BCS 203: Laboratory in Neurobiology

Cross-listed: NSC 203
Prerequisites: BCS 200, 240 and 240L, or equivalent background with permission of instructor
Offered: Spring

Required or recommended for:

BCS Majors: This course satisfies the laboratory requirement for the BCS concentration.

Neuroscience Majors: This course is required for the concentration.

About this course:

The course introduces the various methods used in neurobiological research and demonstrates principles and concepts presented in NSC 201/BCS 240 (Basic Neurobiology). The first part of the course entails structured laboratory experiments to provide experience with neuroanatomical (gross and cellular), neurochemical, neuropharmacological, and neurophysiological approaches to studying neural organization and function. During this portion of the course, students learn to prepare laboratory reports in the style of a scientific research paper. The course concludes with a research project that extends over a period of five weeks. Through this project, students use behavioral tests, and pharmacological manipulations to explore the role of the basal ganglia in motor behavior. Students carry out stereotaxic surgery, behavioral measurements, process neural tissue for microscopic analysis, and collect anatomical data. This study culminates in the production of a final research paper. This course can be used to satisfy the upper level writing requirement.

While the laboratory is officially scheduled to meet on a certain day at a specified time, some procedures require students to be present on other days; and some experiments may necessitate staying beyond scheduled lab time.