Neuroscience and Behavior (NSBH)

The purpose of this one-credit seminar is to orient NSBH majors to the myriad educational and research opportunities that exist in both the College of Science and the College of Arts and Letters. Students will have opportunities to explore issues and obtain information that will help guide their intellectual and academic planning both inside and outside the classroom as well as their thinking about post-graduate career options. The topics covered range from an exploration of the major differences among sub-disciplines within NSBH to the more practical aspects of planning and achieving milestones in the development of their professional careers, whether it be in graduate school, medical school, law school, or some other aspect of private industry. In addition, students will hear from faculty working in NSBH-affiliated departments discuss their research interests. In short, this course is designed to help students get the most out of their undergraduate experience as they move through the NSBH major.

This course is intended to provide a broad introduction to the field of neuroscience and behavior, from the level of molecules flowing across cell membranes up to complex human cognition. It is intended primarily for sophomores and required of all Neuroscience and Behavior majors. The associated laboratory is also required an may be taken concurrently or at a later time.

This laboratory accompanies the Neuroscience and Behavior lecture course (SC or BIOS 20450). It is required for all Neuroscience and Behavior majors and may be taken concurrently with the lecture or at a later time. The lab will introduce experimental approaches typical of the field, including anatomical, histological, electrophysiological, and behavioral methods.

Major theories and research findings on social, emotional, and cognitive development are covered. Although emphasis is on the time from birth to early adulthood, some research on adulthood and the elderly is included. Attention is given to how different environments enhance or hinder healthy development.

The second decade of life is a crucial developmental transition that poses significant physical, psychological and social challenges to young people; and which have implications for later psychosocial outcomes. This course explores the portrait of adolescence that is revealed by contemporary developmental science. We will examine adolescence in cultural and historical context and survey recent empirical literatures on some core topics, including pubertal maturation, the cognitive and social-personality development of teenagers, the struggle for self and identity, the influence of family, peers and schools on development, adolescent risk behavior and positive youth development, among other topics

This course will cover the chemical basis of neuronal transmission. This course will first be offered to upper-level NSBH majors, but will eventually become one of the three core courses for Neuroscience and Behavior majors. This course will be the most "chemistry-oriented" of the three core NSBH classes.

Defines the concept of abnormal or maladaptive behavior; reviews the principles involved in human development and adjustment and describes the common clinical syndromes, their causes, and treatments.

A lecture course presenting a cognitive approach to higher processes such as memory, problem solving, learning, concept formation, and language.

A survey of the theories and methods relating to basic processes in learning and memory from both biological and cognitive perspectives.

Includes a diverse range of topics, from sensory processes and perceptual development to sensory deprivation and visual illusions. Emphasis is on auditory and visual perception.

The primary learning goal of this course is to understand and appreciate how we perceive the world inside of us (interoception), the world outside of us (exteroception), and the relation between these two types of perception. The scientific study of interoception - the perception of the internal state of our bodies - is a relatively new field of study, but already it is changing the way that contemporary researchers think about the nature of the self, the nature of consciousness, and the origins of emotion and pain. In addition, this course will also survey how we sense the external world via touch, olfaction, and taste. This course will survey a wide range of evidence from psychology, neuro-immunology, neuro-endocrinology, and neuro-science.

Behavioral genetics is the study of genetic and environmental influence on individual differences, and can be used to examine all aspects of development. The purpose of the class is threefold: first, to orient students to the basic genetic principles necessary for the understanding of hereditary influences on development; secondly, to overview genetic and environmental influence on behavioral, biomedical, and bio-behavioral attributes; and, lastly, to assist students to realize that behavioral genetics is a powerful tool for the study of environmental as well as genetic influences on development.

An "Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience" is a survey course that introduces students to the biological substrates underlying various forms of cognition in humans, with a specific focus on mental processes. We will explore how psychological and cognitive functions are produced by the brain. Cognitive neuroscience is a branch of both psychology and neuroscience, drawing from disciplines such as biological psychology (biopsychology), neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and neuropsychology.We will cover a broad range of topics, including learning and memory, perception, development and neural plasticity, cerebral lateralization and language, emotions and social cognition, stress, sleep and dreaming, and consciousness. No previous coursework in neuroscience is required, but at least some experience with biology or biopsychology is preferred.

