Advanced Cognitive Neurobiology and Clinical Neurophysiology

Course manual 2023/2024

Course content

The present course will provide an overview of fundamental topics and methods in cognitive neurobiology and clinical neurophysiology, including:

• Neurophysiology basics & techniques: electrophysiology (intracellular recordings; single, multi-unit, and population extracellular recordings), cellular imaging (two-photon), neurophysiology (population coding, brain rhythms, place fields), optogenetics
• Clinical neurophysiology: neuroimaging, nuclear medicine, neurology
• Advanced cognitive neurobiology: consciousness and perception, multisensory integration, oscillatory networks, human invasive electrophysiology
• Additional clinical topics.

Study materials

Literature

• Kandel, E.R. et al., Principles of Neural Science, Fifth Edition, McGraw-Hill

Other

• Lecturers will provide most of the study materials.

Objectives

• To gain knowledge and insights in brain systems function, neural mechanisms of cognition and cognition-related brain disorders.
• To gain knowledge and practical skills on neural techniques, mainly to measure and manipulate neural activity directly and with high spatiotemporal resolution.
• To develop specialized skills on quantification of neural data and statistics.
• To develop a critical attitude towards results and data interpretation.
• To defend your answers, results and opinions in discussion/debating sessions.

Teaching methods

• Lectures on Neurophysiology basics & techniques
• Home work assignments & return sessions
• Anatomy practicals (human & animal)
• Course part @ AMC: lectures and practicals on clinical neurophysiology
  
• Lectures on Advanced Cognitive Neurobiology
• Additional Clin. Neurophysiology lectures
• Workshops @ FNWI
  

-Lectures on neurophysiology basics and techniques and in advanced cognitive neurobiology will provide students with fundamental knowledge on relevant topics in the field. The interrelated content in these lectures contributes to deepening the knowledge in the students, and this will be assessed in homework assignments and the final exam.

-The course component at the AMC and additional clinical lectures will provide students with fundamental knowledge on relevant clinical topics. The practical aspects contribute to deepening the knowledge in the students, and this will be assessed in essay work and the final exam.

-Homework assignments and returns sessions will make sure contents from lectures are assimilated by students, solve questions, and foster debate and discussion about the contents and additional topics.

-Anatomy practicals will provide students will important practical skills of high value in human and animal neuroscience, their hands-on approach of this lecture will deepen the assimilation by the students, and consolidation will be evaluated in the final exam.

-The workshops will give students the opportunity to acquire hands-on practical knowledge in a research setting, and will be evaluated during workshop presentations sessions.

Learning activities

Attendance

Requirements of the programme concerning attendance (OER-B):

1. Attendance during practical components exercises is mandatory.

Additional requirements for this course:

The student may be absent in two lectures/seminars. Further absence will have to be justified and discussed with the coordinator. Attendance to the return sessions, practicals and workshop activities is mandatory.

Assessment

Passing the final exam with a grade of 5.5 is required for passing the course.

Inspection of assessed work

Students are instructed, in the introductory session of the course, that they have one week to request an inspection of their assessed work from the moment the grade is provided to them. They can request this inspection by communicating with the course coordinator and with the responsible for that component of the course (i.e. lecturer in charge of the return session, AMC coordinator).

Assignments

-Homework assignments (9 of them, linked with specific lectures during the course): students have to individually answer several questions (sometimes regarding supplementary material provided by the lecturer) and submit it before the corresponding return session. The assignments are graded on Canvas and individualized feedback is provided via the SpeedGrading platform.

-AMC practical component: students will have to complete several practical sessions at AMC and individually submit a written report. The report will be graded and feedback will be provided (when necessary) to the students.

-Workshop component: students will present, in groups, the contents and activities developed during their group-specific workshops. The presentation will be graded and feedback will be provided during the discussion session. Additionally, an individual written report will be submitted by each student; this report will be graded and feedback will be provided.

-Final exam (individual, graded).

Fraud and plagiarism

The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl

Course structure

Additional information

Prerequisites: Basic neurophysiology

The maximum number of students is 25. Admission to the course will depend on the capacity, the total number of applications, the date of registration and background of the individual student. If the number of applications exceeds the capacity of the course, student may have to be selected and priority will be given, in the following order:

• first-year students of the track Cognitive Neurobiology and Clinical Neurophysiology
• second-year students of the track Cognitive Neurobiology and Clinical Neurophysiology
• master students of the tracks Psychopharmacology & Pathophysiology or Basic and Applied Neuroscience
• master students of other programs

Contact information

Coordinator

• dr. Jorge Mejias