This document provides an overview of an introductory neuroscience course. It outlines the course details including the instructor, text book, quizzes, exams, and lab component. The tips for success section emphasizes attendance, participation, understanding concepts from lectures and practicing questions. The document then reviews the syllabus for the course including topics that will be covered in lectures and labs.

1. Introductory Neuroscience /lab
NEURO2500 DA1 CRN: 20312
Parker 254
Fall 2014
Lecture: Tuesdays, Thursdays 4:00 - 5:15pm
Lab: Parker 219
Fridays 2:00 – 4:00pm

2. Review of the syllabus
Instructor
Dr. Paula Faria Waziry
Office: UPP North 3450 suite 103
Phone: 2-2872 (don’t leave message!)
Skype: paula.waziry
Office hours: by appointment
E-mail – waziry@nova.edu
Lab assistant
Mateo Castro mc2261@nova.edu
Text
Neuroscience: Exploring the brain, 3rd Edition (2006)
Website
All course materials will be posted on Blackboard prior to the class period
- PowerPoint presentations
-Lab information

3. Review of the syllabus
Quizzes:
Total of 4 quizzes (8 points each) ------------------------------------ 32 points
- Each will consist of three sections – multiple choice, short answer, essay
- Responsible for all material covered in the Powerpoint presentations.
- ~90 minutes to complete
- Make-ups – must have an approved excuse in writing (as per the NSU catalog)
- Must contact me ASAP (before the quiz, if possible)
- If don’t have excuse in writing, points will be deducted for make-up
Midterm exam (20% of final grade) -------------------------- 20 points
Final exam (20% of final grade) – cumulative ------------- 20 points
Lab Component/paper ------------------------------------------ 28 points

4. Tips for success
1. Attendance is required at all lectures, labs, and exams
- You are responsible for getting any missed info
2. Ask questions in class and participate in discussions
3. Don’t just read and highlight the handouts. Understand and
practice questions.
4. You will be responsible for the conceptual material
covered in class/ Powerpoints.
5. Be considerate: no cell phones, texting, Internet surfing, facebooking,
dozing off, sleeping, snoring…

5. Chapter 1
Neuroscience: Past, Present,
and Future

6. Introduction
• Virtually all aspects of human nature & behaviour are governed by the
nervous system:
– Curiosity,
– Pain,
– Pleasure
– Movement
– Reasoning
– Learning
– Memory
– Emotion
• Neuroscience
– The formalized study of the nervous system and how it develops, how it is
organized, and how it functions.
How (and when) did people figure out that the brain was so important?

7. Trepanation is
the purposeful
cutting of a hole
into the skull.
It is presumed that this individual received this surgery to combat some sort of
psychosis, although other causes could be explanations as well.
Ex: opening a escape route to let evil spirits out from the body of the possessed…

8. Brief History of the Origins of Neuroscience:
• Ancient Egypt (~5000 years ago) - symptoms of brain injuries were
noted, but the heart was considered the seat of emotions and of the “soul”.
The bodies of the dead were carefully preserved for the afterlife,
but the brain was scooped through the nose and tossed!

9. • Ancient Greece - Correlation between structure and function. Hippocrates
(~400 BC) & Aristotle (~300 BC) were the primary philosophers/scholars that
defined the view of the brain during this period.
Hippocrates, considered the father of Western medicine, believed that the brain
was responsible for sensations and also intelligence.

10. • Ancient Greece - Aristotle, however, still maintained that the heart was the
center for intelligence… while the brain served to cool off all the heat generated
by heart activity!

11. • Roman Empire - Galen’s (~200 AD) writings and work defined the
view of the role of the brain during this period. As physician to gladiators…
well… you can imagine his experiences….

12. Galen was one of
the earliest
scientists to perform
significant animal
dissection leading to
the field of
comparative
anatomy.
Galen (130-200 A.D.) – Greek physician who tried to deduce function of
the brain from structure of the cerebrum and cerebellum. He put forth a
model for brain function that was the start of the fluid-mechanical theory.

