office of Academic Support Services must be provided to the professor.

Course Evaluations:

Student input is highly valued and is important to maintain high quality instruction. Course evaluations will be done on-line at the end of the semester.  These are mandatory and must be completed by the due date. The evaluation will be submitted to the Department Assistant. She will verify that you have submitted the form.  Once that has been checked, your identification will be removed and will not be printed with the comments.  

Feb 23^rd: Migraine Vaughn, A.H. and Gold, M.S. (2010). Ionic mechanisms underlying inflammatory mediator-induced sensitization of dural afferents. Journal of Neuroscience 30: 7878-7888.

Mar 2^nd: Bipolar Disorder Thakker-Varia, S., Jean,Y.Y., Parikh, P., Sizer, C.F. Ayer, J.J., Parikh, A., Hyde, T.M., Buyske, S., and Alder, J. (2010). The neuropeptide VGF is reduced in human bipolar postmortem brain and contributes to some of the behavioral and molecular effects of lithium. Journal of Neuroscience 30: 9368-9380.

Mar 9^th: Depression (recommended for students with background in Genetics and/or Molecular Biology) Wilkinson, M.B., Xiao, G., Kumar, A., LaPlant, Q., Renthal, W., Sikder, D., X Kodadek, T.J., and Nestler, E.J. (2009). Imipramine treatment and resiliency exhibit similar chromatin regulation in the mouse nucleus accumbens in depression models. Journal of Neuroscience 29: 7820-7832.

Mar 23^rd: Sensory systems  Coste, B., Mathur, J., Schmidet, M., Earley, T.J., Ranade, S., Petrus, M.J., Dubin, A.E., and Patapoutian, A. (2010). Piezo1 and Piezo2 are essential components of distinct mechanically activated cation channels. Science 330: 55-60.

Apr 13^th: Huntington’s Disease Southwell, A.I., Ko, J. and Patterson, P.H. (2009).  Intrabody gene therapy ameliorates motor, cognitive, and neuropathological symptoms in multiple mouse models of Huntington’s disease. Journal of Neuroscience 28: 13589-13602.

Apr 20^th: Schizophrenia Chen,Y., Hancock, M.L., Role, L.W., and Talmage, D.A. (2010). Intramembranous valine linked to schizophrenia is required for neuregulin 1 regulation of the morphological development of cortical neurons. Journal of Neuroscience 30: 9199-9208.

Apr 27^th: Spinal Cord Regeneration Usher, L.C., Johnstone, A., Ertürk, A., Hu,Y., Strikis, D., Wanner, I.B., Moorman, S., Lee, J.­W., Min, J., Ha, H.-H., Duan, Y., Hoffman, S., Goldberg, J.L., Bradke, F., Chang, Y.-T., Lemmon, V.P., and Bixby, J.L. (2010). A chemical screen identifies novel compounds that overcome glial-mediated inhibition of neuronal regeneration. Journal of Neuroscience 30: 4693­4706.