Syllabus

Course Meeting Times

Lectures: 10 sessions / 2 weeks, 3 hours / session

Course Overview

This course reviews neuroanatomy used in research, ranging from amphibians to humans. The course is designed to give researchers a grounding in the basics of neuroanatomy. Mammal and amphibian brains are used for anatomical demonstrations.

The major systems will be reviewed following a detailed examination of the major structures in the brain:

• Motor Systems
• Sensory Systems (vision, olfaction, somatosensory, audition, gustation)
• Hypothalamus
• Limbic System
• Neocortex: functional organization

The major functional components of the CNS will then be reviewed individually:

• Topography
• Functional distribution of nerve cell bodies
• Ascending and descending tracts in the spinal cord
• Brainstem
• Cranial nerve nuclei
• Ascending/descending pathways
• Amine-containing cells
• Structure and information flow in the cerebellar and vestibular systems
• Distribution of the cranial nerves
• Resolution of their skeletal and branchial arch components
• Functional divisions of the Diencephalon and Telencephalon

The course will then continue with how these various CNS pieces and parts work together. To conclude, functional organization and information flow in the neocortex will be discussed.

Requirements

Class attendance
Final exam