1. Course Syllabus: Psychology 710
Advanced Physiological Psychology I
Fall 2012
Course Title: Advanced Physiological Psychology I
Department: Psychology
Instructor: Joshua C. Brumberg, Ph.D.
E-mail: Joshua.brumberg@qc.cuny.edu
Meeting time: Monday, 9:15AM-12:05PM
Office Hours: by appointment
Room: SB A-302
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course deals with the behavioral and physiological basis of sensory perception and the execution of
motor actions.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
 Understand signal transduction for the various sensory systems.
 Comprehend the neuronal mechanisms underlying sensory perception.
 Understand the neuronal basis of motor planning and action.
Textbook:
Principles of Neural Science. 4th
edition, Eric R. Kandel, James H. Schwartz, Thomas M. Jessel,
editors, McGraw Hill, NY 2000. ISBN 0838577016 / 9780838577011
Assigned weekly readings (see schedule below). PDF files of articles are posted on Blackboard.
Grading:
Exam 1 22/18/15%*
Exam 2 22/18/15%*
Exam 3 22/18/15%*
Abstract for final project 5%
Final project 15%
Presentation x 2 10% each
Participation 5%
*The highest grade of the three exams will be weighted 22%, the intermediate weighted 18%,
and the lowest weighted 15%.
Extra Credit – a third presentation can be done to add a maximum of 5% to your final grade.
GRADE SCALE: A+ 97-100, A 94-96, A- 90-93
B+ 87-89, B 84-86, B- 80 - 83
C+ 77-79, C 74-76, C- 70 – 73
F below 70 is failing.
CLASS PARTICIPATION: Each student is expected to come to class prepared (having read the
weeks’ assigned readings) to participate.
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2. Academic dishonesty (on exams, presentations or the final project) will result in an F for
the course.
(for doctoral students): The Graduate Center of The City University of New York is committed to
the highest standards of academic honesty. Acts of academic dishonesty include—but are not
limited to—plagiarism, (in drafts, outlines, and examinations, as well as final papers), cheating,
bribery, academic fraud, sabotage of research materials, the sale of academic papers, and the
falsification of records. An individual who engages in these or related activities or who
knowingly aids another who engages in them is acting in an academically dishonest manner.
Anyone suspected of academic dishonesty will be subject to disciplinary action and will be
reported to The Graduate Center’s Department of Psychology Executive Officer Maureen O'
Connor, Ph.D., J.D. (moconnor@gc.cuny.edu).
ACADEMIC HONESTY (for Master’s students): Queens College of the City University of New
York is committed to the highest standards of academic honesty. Acts of academic dishonesty
include—but are not limited to—plagiarism, (in drafts, outlines, and examinations, as well as
final papers), cheating, bribery, academic fraud, sabotage of research materials, the sale of
academic papers, and the falsification of records. An individual who engages in these or related
activities or who knowingly aids another who engages in them is acting in an academically
dishonest manner. Anyone suspected of academic dishonesty will be subject to disciplinary
action and reported to the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs (Vpsa@qc.cuny.edu).
If you have additional questions please read the following information or contact me:
http://qcpages.qc.cuny.edu/Psychology/questions/integrity.html
http://www.plagiarism.org/
Ask me if you have questions about citing sources.
Cell Phones:
Cell phones going off in class are extremely disruptive and annoying. Each student will get one
free pass, if your cell phone rings/buzzes aloud the first time there will be no penalty. If
your phone rings/buzzes additional times you will be docked 3(n-1)
points from your final
grade, where n=the number of cell phone ringing/buzzing incidents. Therefore please set
your phones for silent operation.
Texting is NOT allowed during class or during exams. If you are found texting during an exam
you will receive an automatic zero (0) for that exam.
Guidelines for Presentations:
Your job will be to summarize the assigned article in detail (see below), and to relate it to what we
have discussed in lectures. Your presentation should be 15 to 20 minutes in length. You are free to
supplement your presentation with other sources cited in the article. You may also provide the group
with a written summary, if you think that helps your presentation. Come prepared with questions/topics
of discussion for the class. The rest of the class should come prepared for discussion: do not expect the
leader to simply regurgitate the paper for you. You must use PowerPoint or some other readily available
computer software for your presentation. The dry erase board or other methods can also be used to
enhance your presentation. Presentations are due 24 hours in advance of class (no late exceptions) and
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3. should be emailed to Prof. Brumberg (joshua.brumberg@qc.cuny.edu) so they can be posted on
Blackboard.
You should use the following checklist when preparing your presentation. I will grade presentations
systematically using this checklist:
 Correctly state the full reference to the material you are
presenting.
 Briefly describe the main components of your
presentation (introduction, aim, methods, results,
discussion, evaluation etc.).
 Summarize the Introduction of the article concisely and accurately, making sure to describe the
motivation for the study (big picture, why is it an interesting topic, etc).
 State the aim(s) of the study.
 Correctly and concisely describe the Methods, including
the experimental design and dependent and
independent variables.
 Correctly and concisely describe the Results. Describe graphs of data correctly, including
trends and variability in data and indicate whether or not experimental control was
achieved.
