Academics
The Graduate School > Academics > Biological and Life Sciences Programs > Northwestern University Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program (NUIN) > Curriculum
Curriculum
NUIN 401-1,2,3 Fundamentals of Neuroscience (1): A broad, team-taught review of neuroscience. Topics include cellular and molecular neuroscience, nervous system development, sensory systems, motor systems, regulatory systems, behavioral and cognitive neuroscience. Required for first year NUIN students. (NUIN 401-2 may be taken for 2.5 credit with approved lab section).

NUIN 411-1 Great Experiments in Molecular and Developmental Neuroscience (1): Students will read and discuss classic papers that generated concepts that form the basis for our understanding of development, function and diseases of the nervous system at the molecular/genetic level.

NUIN 411-2 Great Experiments in Cellular Neurophysiology (1): Students will read and will be guided through written problem sets (before class) and discussions (within class) of a series of classic papers in cellular neuroscience.

NUIN 411-3 Great Experiments in Systems and Cognitive Neuroscience (1): Students will read a series of classic papers in systems and cognitive neuroscience.

NUIN 418 Assembly of Neural Circuits (1): This course will cover cellular and molecular processes of how neural circuits are assembled in the developing brain, including the role of activity-dependent plasticity. Diseases resulting from failures of these processes will be discussed. This course will also introduce research methods and technology, and encourage students to develop skills to appreciate historical context and logical rationale of contemporary research.

NUIN 421 Circadian Clocks, from Genes to Behavior (1): This course will examine the primary literature that involves the elucidation of the molecular, neural, and physiological basis of circadian rhythms and the implications of temporal organization in animals.

NUIN 425 Laboratory in Neuroscience (1): Experimental approaches of molecular neurobiology, neuroanatomy, electrophysiology, and behavioral neurobiology. Student experiments under close faculty supervision.

NUIN 430-1,2,3 Neuroscience Seminar (0)(0)(0): Introduction to current research in the laboratories of institute faculty.

NUIN 433 The Neurobiology of Disease (1): The goal of the course is to learn about diseases and disorders of the nervous system, and will involve patient presentations and basic and clinical lectures.

NUIN 434 Molecular and Cellular Basis of Developmental Neurobiology (1): An advanced graduate level course that will emphasize molecular neurobiological approaches to neural development.

NUIN 440 Advanced Neuroanatomy (1): Structure of the mammalian central nervous system, excluding gross morphology, functional systems, and chemical pathways. Modern experimental question s and approaches emphasized. Laboratories include a dissection of the human brain.

NUIN 441 Biophysical Signal Processing for Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences (1): Students in this course will learn how to collect and analyze kinematic, kinetic and electrophysiological data associated with the neuromusculoskeletal system. Emphasis will be on understanding and implementing time and frequency domain signal processing methods important for analyzing movement data. Students will develop and implement the signal processing tools using Matlab. Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.

NUIN 442 Issues In Movement And Rehabilitation Science (1): This course will emphasize literature on contemporary issues pertaining to key principles and models in the field of movement and rehabilitation science. In the first half of the course, theoretical, biological, physical, behavioral, and computational approaches to understanding the control of movement in the context of rehabilitation will be explored. These building blocks are then applied to analysis of common disorders of movement control and contemporary and evolving therapeutic approaches used in rehabilitation. Topics include stroke, spinal cord injury, Parkinson’s disease and movement disorders, cerebellar disease, cerebral palsy, sensory disorders, aging, and muscle and joint pathologies. Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor.

NUIN 447 Neural Plasticity (1): Discussion-based course covering classic and current concepts in neural plasticity. Structural, electrophysiological and functional plasticity of neural circuitry will be studied in relation to issues such as sensory adaptation, learning and neural responses to injury. Evaluation based on class participation, oral presentation, and a paper.

NUIN 452 Sensorimotor Integration (1): Skeletomotor and oculomotor control processes and their relation to sensory signals. Topics range from classic accounts of motor performance to microelectrode studies in behaving animals.

