Ion channels play key roles in many cellular activities, such as muscle contraction, synaptic transmission, mechanical and temperature sensations, and hormone secretion. The purpose of this course is to provide students with an opportunity to learn about the structure, function, and biophysical properties of all major classes of ion channels, including potassium channels, sodium channels, calcium channels, chloride channels, TRP (transient receptor potential) channels, and ligand-gated channels (e. g. acetylcholine receptors). This course will be taught mainly in the format of group discussion. Students will be assigned papers to read and questions to answer before each class. Grades will be based on participation in the class discussion as well as a presentation at the end of the semester. Many students will find this course to be very useful, especially those who plan to study either ion channels or synaptic transmission using electrophysiological approaches. Postdoctoral fellows and upper level graduate students may audit this course and participate fully in the discussions.

This course is a part of the core series in the Neuroscience graduate program. In the earlier part, the course addresses the functional organization of the neural systems underlying sensation and movement. Sensory systems include the somatosensory, auditory, visual, vestibular, and chemosensory systems. Motor systems include the spinal cord, brain stem, cerebellum, vestibular system, oculomotor system, basal ganglia and cerebral cortex. In the later part, the course addresses complex brain systems, i.e., the autonomic systems, neuromodulator systems, and systems underlying emotion, addiction, reward, learning/memory, and speech.

This one-semester course is organized in the form of (1) seminars, (2) paper discussions, and (3) laboratory exercises using computer simulations. The first part (Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience) provides an introduction to basic concepts in the study of neurophysiology and molecular neurobiology, such as neurotransmitter synthesis and release, electrical and calcium signaling, cellular basis of memory formation and neurological disease. The second part (Developmental Neurobiology) investigates the principles and mechanisms that guide the formation of the nervous system from stem cells to the complex multicellular arrays needed for function, including the understanding of genetic and molecular regulation of neuron/glia lineage decisions, axonal growth, synapse formation and developmental diseases. Cell, Molecular and Developmental Neuroscience is an excellent addition to the strong stem-cell research effort at the University of Connecticut, focused on cell replacement therapies for severe neurological diseases.

The Neurobiology of Hearing provides an introduction to the auditory system and current research in auditory neuroscience. This field is a microcosm of neuroscience, in general, and the interdisciplinary approach embodied by Neuroscience. Students will develop a detailed understanding of the peripheral and central auditory system and the neurobiological basis of sound processing. The course is taught by a faculty drawn from UConn Health and the UConn Storrs campus, the University of Salamanca and its Institute for Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins Medical School, and guest lecturers who in past years have come from the MRC in the United Kingdom and University of Pittsburgh. The diverse areas of expertise of the faculty guarantees that the students will be exposed to different aspects of auditory research and Neuroscience including synaptic physiology, neural circuitry, acoustics, auditory physiology, and behavior. The diversity also guarantees that the student will not be bored by a single professor. Students will be assessed on their classroom participation, papers, and critiques of papers. Students will receive grades based on four 1+ page papers in which they propose a hypothesis-driven experiment directly related to previous lectures in the course. Students also will be graded on their critique a paper by another student each week. There will be student presentations of research proposals the final week.

The Neurobiology of Hearing is part of the Neuroscience Study Abroad Program in Salamanca Spain, and it is taught in the summer in Spain. This course is for graduate students in Neuroscience and Hearing Research and upper level undergraduate students with majors in biology, neurobiology, audiology, biomedical engineering, or other premedical majors.

The purpose of the course is to introduce the topic of the “neurobiology of disease” to graduate students receiving basic neuroscience training, or any basic science student who is using models of brain disorders. We will cover a number of neurological and psychiatric diseases including the following: Stroke, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, hearing loss, substance abuse, aging, autism spectrum disorders, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease and ALS. The first session of each week will be precepted by a physician/clinician who specializes in the disorder of the week. The second session will be lead by a basic scientist who uses models of the disorder of the week.

Is an upper level course for students who wish to undertake a detailed analysis of the neuronal and synaptic organization of the central nervous system. The focus of the course is the brain microcircuitry as seen in animals and man, the cell biology of the brain, gene expression, and mechanisms that govern the activity of networks of neurons. Students will learn about the relationship of structure to function and discuss the neurons and organizations that create specific brain regions. The emphasis will be on the nervous system in experimental animals used for neuroscience research. Students will have to opportunity to examine human and rodent brains, but the course assumes some prior exposure to neuroanatomy. The course is conducted in informal, small-group sessions and is designed for graduate students and upper level undergraduates who are engaged in research. Each week students are assigned a chapter in the text and lead the discussion of that chapter. Grades are based on classroom discussion and a final project or written report.

Discussion of current papers relevant to molecular analyses of neurobiological diseases. Each week, a review article and a current research paper will be discussed in detail, with emphasis on experimental design, validity of experimental methods to address and answer key questions, and appropriateness of the molecular, biochemical or cellular model to the corresponding human disorder.

This 2-credit course will provide a detailed introduction and advanced, in-depth on specific topics related to the cellular biology and pathobiology of glia. This course will have two components. The first part of the course will be didactic lectures covering each of the types of glia in the central and peripheral nervous systems. The remainder of the course will provide focused paper discussions on the specific roles of glia in particular diseases of the nervous system that are current with recent publications and innovations in the field.