13. In Galen’s dissection work with sheep, he could feel physical differences in
the texture of the cerebrum and the cerebellum. The cerebrum was softer,
and more “spongy” than the firmer cerebellum.
With this discovery, he proposed that the cerebrum was the area receiving
sensations because it needed to be pliable and flexible, whereas the rigid
cerebellum controlled the musculature.

14. • Views of the Brain: The Roman Empire
– Views of Greek physician Galen
• Cerebrum
• Cerebellum
• Ventricles

15. In the period of time from the Middle Ages into the early Reniasance,
few changes or advancement in our understanding of the brain occurred.
Most historians attribute the lack of growth in understanding of the brain
during that time to the significant taboo on exploring the internal workings
of the human body via dissection during that age.
Anonymous painting from the 1300’s (Middle Ages) showing a surgeon
and monk suggesting the prohibition on dissection.

16. • Renaissance Period – 1700’s – Vesalius and Descartes shaped the
changes in understanding of the brain during this period.
Andreas Vesalius – publishes On the Workings of the Human Body in
1543… an enormously influential work during a period where it was
still considered very taboo to engage in exploration of the internal
workings of the human body.

18. Another example of one of Versalius drawings. Notice the very
precise style and the quality of the drawings.

20. Rene’ Descartes – (1596-1650) considered one of the most significant of
the Western Philosophers and Scientists during his time. He promoted
the idea of the brain function occurring via the fluid-mechanical theory….
especially for NON-HUMAN animals.
He believed that a human’s soul necessitated other methods to explain
human neural function and behavior.

21. Descartes ascribed
special fluid moving
powers to the pineal
gland (letter “H”) .
An active member
of the Rosae Crucis,
he believed that the
mind had a spiritual
entity other than
physical.

22. From Galen’s time through
Descartes, the major emphasis on
study of the brain focused on the
ventricles, and tended to ignore or
diminish potential roles for the tissue
of the brain itself.

23. Grey & White Matter:
When the tissue portion of the brain began to be more closely examined during
the Renaissance, the focus shifted to examining tissue from the standpoint of
the two visible color differences seen in the brain. These colors were readily
observable in both fresh and preserved specimens. We use the same terms to
name these different portions to this day…. grey and white matter.
The hypothesis of that age on the function of these two distinctly different areas
was that:
a.White Matter, because it is similar in color and appears contiguous with the
nerves in the peripheral body, serves to connect the brain and spinal cord to the
nerves.
b.Grey Matter, lying outside on the surface regions of the brain and spinal cord,
is going to receive information from the periphery directly through interaction
with the White Matter.
These ideas are reasonably aligned with our current understanding of how these
tissue areas function.

24. • Overall views of the Brain During The
Renaissance
– The brain as a machine – Vesalius
– Fluid-mechanical theory of brain function - Descartes
– Philosophical mind-brain problem – Descartes
How do you meld the physical, observable tissues of the
brain/nervous system with the philosophical/religious ideas
about the soul?
BUT, by the mid to late 1700’s there was a well known and well
respected body of knowledge in the dissected anatomy of the
brain including gyri, sulci, and fissures.

25. Summary on History of
the Origins of Neuroscience:
• Ancient Egypt - symptoms of brain injuries were noted, but the heart
was considered the seat of emotions and the “soul”.
• Ancient Greece - Hippocrates & Aristotle were the primary
philosopher/scholars that defined the view of the brain during this period.
• Roman Empire - Galen’s writings and work defined the view of the role
of the brain during this period.
• Renaissance Period – 1700’s – Vesalius and Descartes shaped the
changes in understanding of the brain during this period.
• 1800’s - Nervous system completely dissected…

26. Gyrus – “hill”-like area of tissue
Sulcus – “valley’-like area of tissue
Fissure – an especially deep sulcus

27. Important breakthrough
in neuroanatomy was the
realization that people’s
brains looked alike!
Idea emerged that
different functions might
be located to different
regions on the brain.

