Neurophysiology

Neurophysiology: Introduction to Electrophysiology and Imaging

Course manual 2021/2022

Course content

This course gives an in-depth overview of a variety of methods that are commonly and currently used to answer research questions in cognitive neuroscience. The methods that will be covered throughout the class answer questions at several levels including molecular, cellular, regional, inter-regional and systems and are conducted using in vitro, animal models, human participants and/or patients and mathematical models.

Overall, the contents of the course are subdivided into three categories: 1) methods that answer questions at the molecular and cellular level and which are more invasive and thus mainly use animal models (such as: intracellular and extracellular recordings, 2-photon imaging) and 2) methods that answer questions at the regional, inter-regional and systems level, which are not invasive and thus are mainly conducted in humans (such as, EEG,  fMRI). 2) Advanced methods, such as decoding brain signals in real time from EEG, computational modeling, advanced MRI techniques, and causally invering techniques). 

Each one of the lectures will be given by an experienced researcher who actively uses the method that he/she will discuss with the class. The lecturers will explain: 1) how the particular method works, 2) advantages of the methods, 3) disadvantages of the methods, 4) what type of questions can be answered by using the method, 5) experimental designs used to incorporate the method and 6) common applications of the method.

Study materials

Practical training material

Objectives

• Argue which methods and techniques are best suited for particular research questions within cognitive neuroscience
• Understand how analyses and statistics are performed on data obtained with some of the techniques covered in the class
• Explain the rationale and interpret the results of scientific articles that use methods and techniques discussed throughout the course. The student can also point out potential issues in analyses conducted or in conclusions drawn
• Integrate findings across levels of measurement (from the physiological to the psychological) to address an outstanding cognitive neuroscience question
• Critically assess published research findings
• Understand good research practices in cognitive neuroscience

Teaching methods

• Lecture
• Presentation/symposium
• Supervision/feedback meeting
• Self-study
• Seminar

Lectures and work lectures

Learning activities

Attendance

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

1. In the case of practicals, the student must attend at least 80%. Should the student attend less than 80%, he/she must redo the practical, or the Examinations Board may have one or more supplementary assignments issued.
2. In the case of study-group sessions with assignments, the student must attend at least 80% of the study-group sessions. Should the student attend less than 80%, he/she must redo the study group, or the Examinations Board may have one or more supplementary assignments issued.

Additional requirements for this course:

Students need to be present at 80% of Seminars (4 out of 5). Missing more than one Seminar means the student fails this part of the course and needs to either redo it next year or the student will be given an alternative assignment.

Assessment

For exams, grades are determined in direct proportion to points obtained. For example, a student who obtains 83 points out of a 100 will score an 8.3 for the exam.

Inspection of assessed work

Contact the course coordinator to make an appointment for inspection.

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

Timetable

The schedule for this course is published on DataNose.

Additional information

max. 24.

This course is mandatory for first year students of the Master Brain and Cognitive Sciences, cognitive neuroscience track. They will be registered automatically.

For each lecture there will be: one review paper and/or book chapter and one application paper assigned. The details of the reading material that the students need to obtain will be available in blackboard.

The power point presentation of each lecture will be available in blackboard shortly after the class.

Last year's course evaluation

In order to provide students some insight how we use the feedback of student evaluations to enhance the quality of education, we decided to include the table below in all course guides.

Contact information

Coordinator

• Reinder Dorman