This is a list and brief
description of courses offered by faculty in the Department
of Neurobiology, Pharmacology and Physiology, and related
faculty in the Biological Sciences Division. Most of the
course descriptions are taken from the University
of Chicago Course Catalog.
| NPHP 33600 |
Cell Signaling (=CPHY 33600) |
Autumn |
Palfrey |
| Cells in the body communicate with
each other by a variety of extracellular signals
(e.g., hormones and neurotransmitters) that are
disseminated locally or in the bloodstream to distant
targets. What happens when these signals are received
by the target cells? The subject matter of this
course considers the wide variety of intracellular
mechanisms that, when activated, change cell behavior.
Both general and specific aspects of intracellular
signaling are covered in the course, the latter
including detailed discussions of receptors, G-proteins,
cyclic nucleotides, calcium and calcium-binding
proteins, phosphoinositides, protein kinases, and
phosphatases. C. Prereq: BIOS 20200 and 20181, or
BIOS 20191. |
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| NPHP 31800 |
Cellular Neurobiology (=NURB 31800) |
Autumn |
Lloyd |
| The cell biology of neurons is considered,
with emphasis on intracellular and intercellular
communication and regulation. Simple neuronal systems,
especially those of invertebrates, are analyzed
from a functional viewpoint. |
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| DVBI 35800 |
Developmental neurobiology and brain plasticity |
Winter |
Grove, Zou |
| Topics include neural induction, early
patterning of the central nervous system, axonguidance
and neuronal migration, the development of brain
activity, and the mechanisms of plasticity that
fine-tune brain function. Approaches will range
from molecular to cellular to systems neurobiology.
Focus will be on the vertebrate CNS but attention
will be given to important lessons from invertebrate
systems. |
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| NEUROB 32400 |
Synaptic physiology |
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McGehee, Fox |
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| NURB 30500 |
Medical neurobiology |
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Mason and staff |
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| NPHP 33200 |
Ionic Channels and Excitable Membranes (=CPHY
33200) |
Winter |
Nelson, Hanck |
A review of the voltage-gated and ligand-gated channels,
including the functional role(s) of the channels
in cell behavior and biophysical aspects of ion
transport through channels. Correlation is made
between known channel protein structure and channel
functional characteristics, including gating, block
and drug-related changes in channel current kinetics. |
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| NPHP 30300 |
Cell and Organ Physiology |
Autumn |
Palfrey and Staff |
| Membrane and cell physiology; muscle,
cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal physiology.
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| NPHP 30400 |
Organ Physiology and Endocrinology |
Winter |
Chang and Staff |
| Renal, respiratory, endocrine and
reproductive physiology and the regulation of metabolism.
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| NURB 31500 |
Vertebrate Neural Systems (=NURB 31500) |
Autumn |
Ragsdale and Staff |
| This lab-centered course teaches students
the fundamental principles of mammalian neuroanatomy.
Students learn the major structures and the basic
circuitry of the CNS and PNS. Somatic, visual, auditory,
vestibular and olfactory sensory systems are presented
in particular depth. In addition, students select
two courses in pharmacology. |
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| NPHP 32200 |
Molecular Neurobiology (=NURB 32200) |
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Green and Popko |
| Current research in the molecular
biology of the nervous system, i.e., the structure
and function of macromolecules that control, propagate,
and elicit neural signaling. Topics covered include
(1) structural elements of neurons and glia; (2)
structure and function of the synapse; (3) aspects
of the molecular basis of neural signaling; and
(4) gene expression in neural systems. Lectures
draw on current journal literature to present a
state-of-the-art background of the topic, the current
questions being explored, as well as problems and
aspects. |
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| NPHP 32800 |
Neuropsychopharmacology II |
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Vezina |
Effects of drugs on behavior; emphasis
on the functional contribution of brain neurotransmitter
systems.
Other courses offered by the Dept of Neurobiology,
Pharmacology and Physiology |
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| NURB 33400 |
Genetics in Neuropharmacology |
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Zhuang |
| This course focuses on diverse genetic
approaches in pharmacology research. Topics are
organized by genetic approaches including knockout,
transgenic, knock-in, tissue-specific knockout,
inducible strategies, forward genetics, pharmacogenomics
and gene therapy. The selection of papers aims to
cover different neurotransmitter systems and signaling
pathways. |
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| NURB 34000 |
Neurodegenerative Diseases |
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Thinakaran |
| The course will introduce students
to the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved
in a number of neurodegenerative diseases. This
course will provide an overview of the fundamental
concepts of neurodegeneration and focus on the recent
advances in select disorders. The current literature
on Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's
disease and motor neuron diseases will be discussed
in greater detail. The primary focus of the course
is to explore the mechanisms (such as protein misfolding)
underlying neuronal dysfunction and death. |
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| Research credit (varied units) for
research undertaken by graduate students under the
guidance of a faculty member of the Department of
Neurobiology, Pharmacology and Physiology. |
