Course Schedule and Catalog

Long Title: THEORETICAL NEUROSCIENCE I: BIOPHYSICAL MODELING OF CELLS AND CIRCUITS

Department: Neuroscience

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: This course introduces current theoretical methods used to model the properties of nerve cells and the processing of information by neuronal networks. Concrete examples that can be implemented using MATLAB will be emphasized. The starting point is the passive cable properties of single neurons and the Hodgkin-Huxley model of action potential generation. Subsequently, models of synaptic transmission and active properties of dendritic trees will be considered. This will be followed by stochastic properties of single neurons and information encoding using mean and instantaneous firing rates in visual neurons. Finally, methods to analyze phase-locking and activity in populations of cells as well as learning algorithms will be considered. Cross-list: CAAM 415, ELEC 488. Recommended Prerequisite(s): MATH 211 OR CAAM 335.