Course Identification

Introduction to Neuroscience: Behavioral Neuroscience

מבוא לבסיס המוחי של התנהגות

Lecturers: Prof. Nachum Ulanovsky, Prof. Tali Kimchi, Prof. Rony Paz

à  3 hrs per week.     Academic year 2017-2018 , 2^nd semester. 

Location and Time: Wolfson Auditorium, Thursdays 9:15 – 12:00.

This course will introduce students to Behavioral Neuroscience, first by providing an in-depth introduction to behavior, and then focusing on two different approaches that are common in the field: One approach ("neuropsychological") is to study animals in artificial well-controlled tasks, the other ("neuroethological") approach utilizes the animal's natural behaviors.  We will introduce general aspects, and will contrast and compare these two approaches by focusing on several well-studied, classic example systems.

Part A:  Introduction to Brain and Behavior  (Kimchi)

1. Introduction to Behavior.  [15/3/2018]
2. Hormones, genes and behaviors: Mechanisms underlying social and reproductive behaviors.  [22/3/2018]
3. Neurobiology of social behaviors.  [29/3/2018]

Part B:  Neural mechanisms of Behavior – the Neuroethological approach  (Ulanovsky)

1. Sensory ecology: evolutionary adaptations of animal sensory systems to their environment.  [26/4/2018]
2. Example system #1: Echolocation in bats: Sensory ecology, echolocation behavior, principles of biosonar signal design, neural processing.  [10/5/2018]
3. Example system #2: Multisensory integration in the brain of the barn owl. (Guest lecture by: Prof. Yoram Gutfreund, Technion)  [17/5/2018]
4. Example system #3: The bird song system: behavior, neuroanatomy, physiology, models.  (Guest lecture by: Dr. Liora Las, Weizmann Institute)  [24/5/2018]
5. Example system #4: Neurobiology of spatial cognition.  Introduction to spatial memory, orientation and navigation: (i) Navigational strategies in different animals. (ii) Sensory mechanisms of navigation: vision, magnetic navigation, etc.  The navigation circuits in the mammalian brain: Place cells, grid cells, head-direction cells.  [29/5/2018 – Special date (Tuesday), 9:15 – 12:00.  Location: TBD]
6. Summary of the neuroethological approach. Choosing the right behavior and the right animal model.  Natural Neuroscience.  Comparative Neuroscience.   [31/5/2018]

Part C:  Neural mechanisms of Behavior – the Neuropsychological approach  (Paz)

1. Introduction: Basic concepts, standard behavioral tasks.  Example system #5: Fear learning and its neural circuits.   [7/6/2018]
2. Examples system #6: Reward-based learning and its neural basis.   [19/6/2018 – Special date (Tuesday), 9:15 – 12:00.  Location: TBD]
3. Example system #7: Decision-making in the brain.   [21/6/2018]
4. Psychophysics: (i) Basic concepts, how to measure JND’s, signal detection theory and ROC. (ii) Visual psychophysics.   (Guest lecture by: Prof. Dubi Sagi, Weizmann Institute).  [5/7/2018]

Course requirements: Final exam.

Bibliography:

We will use three main textbooks in this course:

- Behavioral neurobiology: An integrative approach, 2^nd ed., Zupanc G. (Oxford, 2010).

- Behavioral neurobiology, Carew J. (Sinauer, 2000).

- Learning and behavior, Bouton M. (Sinauer, 2007).

Additional material for some of the lectures is covered in the following books:

- Sensory ecology, Dusenbery D. (Freeman, 1992).

- An introduction to behavioral endocrinology, 4^th ed., Nelson R. (Sinauer, 2011).

- Neuroeconomics: Decision making and the brain, 2^nd ed., Glimcher P. and Fehr E. (Academic Press, 2013).

- Neural nets in electric fish, Heiligenberg W. (MIT Press, 1991).

Upon successful completion of this course students should be be able to:

1. Describe classical model systems in behavioral neuroscience.
2. Demonstrate sufficient knowledge required to take more advanced courses in neuroscience.

We will use three main textbooks in this course:

• Behavioral neurobiology: An integrative approach, 2nd ed., Zupanc G. (Oxford, 2010).
• Behavioral neurobiology, Carew J. (Sinauer, 2000).
• Learning and behavior, Bouton M. (Sinauer, 2007).

Additional material for some of the lectures is covered in the following books:

• The computational neurobiology of reaching and pointing, Shadmehr R. and Wise S. (MIT, 2005).
• Sensory ecology, Dusenbery D. (Freeman, 1992).
• An introduction to behavioral endocrinology, 4th ed., Nelson R. (Sinauer, 2011).
• Neuroeconomics: Decision making and the brain, 2nd ed., Glimcher P. and Fehr E. (Academic Press, 2013).
• Neural nets in electric fish, Heiligenberg W. (MIT Press, 1991).