Neurobiology

Neurobiology’s model organisms (mice, worms, flies) will frame our discussion of what a neuron is and what nervous systems can do. In this lab course, you’ll be scientists exploring how the nervous system helps us move, think, and feel. You’ll get to see neurons ‘talk’ to each other, learn to make hypotheses about how that happens, and your most definitely figure out how to test your hypotheses with near state of the art physiology experiments. Basically, you’ll be doing the same work as professional scientists! All of your experiments will be on each other or on worms and flies. Neurobiologists use a variety of organisms to understand the biology of the brain. You see, all nervous systems are similar and each organism provides advantages for answer particular neurobiological questions. You only have 3 main jobs: pay attention, ask questions, and have fun! One last note: this lab has LOTS of information that may be new to you. Don’t worry! We will go over everything in class. On day one, you’ll get a copy of a lab book with basic information about our experiments.