Systems Neuroscience

Course Objective

- Understanding of approaches to study the central nervous system in an
integrated and multidisciplinary way with a strong focus on how the
complexity of the brain is required for complex behaviour.
- The ability to write a research proposal from a systems neuroscience
perspective

Course Content

Systems Neuroscience is a "way of life": approaching the study of the
central nervous system in an integrated and multidisciplinary way. Once
learned in an exemplar system, the systems approach can be applied to
essentially any functional system in the CNS. In this course we will
explore the organization of essential systems, including those encoding
for learning and memory, sleep, consciousness, decision making and
reward. This will to a large extent consist of homework assignments with
short presentations and
discussion. Based on selected review- type
papers/chapters we will a) follow the development of concepts over
time; b) discuss the relationship between technology-development and
experimental approaches c) study and discuss different approaches and
d) integrate those into a concept of systems neuroscience.

Additional Information Teaching Methods

Lectures, homework assignments, presentations, and tutored discussions.
Contact hours: 24
Selfstudy 48

Method of Assessment

Self-study with evaluations by way of presentations and discussions;
final thesis on a self-selected topic.

Entry Requirements

From Molecule to Mind or similar advanced neuroscience course

Literature

Kandel ER, Schwartz JH, Jessell TM Principles of Neural Science.
This book will be used in the course as background literature. Other
literature will be provided during the course or will be self-selected.

Additional Information

Coordinators:
prof dr Taco de Vries; prof dr Ysbrand van der Werf

Guest lecturers: dr Nathan Marchant, dr Tommy Pattij, dr Ingo Willuhn,
dr Matthew Self, dr Antonio Luchicchi, dr Benjamin Drukarch

Recommended background knowledge

Basic neuroscience