BIONB 4320

BIONB 4320

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2016-2017.

Almost all behaviors-from speech to a cross court forehand-are mediated by the contraction of muscles. This course examines the neural origins of motor behavior, from simple reflexes to complex learned motor sequences. Ascending the motor hierarchy, we will study the neuromuscular junction, spinal cord, brainstem, cerebellum, basal ganglia and cerebral cortex. At each level, we will examine the structure and function of the local microcircuit, as well as diseases-such as myasthenia gravis, stroke, ALS, ataxia and Parkinson's-that result from that circuit's dysfunction.

When Offered Fall.

Permission Note Enrollment limited to: 25 students.
Prerequisites/Corequisites Prerequisite: BIONB 2220 or ECE 2100 or permission of instructor.

Outcomes
  • To understand the structure and function of the vertebrate motor system, including neural mechanisms of human movement disorders.
  • To critically read and comprehend primary literature.
  • To distill large amounts of information into central concepts of nervous system function, and to articulate these concepts both verbally and in writing.
  • To creatively come up with new ideas and design experiments to test them.

View Enrollment Information

Syllabi: none
  •   Regular Academic Session. 

  • 3 Credits Stdnt Opt

  • 15925 BIONB 4320   LEC 001

  • Prerequisite: BIONB 2220 or ECE 2100 and permission of instructor. Please send a brief statement of your interest in the class and what year you will be in Fall 2016 (e.g., senior, junior) to jhg285.