 All figures must be presented such that they are clear
and legible on the screen.
 Correctly and concisely describe the Discussion, including main conclusions and implications of
the findings.
 Provide your own evaluation of the study (Improvements? Unanswered questions?)
 Relate the article to the course (this can be done at any point in the presentation).
 Invite questions from the class. Summarize questions for the class if not easy to hear, answer
questions clearly and concisely (It is OK to say you do not know the answer or invite commentary from
other group members).
 Overall style: Slides and Speaking – Do not paste large
chunks of text from the article into your slides –
summarize in your own words. Speak clearly and
audibly to the back of the class, not down at your notes;
make eye contact with class members periodically.
Articles are fair game for the exams, so if you don’t understand something that someone is
presenting, it is your responsibility to ask questions until you do!
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4. Guidelines for Final Project:
Pick a current topic related to something we have discussed or will be discussing in the class, for which
there are competing explanations in the literature. Write a 5-7 page paper on the topic (not including
references), 1.5-spaced. Papers must be submitted in class and via email. You should use no fewer than
7 published articles as references (Wikipedia is not a legitimate source). Abstracts (250-300 words) for
the paper (worth 5% of your final grade) should be submitted for approval no later than October 17.
Late abstracts and papers will receive grades of zero.
In addition, make sure to:
 Present the topic/research question/thesis clearly in the beginning of the paper
 Summarize and integrate the results from cited articles
 Explain how you think the results favor one or more of the competing explanations
 Present interesting, unanswered questions that your findings have raised, and describe possible
experiments you could design to address them. Do not overlook this component.
Please list references on a separate page at the end of the paper (not included in the 5-7 page
count), listed alphabetically using these formats:
Journal article format: Fernandez-Ruiz, J., Diaz R. (1999) Prism Adaptation and
Aftereffect: Specifying the Properties of a Procedure Memory System, Learning
& Memory, 6: 47-53.
Book format: Goldstein, E.B. (2002) Sensation and Perception (4th
Edition).
Pacific Grove, CA: Wadsworth.
For reference help contact:
Amy Ballmer
Reference Librarian, Mina Rees Library
The Graduate Center
City University of New York
aballmer@gc.cuny.edu
212.817.7059
Psychology Subject Guide: http://libguides.gc.cuny.edu/psychology
SCHEDULE OF CLASSES AND TOPICS
(Additional readings available on Blackboard)
Week 1 – August 27: Sensory Systems: Olfaction and Gustation
Textbook Readings: Principles of Neural Science, Chapter 32
Review syllabus
Sign up for presentations
No Presentations
Week 2 – September 3: No class Labor Day Holiday School Closed
Week 3 – September 10: Sensory Systems: Somatosensation
Textbook Readings: Principles of Neural Science: Chapters 22, 23
Additional Readings:
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5. Gardner, E.P., Palmer, C.I. Simulation of motion on the skin. II. Cutaneous mechanoreceptor
coding of the width and texture of bar patterns displaced across the OPTACON. J
Neurophysiol, 62:1437-1460, 1989.
Simons DJ, Carvell GE. Thalamocortical response transformation in the rat vibrissa/barrel
system. J Neurophysiol. 61(2):311-30, 1989. Jason
Week 4 – September 17: NO Class Rosh Hashonah
Week 5 – September 24: Sensory Systems: Pain and Analgesia
Textbook Readings: Principles of Neural Science: Chapter 24
Additional Readings:
Craig, A.D. and Bushnell, M.C. The thermal grill illusion: Unmasking the burn of cold pain,
Science, 265:252-255, 1994. - Ewa
Tominaga, M., Caterina, M.J., Malmberg, A.B., Rosen, T.A., Gilbert, H., Skinner, K., Raumann,
B.E., Basbaum, A.I. and Julius, D. The cloned capsacin receptor integrates multiple pain-
producing stimuli. Neuron, 21:531-543, 1998. Elizabeth
Melzack, R. and Wall, P. Pain mechanisms: a new theory. Science, 150:971-9, 1965.
Week 6 – October 1: Sensory Systems: Audition and Vestibular System
Textbook Readings: Principles of Neural Science: Chapters 30, 31, 40
Additional Readings:
Konishi, M. The Neural Algorithm for sound localization in the owl. Harvey Lectures, Series 86,
1992. Beata
Carr C.E., and Konishi, M. A Circuit for detection of interaural time differences in the brain stem
of the barn owl. The Journal of Neuroscience 10:3227-3246, 1990. Jariel
MONDAY October 8, No class, Columbus Day Holiday School Closed
Week 7 – WEDNESDAY October 10 EXAM 1
No lecture or presentations
The first exam will be based on the first 5 weeks of lectures, readings and presentations.
