SUBJECT

Introduction to Neuroscience

PSYB17 - 130

lecture

Bachelor

Faculty of Education and Psychology

4

Semester 3

Autumn semester

The main objective of the course is to give an overview on the basic methods, shared disciplinary concepts and current theoretical models of Neuroscience, as a timely and developing mulidisciplinary approach in understanding our brain.
 

Learning outcome, competences
knowledge:

•  Psychopysiological, Neuroscience and Neuroanatomy concepts
•  Current methods and main objectives in Neuroscience
•  Basics in Neuroanatomy

attitude:

•  Utilisation of knowledge in scientific communication, presentation

skills:

•  Skills af applying main methods
•  Skills of identifying related neurological and neuroanatomical structures of psychological functions

Content of the course
Topics of the course
In modular structure, covering the following fields of research

Psychophysiology
Dr. Molnár Márk,
5x3 hours

•  Methods in neuroscience 6 hours
•  Psychopharmacology 3 hours
•  Wakefulness, sleeping and attention regulation 2 hours
• Affetive processes, stress 2 hours
•  Learning and memory 2 hours

                                               15 hours

The neuroscience of main psychological functions
Dr. Honbolygó Ferenc
3x1,5 hours

•  Perception
•  Object perception
•  Attention

Affective Neuroscience
Dr.Cserjési Renáta
3x 1,5 hours
Physiological needs and brain regulation

•  Psychology and physiology of Pain
•  Neuronal basis of social perception and empathy

Introduction to Neurology and Neuroanatomy
Dr. Jakab György
3x3 hours or 6x1,5 hours

Idegtudományi módszerek és a tudatosság
Dr. Nádasdy Zoltán
2x3 óra

•  Neural coding 1x1,5
•  Consciousness 1x1,5
•  Computational methods in neuroscience 1x3

Learning activities, learning methods
Lectures and interactive discussions

Evaluation of outcomes
Learning requirements, mode of evaluation, criteria of evaluation:
requirements

•  Reliable basic knowledge in the domain of neuroscience and neuroanatomy

mode of evaluation: written exam

criteria of evaluation:

•  Knowledge on basic concepts and the skill of utilizing the modells of neuroscience adequately

Reading list
Psychophysiology:
Mandatory radings:

•  Neil R. Carson: Foundations of Physiological Psychology, Allyn and Bacon, 1999
•  John T. Cacioppo: Handbook of Psychophysiology, Cambridge Univ Press, 2007
•  Jerry W. Rudy: The Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, Sinauer Associates, Inc. Publishers, 2008
•  Kenneth Hughdal: Psychophysiology, Harvard Univ. Press, 2001

Consciousness:

Mandatory Reading list:

•  Koch C, Massimini M, Boly M, Tononi G. (2016) Neural correlates of consciousness: progress and problems. Nat Rev Neurosci. 17(5):307-21. doi: 10.1038/nrn.2016.22.

Recommended:

•  Cohen MA, Dennett DC (2011) Consciousness cannot be separated from function. Trends Cogn Sci. 15(8):358-64. doi: 10.1016/j.tics.2011.06.008.

Neural coding:
Mandatory Reading list:

•  John von Neumann Neumann The Computer and the Brain (The Silliman Memorial Lectures Series)

Recommended:

•  Engel AK, Singer W. (2001) Temporal binding and the neural correlates of sensory awareness, Trends Cogn Sci. 5(1):16-25. PMID: 11164732

Computational methods in neuroscience

Mandatory Reading list:

Stiefel KM, Ermentrout GB. (2016) NEURONS AS OSCILLATORS. J Neurophysiol.
jn.00525.2015. doi: 10.1152/jn.00525.2015.

Recommended:

•  Peter Dayan: Theoretical neuroscience (Computational and Mathematical Modeling of Neural Systems)
•  Rieke F Warland D, van Steveninck R, Bialek W: Spikes: Exploring the Neural Code (Computational Neuroscience)