Neurobiology BIOR58

Overview

Neurobiology is a fascinating field where biology, computer science, and medicine intersect – with the aim of solving one of the last big mysteries of modern science: How do the 85 billion neurons of the human brain work together to produce our day-to-day behaviour, thereby outperforming any man-made technology, but only using a fraction of the energy.

This course provides you with a fundamental understanding of the key principles underlying nervous system structure and function, from insects to humans. This covers many aspects, ranging from the intracellular processes that define neurons, the principles of how neurons work together to form neural circuits, and how neural circuits perform the computations that enable behaviour, learning, and cognition.

We focus on a neuroethological angle to approach neurobiology, that is, we will highlight how nervous systems function to enable behaviour in the context of an animal’s ecology. The course is relevant for those who wish to delve deeper into neurobiology or apply this knowledge in other areas such as animal behaviour, ecology, science journalism, or teaching.

After completing the course, you can continue with our two other neurobiology themed courses: Sensory Biology (BIOR20) and Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology (BIOR84), which complement this course well.

Teaching and learning

The teaching consists of lectures, tutorials, essay writing and practical exercises. You will gain theoretical insights into nervous system function from lectures and state of the art scientific articles, practical skills in methods for studying neurons and the nervous system and be able to choose a topic of your own interest to write an in-depth essay.

The course includes four practical sessions covering the four methodical pillars of neurobiology: neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, behaviour, and computational modelling. To support essay writing, you will additionally participate in weekly tutorials to learn how to construct logical arguments, critically evaluate scientific literature, effectively communicate knowledge and how to handle the advance of AI tools.

Examination takes place continuously during the course in the form of written examinations and through compulsory components.