Week 8 – NO Class Society for Neuroscience Meeting
Week 9 – October 22: Sensory Systems: Visual system 1 – Retina
Abstracts for final project due
Textbook Readings: Principles of Neural Science: Chapter 26
Additional Readings:
Nicol, G.D., Miller W.H. Cyclic GMP injected into retinal rod outer segments increases latency
and amplitude of response to illumination. PNAS, 75: 5217-5220, 1978. - Beata
Brivanlou, I.H., Warland, D.K. and Meister, M. Mechanisms of concerted firing among retinal
ganglion cells, Neuron, 20:527-539, 1998. -
Week 10 – October 29: Sensory Systems: Visual system 2 – Thalamus/LGN and color vision
Textbook Readings: Principles of Neural Science, Chapter 18 (341-344), Chapter 27 (523-532),
Chapter 29
Additional Readings:
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6. Usrey, W.M., Reppas, J.B., Reid, R.C. Paired-spike interactions and synaptic efficacy of retinal
inputs to the thalamus, Nature, 395:384-387, 1998. - Jason
Alitto, H.J., Weyan, T.G., Usrey, W.M. Distinct properties of stimulus-evoked bursts in the
lateral geniculate nucleus, J. Neuroscience, 25(2): 514-523, 2005.- Adam
Week 11 – November 5: Sensory Systems: Visual system 3 – Visual cortex and extra-striate
pathways
Textbook Readings: Principles of Neural Science: Chapter 27 (532-end), Chapter 28
Additional Readings:
Salzman, C.D., Britten K.H.,.and Newsome, W.T., Cortical microstimulation influences
perceptual judgments of motion direction. Nature. 346(6280):174-7, 1990. - Jariel
Hubel, D.H., Wiesel T.N. Receptive fields, binocular interaction and functional architecture in
the cat’s visual cortex. J. Physiology, 160:106-154, 1962. - Elizabeth
Week 12– November 12: Sensory/Motor Systems: Plasticity within and beyond the visual
system
Textbook Readings: None
Additional Readings:
Shatz CJ, Stryker MP. Ocular dominance in layer IV of the cat's visual cortex and the effects of
monocular deprivation. J Physiol. 281:267-83, 1978. - Ewa
Merabet LB, Hamilton R, Schlaug G, Swisher JD, Kiriakopoulos ET, Pitskel NB, Kauffman T,
Pascual-Leone A. Rapid and reversible recruitment of early visual cortex for touch. PLoS
One, Aug 27;3(8):e3046, 2008. -
Simons DJ, Land PW. Early experience of tactile stimulation influences organization of somatic
sensory cortex. Nature. 326(6114):694-7, 1987. - Allison
Week 13 – November 19: EXAM 2
No lecture or presentations
The second exam will be based on the lectures, readings and presentations from Week 8 through
Week 11.
Week 14 – November 26: Sensory/Motor Systems: Spinal Cord
Textbook Readings: Principles of Neural Science: Principles of Neural Science: Chapter 34
(pages 674-687) and Chapter 36
Additional Readings:
Salimi, I., Martin, J.H. Rescuing transient corticospinal terminations and promoting growth with
corticospinal stimulation in kittens. J. Neurosci. 24: 4952-4961, 2004. - Quidsia
Devanne, H., Degardin, A., Tyvaert, L. et al. Afferent-induced facilitation of primary motor
cortex excitability in the region controlling hand muscles in humans. Eur J Neurosci.
30:439-448, 2009. - Ilysa
Week 15 –December 3: Motor Systems: Cortical and Subcortical Control of Movement
Textbook Readings: Principles of Neural Science: Principles of Neural Science: Chapters 35, 38
Additional Readings:
Georgeopoulous, A.P., Schwartz, A.B. and Kettner, R.E. Neuronal population coding of
movement direction. Science, 233:1416-1419, 1986. - Adam
Nguyen, Q-T., Kleinfeld, D. Positive feedback in a brainstem tactile sensorimotor loop, Neuron,
45:447-457, 2005. -
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7. Week 16 – December 10: Motor Systems: Functional analysis of the Basal Ganglia and
Cerebellum
Final project due at the BEGINNING of class
Textbook Readings: Principles of Neural Science: Principles of Neural Science: Chapters 41, 42
Additional Readings:
Kelly, R.M., and Strick, P.L. Cerebellar loops with motor cortex and prefrontal cortex of a
nonhuman primate. J Neurosci. 23:8432-44, 2003. Allison
Ros, H., Sachdev, R.N.S., Yu, Y., Sestan, N., and McCormick D.A. Neocortical Networks
Entrain Neuronal Circuits in Cerebellar Cortex. J Neurosci. 29:10309-20, 2009. Ilysa
Saka, E., Goodrich, C., Halrlan, P., Madras, B.K., Graybiel, A.M. Repetitive behaviors in
monkeys are linked to specific striatal activation patterns. J. Neurosci. 24: 7557-7565,
2004. -
Gradinaru, V., Mogri, M., Thompson, K.R., Henderson, J.M., Deisseroth, K. Optical
Deconstruction of Parkinsonian Neural Circuitry. Science. 324:354-359, 2009. - Quidsia
Final Period December 14-20
EXAM 3: The third/final exam will be scheduled by the Registrar and will be posted in the
Psychology Dept Office, SB E318 and online on the Queens College Website.
The third exam will be based on the lectures, readings and presentations from Week 14 through
Week 16.
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