28. CNS – central
nervous system….
brain & spinal cord
PNS – peripheral
nervous system…
basically everything
else

29. Nerves as wires
Benjamin Franklin publishes Experiments and Observations on
Electricity in 1751. His notions on electricity paved the way for a new
theory of neural function that prevailed in the 1800s.

30. Luigi Galvani Emil du Bois-Reymond
These two researchers were responsible for
determining the interaction
between electricity and the brain.

31. Du Bois – Reymond later
in life.
Using electricity, Du Bois-Reyond was able to demonstrate a clear
link between the contraction of muscle tissue and electricity. He
proposed that this was the way in which nerves functioned in the body.

32. Du Bois – Reymond’s work generated worry and fear in the
general population at many levels.

33. Charles Bell Francois Magendie
By 1810, these two conducted experiments that answered the
question on whether the movement in a nerve was bidirectional
or unidirectional.
They saw that the nerves of the PNS will divide into two
branches (ROOTS) just before merging with the CNS.

34. • Overview of the
Brain: The Nineteenth
Century
– Nerve as wires,
understanding of electrical
phenomena, nervous
system can generate
electricity
– Bell and Magendie: Dorsal
and ventral roots carry
information in opposite
directions
These two roots (dorsal and
ventral) carry information in
different directions.
Basically the ventral roots carry
information out to the PNS to
engage motor function. The
dorsal roots transmit PNS
sensory information into the
spinal cord.

35. Gall proposed that personality traits could be related to the dimensions of
the head…
Franz Joseph Gall (1758-1828)
was the founder of phrenology.

36. Phrenology is a
pseudoscience
primarily focused on
measurements of the
human skull, based
on the concept that
the brain is the organ
of the mind , and that
certain brain areas
have localized,
specific functions or
modules. Phrenology
was especially
popular from about
1810 until 1840.

37. Marie-Jean-Pierre Flourens
Famous for the
development of the
experimental ablation
method.
Flourens did not agree with phrenology!
One reason… brain shape does not
coincide with skull shape!
He performed experimental ablations and
showed that some traits are not isolated
to parts of the brain as stated in
phrenology.
He thought that all regions of the brain
participated equally in all functions!

38. Ablation – a technique to
eliminate or destroy tissue. In
neuroscience, the origins of this
technique occurred in bird
studies, whereas today rodent
studies are the most prevalent.
Mayo Clinic: Violinist undergoes brain surgery (2:55mins)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_fjiEOb40M

39. Franz Joseph Gall Paul Broca
Gall described the concept of phrenology –
looked at the external skull (now discredited)
Broca first identified a region of the cerebrum being associated with function –
focused on the internal gyri and sulci of the cerebrum.

40. Paul Broca
Broca had a patient who could
understand language, but could not
speak.
After patient’s death, Broca found a
lesion on the left frontal lobe of the
patient’s brain.
He concluded that the left frontal lobe
was specifically responsible for
production of speech.

41. This left frontal lobe lesion (non
experimental ablation) resulted in the
inability to speak, showing a specific
localized function for a region of the
brain.

43. The evolution of the Nervous System
What is especially valuable with
Darwin’s work relative to
neuroscience is his inclusion of
BEHAVIOR among the heritable
traits shaped through evolution.
The very notion that many animals
display a similar behavioral response
to a similar stimulus suggests further
a common ancestor.
This is a very basic tenet of the
current state of research in
neuroscience and exemplifies why
animal experimentation is so
valuable.
Charles Darwin – his theory of natural selection helped to
explain the growth and development of the brain.

44. However, it must
also be understood
that there can be
unique
specializations that
can evolve in
species relative to
behavior .
Specialized visual
center in the
monkey is shown
compared to a
specialized region
for smell in the rat.

45. • So, for the evolution of the nervous
system:
– Natural selection
– Nervous systems of different species may share
common mechanisms
– Rationale for “animal models”

46. The emergence of the CELLULAR
study of the nervous system:
The 1800s also heralded in the age of a cellular look
at the nervous system. The cellular approach
significantly contributed to further understanding of
the system and complemented prior and continuing
pathways of research into the function of the brain.