NUIN 455 Instrumentation for Neuroscience (1): Equipment used in neuroscience research, with emphasis on custom-built electronic, mechanical, and computer devices. Basic theory applicable to cellular neuroscience. Practical points applicable to systems or behavioral neuroscience. Hands-on practice.

NUIN 460 Interneurons and Brain Networks (1): This course offers a review of historical and cutting-edge research on interneurons and their role in forming critical neural networks.

NUIN 462 Cortical Circuit Organization (1): This course is designed for advanced neuroscience students to learn about cortical and subcortical circuits at the synaptic, cellular, and network levels. The course will focus on the structure and function of neocortical circuits, emphasizing sensorimotor systems in rodents but including circuits in a variety of sensory and motor areas, subcortical pathways representing major cortical inputs (e.g. corticocortical, thalamocortical) and outputs (e.g. corticospinal, corticostriatal).

NUIN 465 Channel Biophysics: Ion Channels of Excitable Membranes (1): Advanced course in channel biophysics focusing on biochemical properties, structure, and function of ion channels. For students likely to conduct research in closely related fields.

NUIN 470 Cellular and Molecular Basis of Information Storage (1): Students will read and discuss primary literature focusing on the cellular and molecular basis of memory, specifically memory for space, associations and fear. Synaptic plasticity, the role of genes in memory and modern experimental techniques for understanding memory will also be discussed.

NUIN 473 Cellular and Behavioral Mechanisms of Aging and Dementia (1): Aging and age-related dementias such as Alzheimer's disease, frontal-lobe dementias, and Parkinson's disease.

NUIN 475 Nerve Excitation and Synaptic Transmission (1): Basic electrophysiological properties and molecular structure of neuroreceptors/channels; bases for understanding function of the central and peripheral nervous system.

NUIN 478 Neuropharmacology of Brain Disorders (1): The course will focus on the neurobiology of CNS disorders and behavioral, molecular and neuropharmacological mechanisms of drug action. Format will include overview lectures and student presentations.

NUIN 480 Neural Control of Movement (1): This is a literature-based course focusing on the role of neural processing of sensory information in the control of movement. The integrative role of the spinal cord, brainstem, cerebral cortex, basal ganglia and cerebellum in the regulation and generation of movement will be explored.

NUIN 481 Neural Mechanisms of Pain (1): Explores pain research (including inflammation, peripheral, spinal cord, brainstem, thalamus and cortical circuits for acute and chronic pain mechanisms) and genetic, molecular, electrophysiological, and human brain imaging approaches to study pain and analgesia.

NUIN 482 Stem Cells: From the Embryo to Regeneration (1): Aspects of stem cell research,including early development, differentiation and fate restriction, techniques for stem cell manipulation, and the ethical issues surrounding human stem cell research.

NUIN 485 Genes, the Brain, and Behavior (1): Literature-based seminar course, dealing with genetic approaches to study of the nervous system; emphasis on the role that genes play in determining behavior.

NUIN 486 The Biology of Sleep (1): This course is a literature-based seminar course that will deal with genetic, physiological, pharmacological, and behavioral approaches to sleep, with particular emphasis on the role that genes play in regulating sleep.

NUIN 488 Transgenic/Knockout Animals (1): The use of genetically modified animals in delineating gene regulation and in developing models for human disease: historical approaches and state-of-the-art methodologies.

NUIN 490 Responsible Conduct in Neuroscience Research (0): Through a combination of lecture and case studies students will explore the ethical dimensions of biomedical research. Emphasis will be on practicing skills in moral reasoning and identifying relevant institutional, professional, and governmental regulations and guidelines. Ethical issues special to or unique to neuroscience will be presented by student groups.

NUIN 495 Topics in Neuroscience (1): Special topics course.

NUIN 510 Advanced Topics in Visual Science (0): Lecture-discussion. Topics vary.

NUIN 590 Research (1-3) : Independent research performed as part of dissertation or quarterly lab rotations. May be repeated for credit.