Class syllabi

Systems Neuroscience and Theoretical Neuroscience is an intensive lecture course for first-year SWC and Gatsby PhD students, taught by SWC, Gatsby, and affiliated faculty.

Systems Foundations

Measuring activity in neurons / Otis, Tom
Voltage-gated channels / Branco, Tiago
Biophysics / Latham, Peter
Dendritic integration / Branco, Tiago
Synaptic transmission and plasticity / Margrie, Troy

Sensory Systems

Principles of sensory systems / Mrsic-Flogel, Thomas
Perception as signal processing / Sahani, Maneesh
Organisation of cellular circuits / Mrsic-Flogel, Thomas
Perception as inference / Sahani, Maneesh
Influence of behaviour and context on sensory processing / Hofer, Sonja

Action Systems

Basal ganglia / Stephenson-Jones, Marcus
Open loop control / Latham, Peter
Cerebellum / Otis, Tom
Dynamical systems/closed-loop planning / Sahani, Maneesh
From sensation to action / Hofer, Sonja
Whole-brain dissection of motor planning / Duan, C. Ann

Cognitive Systems

Deep learning and connectionism / Saxe, Andrew
Reinforcement learning basics / Stephenson-Jones, Marcus
Neuromodulation / Stephenson-Jones, Marcus
Working memory / Akrami, Athena
Neuroeconomics / Erlich, Jeffrey
Abstract representation in sensory and memory systems / Burgess, Neil
Behavioural flexibility / Behrens, Timothy

Internal States and Innate Behaviours

Hypothalamus, hunger, thirst, and fear / Harris, Julia
Neural circuits underlying innate behaviours / Kohl, Jonny
Limbic system / O’Keefe, John
Circadian rhythms and sleep / Harris, Julia
Social natural behaviour and animal models of multi-player games / Duan, C. Ann

Experimental Neuroscience is a hand-on course incorporating demos, practical lab work, and theory. At the end of the term, students apply their knowledge in a project of their own design. It is taught by SWC faculty, core facility experts, and senior post-docs.

Experimental design
Electrophysiology
Optics and microscopy
Data analysis

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