47. Theodor Schwann proposed the cell theory….
ALL TISSUES ARE COMPOSED OF CELLS
This laid the groundwork for the tremendous molecular advances
in neuroscience occurring today.

48. Otto Deiters (1865) – identified the major parts of the neuron
and predicted the communication and interaction
between the axon and dendrites.

49. An example of Otto Deiters
drawing of a neuron.

50. Neuroscience Today
• We, like most all of science follows a reductionist approach:
Reductionism can mean
an approach to understanding the nature of complex things by reducing them to the
interactions of their parts, or to simpler or more fundamental things
or
a philosophical position that a complex system is nothing but the sum of its parts, and
that an account of it can be reduced to accounts of individual constituents. This can
be said of objects, phenomena, explanations, theories, and meanings.
Reductionism strongly reflects a certain perspective on causality.
– Levels of analysis
• Molecular
• Cellular
• Systems
• Behavioral
• Cognitive

51. Levels of Analysis can be
applied to Neuroscience

52. The Use of Animals in Neuroscience
Research:
• Examples (from simple to more complex) -
nematodes, insects, snails, squid, rodents,
monkeys, etc.
• Animal rights
• Philosophy
• Abolition of animal use
• Animal rights activists

54. Adaptation to environment is reflected in the structure and function of brains
from different species.
•By comparing specializations of different species brains, neuroscientists were
able to figure out which parts of the brain are specialized for different
behavioral functions.

55. Genetic Diversity and evolution
Living organisms have an important feature in common:
all use similar gene expression systems
 All genomes are encoded in nucleic acid:
either DNA or RNA
• Suggestive of a common ancestor

56.  Since all organisms have similar genetic systems, the study of
one organism’s gene expression reveals principles that apply
to other organisms
Accessory TF
factors
STAT 1 P
P Accessory TF
SGTAAT 1S motif
motifs TATA

57. EX: Nucleoporins and Nuclear Traffic Proteins are involved
with Mitotic Spindle Checkpoints and Ageing
Baker DJ, Jeganathan KB, Malureanu L, Perez-Terzic C, Terzic A, van Deursen JM.
J Cell Biol. 2006 Feb 13;172(4):529-40.
 Enabling us to
use animal
models to
study diseases
or natural
processes

59. What is it that neuroscientists do?
-Education, Training, Research experience
-Clinical vs. Experimental research
Mainly by M.D.s:
-Neurology
-Psychiatry
-Neurosurgery
-Neuropathology

60. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_fjiEOb40M

61. What is it that neuroscientists do?
-Clinical vs. Experimental research
M.D.s or Ph.D.s
Computation -
Neurobiologist
Molecular
Neurobiologist
Neuroanatomist
Physiological psychologist, Biological psychologist,
psychobiologist, Psychophysicist, Neuroethologist,
etc…

63. The Scientific Process:
Observation
Replication
Interpretation
Verification by
others

65. • The Cost of Ignorance: Nervous System Disorders
~4 million Americans
~33 million Americans
(31,000 suicides/year)
~1.5 million Americans
~2 million Americans

66. The Society for Neruoscience (SfN):
SfN's Mission:
1. Advance the understanding of the brain and the nervous system by bringing together
scientists of diverse backgrounds, by facilitating the integration of research directed at all levels
of biological organization, and by encouraging translational research and the application of new
scientific knowledge to develop improved disease treatments and cures.
2. Provide professional development activities, information, and educational resources for
neuroscientists at all stages of their careers, including
undergraduates, graduates, and postdoctoral fellows, and increase participation of scientists from a
diversity of cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
3. Promote public information and general education about the nature of scientific discovery and
the results and implications of the latest neuroscience research. Support active and continuing
discussions on ethical issues relating to the conduct and outcomes of neuroscience research.
4. Inform legislators and other policymakers about new scientific knowledge and recent
developments in neuroscience research and their implications for public policy, societal benefit,
and continued scientific progress.