The American Reality TV show Survivor has been a part of American culture for over 2 decades. To quote the host Jeff Probst, “Survivor is a microcosm for our real world.” In this course, we will look at this iconic TV show and generalize its infamous moments to experiences people have in the real world. Because Survivor is a game of social deception, studying its dynamics is especially relevant for those who want to understand negotiation, business, leadership, academia, or virtually any other work — and many personal — situations. We look to discover and analyze the art of decision making through the principles of Social Cognitive Neuroscience and Mathematical Game Theory. By the end of this course, students will be able to utilize the fundamentals of mathematical game theory to deconstruct complex real world situations with payoff matrices and formulate strategies for idealized outcomes. Additionally, students will identify the key frameworks of social cognitive neuroscience to be able to articulate challenges to the concept of humans as optimal decision-making agents and relate affective, social, and cognitive influences on decision-making to real-life situations. Finally students will end the course with role-playing in a Survivor like game and use the skills in this course to document and analyze their experiences.

Electroencephalography (EEG) is a commonly used technique in the realm of cognitive neuroscience to make measurements of scalp electrical activity. This course has two main objectives: 1) to give students an introduction to the theoretical principles underlying the measurement and analysis of EEG, and 2) to give students an opportunity to use EEG in a basic experiment of their own design and present the results. We will employ commercial EEG technology to conduct simple measurements, learn the basics of analysis, and explore the kinds of questions that EEG can help answer about the neural basis of behaviour.

What does mental health have to do with faith? And, how do faith and spirituality relate to mental health? Moreover, what does this mean for one's life, practically speaking? This one-credit course invites students to reflect on the intersection of faith and mental health within their own lives through both conceptual and practical integration. Bridging the disciplines of theology, psychology, and neuroscience, the course provides a framework for students to consider central questions, including the etiology of mental illness, the meaning of suffering, conceptions of healing, and the importance of relationship to human flourishing. The course supports also students' practical, personal integration of course concepts. Students will have the opportunity to reflect on how personal practices and the sacramental and communal life of faith can support the stewardship of their integral wellbeing as embodied souls. The course involves interactive lectures, including guest speakers, and small-group discussions.

What exactly is a mental disorder? We often use this term, but rarely stop to think about what it means. It seems like our answers to this question will vary depending on our personal opinions and the society we grew up in. So, who gets to decide what is a real mental disorder and what is not? Is it a matter of scientific discovery, value judgments, or even cultural preference? These and other questions will be discussed in this course. Other topics include ethics and mental health, the concepts of function and dysfunction, and critiques of the mental health field. Please note: this is a philosophy course and not a clinical course, no clinical skills or diagnostic methods will be covered.

The global population is aging, and there is increasing importance to understand how cognition is affected as we age. In this course, you will learn about the current theories and controversies about how cognition changes during healthy aging and in aging associated with cognitive impairment and dementia. The key areas of cognition you will explore include attention, executive function, processing speed, and learning and memory. You will also explore the relationship between brain and cognitive aging, and factors that that potentially mediate risk of age-related cognitive impairment and dementia.

This is the first of three courses that are designed for Neuroscience and Behavior (NSBH) students accepted into the Honors program. Registration is by permission only. Seminar activities: (1) Students will lead journal club presentations over key papers in their field, (2) write a research proposal for their thesis work, (3) engage in workshop-style analysis of research proposals, (4) attend lectures on experimental design and proposal writing, (5) and prepare applications for summer research support and/or conference travel appropriate to their discipline.

This course will interest you if you are seeking an in-depth understanding of the interactions between the nervous system and the endocrine system. These two systems have many reciprocal control features with both brain influences on hormones and hormone influences on the brain. The neuroendocrine system is also the mechanism by which the hypothalamus maintains physiological homeostasis, regulating reproduction, metabolism, eating and drinking behavior, energy utilization, osmolarity and blood pressure. In this course, we will focus on topics related to the control of behavior, of reproduction, and on the stress response, with further foci depending on your interests.

This course will be an upper-level elective describing how environmental exposures can affect human health and disease, particularly as it relates to the nervous system. It is a three-credit course intended for upper-level students with a background in neuroscience, which includes NSBH majors from CoS and CoA&L as well as Biochemistry majors with a Neuro concentration.

This course will cover how exogenous drugs interact with the nervous system to produce immediate and long-term chemical, systems, and subjective effects. This will be an upper-level elective course for NSBH majors or other students who have an interest in Neuropharmacology.

