Semester: Spring 2012Day (s): Wednesdays
Time: 1:00-3:30 pm
Location: BPS 1103
Professor: Dr. Erica R. Glasper
eglasper@umd.edu
Permission of instructor required
Course Description:
The purpose of this course is to broadly survey the methods and tools used in current adult neurogenesis research by reading the current literature. The course will take a holistic to cellular approach, beginning with whole brain imaging, electrophysiology, and behavioral assays, and concluding with cellular, molecular, and genetic techniques. The ultimate goal of the course is to have a good understanding of techniques used in any adult neurogenesis paper, journal club discussion, or seminar.
Adult neurogenesis is still a hot topic and with the inherently multidisciplinary approach to neuroscience research, many modern journal articles use combinations of several techniques to understand the functional relevance of this form of structural plasticity.
This course fulfills a 400 level non-lab requirement and/or Theme I Mind, Brain, and Behavior requirement for psychology majors.
Techniques in moden adult neurogenesis research will be surveyed including:
- Whole brain imaging
- Animal Behavior
- Electrophysiology
- Stereotaxic Surgeries and In Vivo Techniques
- Microscopy
- Visualizing cellular structure and function
- Identifying genes and proteins of interest
- Molecular Cloning and Recombinant DNA Technology
- Manipulating genes and proteins
- RNAi and Viruses
- Intracellular signalling assays
