Lecture Notes
NROB60
Document Created: 2019-07-25
Prepared by: Hassan Alibhai
Lecture 1
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The Immensity of Neurons
◦ A good estimate for the number of neurons in our brain is 100 billion
◦ Neuroscience is a new field, we are constantly learning new answers
◦ The whole goal of this course is to build an interest in learning about the brain
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General Procedures and Policies
◦ Unless something is explicitly excluded, we are required to know it (ex. Historical aspect)
* A good component of the first lecture is going over the syllabus, and that’s skipped in the notes*
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Introduction to Neuroscience => Chapter 1 => Today’s Agenda
◦ Past, present and future
◦ Levels of organization
◦ The scientific process
◦ The use of animals in neuroscience
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What is Neuroscience?
◦ Study of the brain
◦ Interdisciplinary, diverse field
◦ Careers in neuroscience => medicine, physics, chemistry and biology of the brain, computer
science and computational dynamics, toxicologists, endocrinology, anthropologists
◦ The Society for Neuroscience =>
▪ first meeting in 1969
▪ became a society in 1970
▪ had 1,400 members when formed, now beyond 36,000
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The Use of Animal Models
◦ This course looks at the sheep brain, so animal models of the brain are undoubtedly useful
◦ Two main reasons we do this
1. Similar nervous systems =>
common ancestors
2. Common mechanisms in place
=> we’ve learned a tremendous
amount about long-term
potentiation, one of the main
forms of energy storage, from
Aplysia (sea slug)
◦ Looking at an animal that lives in a specialized environment and is well-adapted to it
▪ For example, an owl => excellent visual and auditory system, so if you want to study
those systems, you may want to look into the physiology of an owl
Fall 2018
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Lecture Notes
NROB60
Document Created: 2019-07-25
Prepared by: Hassan Alibhai
◦ We’re using a sheep brain in this course
▪ Reasons: Large, accessible, not human, many similar structures to humans, less cost
▪ Major parts:
• The Dorsal Surface
• The Cerebellum
• The Brain Stem
The midterm test
contains a
significant
labelling
component, and
the diagrams are
taken straight
from the
textbook (like
these)!
Fall 2018
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Lecture Notes
NROB60
Document Created: 2019-07-25
Prepared by: Hassan Alibhai
•
Neuroscience Today
◦ Reductionist approach => breaking down neuroscience into different levels of analysis
▪ Molecular
▪ Cellular
Some researchers may be looking
▪ Systems
at the relationship between some or
▪ Behavioural
all of these levels!
▪ Cognitive
•
What is a Neuroscientist?
◦ Varying levels of education, training, research experience
◦ Clinical vs. Experimental research
Fall 2018
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Lecture Notes
NROB60
•
The Scientific Process (Method)
Observation
•
•
Document Created: 2019-07-25
Prepared by: Hassan Alibhai
Testing a
specific
hypothesis
Made during
experiments
Replication
•
•
•
•
Observations
cannot be accepted
unless they can be
replicated
Repetition with the
same results
Often enough to
rule out chance =>
“don’t publish
something that
happens once”
Interpretation
•
•
Best guess
that would
account for
what
happened
Based on
knowledge
(or lack
thereof) and
preconceived
notions
Verification
•
•
•
Super important
Like replication, but
by other scientists
using the same
protocol
Not being able to
verify a result is not a
bad thing, and may
lead to further
refinement of
interpretation
The Use of Neuroscience (Research)
◦ Animals are a “renewable resource”, they are purpose bought and bred for that reason
◦ Less than one percent of the animals in the US are killed and used for biomedical research
◦ The more basic the process under investigation, the more distant the evolutionary
relationship with animals
▪ Learning about LTP through aplysia
◦ Ethical Questions and Moral Responsibilities
▪ At U of T,
1. Write a detailed protocol outlining every single step => design to procedure to
method to results
2. Submit to the local animal care committee, who provides feedback to the
researcher, and will make sure adjustments are made
3. University animal care committee (UACC) looks at it, and then research can
begin
▪ Neuroscientists must accept certain moral responsibilities
◦ Ensure that the experiment is worthwhile and well-planned
◦ Eliminate or minimize pain and distress to the animal
◦ All possible alternatives must be considered first (ex. Computational model)
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The Cost of Ignorance: Nervous System Disorders
◦ Vast number of disorders that we don’t know the answers of clear treatment:
▪ Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Depression, Schizophrenia, Stroke, and
Cerebral Palsy
•
Wrap Up Video: https://youtu.be/I7lmJe_EXEU (Brain-computer interfaces at Stanford)
Fall 2018
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