A topic is chosen for study following consultation between students and faculty members. This required course is for students interested in doing doctoral dissertation research in neurosciences. While the course provides an overview of the field, its emphasis is on mastery of core ideas, assessed through quizzes, problem sets, and examinations. Lectures, taught by a small group of faculty members from several departments, cover a comprehensive textbook of neurosciences. Time is reserved for questions and discussion.
Initial lectures focus on the organization of membranes and the structure of membrane proteins.
Topics include the biosynthesis and degradation of membrane proteins, and the formation of specialized structures, such as gap junctions, in plasma membranes. The last part of the course emphasizes the membranes of excitable cells, with a series of lectures on neurotransmitter receptors, gated channels, second messenger systems, and transport mechanisms. The course begins with a discussion of the factors controlling the proliferation and differentiation of myoblasts. Next is a consideration of fiber type determination, its relationship to use, and the effects of hypertrophy and atrophy on muscle. The structure, function, and formation of the neuromuscular junction and its relationship to the organization of structures in the extrajunctional region forms the next set of topics.