In this course, we will critically examine the etiology, neurobiology, diagnosis, and treatment of developmental and learning disabilities. We will also investigate the impact of a developmental disability on the individual, family, community, and culture. Topics will include (but are not limited to) ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down syndrome, Dyslexia, Fetal alcohol syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, and Williams-Beuren syndrome.

What happens in our brains when we listen to and make music? This course will survey the perceptual and cognitive processes involved in music perception and performance, incorporating research from various disciplines within psychology. We will discuss various concepts underlying the processing and comprehension of musical content, such as pitch and rhythm perception, musical memory and musical rules, emotion in music, expertise in musicianship, and the use of music and music therapy as rehabilitative tools.

In this course, we will discuss the interactions between perceptual and cognitive processes underlying the processing of complex auditory information. How does attention enhance our understanding in noisy environments? What roles do context and prediction play in segregating sound sequences from each other? We will discuss the concept of auditory scene analysis and its neural bases, the contributions of attention and auditory memory, and how these function in our perception of speech and music.

Throughout history, people have used addictive substances in their everyday lives to obtain desired effects, at times encountering unwanted negative consequences along the way. While many use substances without significant problems, others become “addicted” and experience considerable impairment and distress. The goal of this course is to explore the concept of addiction, with a focus on the psychology of addictive behaviors: why do people use substances and what happens when they do?

This seminar will provide a broad introduction to the cognitive neuroscience of sleep. Topics covered will span human sleep disorders, sleep in various animals species (e.g. unihemispheric sleep in dolphins), learning and memory during sleep, sleep's role in creativity and insight, plasticity in the sleeping cortex, sleep and consciousness, and dreaming. We will also examine neuroimaging, neurophysiological, and behavioral approaches to the study of sleep, discussing critical questions such as "what is sleep?" and, "why do we sleep?"

Restrictions: junior and senior, NSBH majors, PSIM or CST minors This community-engaged course is designed to support an interdisciplinary approach for students with a background in neuroscience who wish to deepen community-centered research practice in partnerships with community organizations. Students will be able to design or continue the development of projects that connect their academic and intellectual interests of exploring normative dimensions of brain development to emerging questions driven by community partner needs and interests. Students interested in enrolling in the course must have an existing collaboration with a community organization, and the organization must support the student’s role in the collaborative exploration of how neuroscientific evidence can be deployed in community practice. Class time is spent supporting the development of student’s intellectual and conceptual framework of normative brain development, expectant experience and community-centered research models. These fields of study are then applied to community-based project development. In support of community-centered projects and research development, in addition to class time, students are expected to spend collaborative time outside of class, on-site with their community partner organization. Students must have an existing community partnership and the partner organization must take an active role in project development. Projects developed in this community-centered research course have the potential to be used for PSIM and CST Capstone projects. If you are interested in, please copy and past this link to apply for departmental approval: https://forms.gle/rpwkVsAzie4os6XKA

This one-credit course is taught in collaboration with Velshonna Luckey of Self-Healing Communities of Greater Michiana. The workshop offers an opportunity for continued engagement of CBL/CBR strategy and program development for students already engaged in NEAR science (neuroscience, epigenetics, adverse childhood experiences, resilience) or CSC efforts. Students will grow strategies for iterative development and evaluation of NEAR science efforts. Broader goals of this workshop are engaging with the development of community coalition strategies, engagement initiatives and planning surrounding NEAR science engagement, trauma-informed care and Self-Healing Communities.

This course provides the opportunity for independent study through readings on specific topics in biological science. Readings are chosen with the advice of the supervising instructor. Students may not register for more than three credits per semester; only two credits per semester may be counted as BIOS elective credits by majors. Offered all semesters.

This is the second of three courses that are designed for Neuroscience and Behavior (NSBH) students accepted into the Honors program. Registration is by permission only. Seminar activities: Students will (1) lead journal club presentations over key papers from their mentor's lab, (2) write the introduction and methods sections for their theses, (3) participate in workshop-style analysis of early thesis drafts, (4) attend lectures on literature review, background synthesis, and writing the introduction and methods sections, and (5) prepare abstracts, posters and/or talks for presentation at a conference appropriate to their discipline.

This is the third of three courses that are designed for Neuroscience and Behavior (NSBH) students accepted into the Honors program. Registration is by permission only.Seminar activities: (1) Students will write the remainder of their theses, (2) edit the introduction and methods sections prepared in the prior term, and (3) engage in workshop-style analysis and production of final thesis drafts.