Neurophysiology/Neuroanatomy (Biomed 533)
Fall 2011
Lectures (rm 243 BMSB): Tues & Thurs 8:30 – 10:00
Labs: Tues 2:00 – 4:00
Course Evaluation
Lab Procedures
Date |
Topic |
Reading |
Assigned Paper |
Faculty |
Tu 23 Aug |
2 S |
|
Cunningham |
|
Tu 23 Aug |
3 MB |
|
Cunningham |
|
Th 25 Aug |
5,6 S |
|
Partridge |
|
Tu 30 Aug |
|
Partridge |
||
Tu 30 Aug |
4 MB |
|
Cunningham |
|
Th 1 Sept |
|
|
Saland |
|
Tu 6 Sept |
23 S |
|
Partridge |
|
Tu 6 Sept |
5 MB |
|
Cunningham |
|
Th 8 Sept |
27 S |
Hackett, 2011 (6 Sept) |
Partridge |
|
Tu 13 Sept |
27 S |
Briggman, 2011 (8 Sept) |
Partridge |
|
Tu 13 Sept |
|
|
Cunningham |
|
Th 15 Sept |
24 S |
Ko, 2011 (13 Sept) |
Partridge |
|
Tu 20 Sept |
24 S |
Janssen, 2011 (15 Sept) |
Partridge |
|
Tu 20 Sept |
Quiz 1 |
|
|
Cunningham |
Th 22 Sept |
26 S |
Cury, 2010 (20 Sept) |
Partridge |
|
Tu 27 Sept |
23, 28 S |
|
Saland |
|
Tu 27 Sept |
6 MB |
|
Cunningham |
|
Th 29 Sept |
25 S |
Dallos, 2008 (22 Sept) |
Partridge |
|
Tu 4 Oct |
25 S |
Jacob, 2008 (29 Sept) |
Partridge |
|
Tu 4 Oct |
7 MB |
|
Cunningham |
|
Th 6 Oct |
29 S |
Thyrion, 2010 (4 Oct) |
Partridge |
|
Tu 11 Oct |
30 S |
Lungu, 2010 (6 Oct) |
Partridge |
|
Tu 11 Oct |
8 MB |
|
Cunningham |
|
Th 13 Oct |
|
|
|
|
Tu 18 Oct |
29 S |
Doumas, 2010 (11 Oct) |
Partridge |
|
Tu 18 Oct |
Brainstem and cranial nerves / cerebellum |
10, 11 MB |
|
Cunningham |
Th 20 Oct |
33 S |
Zelik, 2010 (18, Oct) |
Partridge |
|
Tu 25 Oct |
|
|
Cunningham |
|
Tu 25 Oct |
Quiz 2 |
|
|
Cunningham |
Th 27 Oct |
32 S |
Howe, 2011 (25 Oct) |
Cunningham |
|
Tu 1 Nov |
30 S |
Velliste 2008 (1 Nov) |
Partridge |
|
Tu 1 Nov |
Clinical correlates: Long pathways of CNS / internal anatomy |
Lab 2 Phase I syllabus |
|
Cunningham |
Th 3 Nov |
Autonomic Physiology |
35 S |
|
Shuttleworth |
Tu 8 Nov |
41, 42 S |
Duffy, 2011 (8 Nov) |
Partridge |
|
Tu 8 Nov |
Lab 4 Phase I syllabus |
|
Cunningham |
|
Th 10 Nov |
43 S |
|
Valenzuela |
|
Tu 15 Nov |
SfN Annual meeting |
|
|
|
Th 17 Nov |
No Class |
|
|
Cunningham |
Tu 22 Nov |
Quiz 3 (written exam on clinical correlates) |
|
|
Cunningham |
Tu 22 Nov |
Project |
|
|
|
Th 24 Nov |
Thanksgiving |
|
|
|
Tu 29 Nov |
49 S |
Wang, 2010 (29 Nov) |
Partridge |
|
Tu 29 Nov |
Project |
|
|
Cunningham |
Th 1 Dec |
50 S |
Diekelmann, 2011 (1 Dec) |
Perrone |
|
Tu 6 Dec |
|
Partridge |
||
Tu 6 Dec |
Quiz 4 (rodent brain structures) |
|
|
|
Th 8 Dec |
Brain Film Festival |
|
|
Cunningham/Partridge |
Class paper presentation assignments
13 Sept |
Baca & Topper |
|
22 Sept |
Tyler |
|
29 Sept |
De Luca |
|
1 Dec |
Klopfer |
|
18 Oct |
Baca |
|
8 Nov |
Kajimoto |
|
8 Sept |
Mounce |
|
27 Oct |
Castioni |
|
4 Oct |
Manifold-Wheeler |
|
20 Sept |
Casitioni & Tyler |
|
15 Sept |
Brewer & Manifold-Wheeler |
|
11 Oct |
Brewer |
|
6 Oct |
Dinces |
|
1 Nov |
Dinces & De Luca |
|
29 Nov |
Klopfer & Kajimoto |
|
20 Oct |
Topper |
Grading
Paper presentations 30%
Project 20%
Anatomy Quizzes 40%
Class participation 10%
Reading Assignments
Reading assignments are given as chapters in:
S Squire, L R. et al. Fundamental Neuroscience 3 rd ed. Elsevier, 2008
MB – Bruni & Montemurro, “Human Neuroanatomy: A Text, Brain Atlas, and Laboratory Dissection Guide” 3rd . Oxford University Press
Additional Assigned readings
Fox, D. (2011) The limits of intelligence Scientific American July pg 36
This article reviews some of the computational limitations that may ultimately set an upper limit on human intelligence.
Peron, S., Svobada, K. (2011) From cudgel to scalpel: toward precise neural control with opotgenetics Nature Methods 8:30-34
The history of neurophysiology has to a large extent been driven by advances in the techniques available to stimulate and record from the nervous system. This methods paper is a review of advances in one of the newest technologies to drive neurophysiology research – optogenetics. The authors address currently available light –mediated molecular devices, which allow precise activation of neural assemblies in behaving animals.
Squire, L.R. (2009) The legacy of patient H.M. for Neuroscience Neuron 61:6-9
This short editorial paper by an author of the class text, published on the occasion of the death of Henry Molaison, reviews the advances in our understanding of human memory based on study of this most studied individual in the history of neuroscience.
Project
The object of this project is to make an effective teaching video on a specific aspect of human neuroanatomy. The class will be divided into 4 groups and assigned one of these topics:
-Coronal brain slice
-Horizontal brain slice
-Surface anatomy of brain including blood supply
-Brain stem and cerebellum
Each group will then plan and rehearse a video presentation that should take a maximum of 20 minutes. A time will be arranged with technicians from biomedical communications to record the presentation and opportunities will be arranged for editing the video. The final products will be presented to the class on Thursday, 8 December. These videos will then be made available for the first year medical students for review of material in their neuroanatomy labs.
Grades will be assigned based on the accuracy and quality of the final videos.
Assigned Paper Discussions
The papers listed with certain lecture topics will be the basis of an in-depth discussion during the first half hour of class following or in some cases the last half hour of the same class in which that topic is discussed. (Dates following papers refer to the date when that topic is covered in lecture.) All students should read and be prepared to discuss the assigned paper. The student presenting may need to read additional papers in order to put the assigned paper into context and lead a discussion of the paper. Discussions should include the following:
· about 10 minute introduction to the paper including sufficient methods to understand the paper
· about 20 minutes of discussion concentrating on the figures and conclusions of the paper
References for assigned paper presentations
Briggman, K.L., Helmstaedter, M., Denk, W. (2011) Wiring specificity in the direction-selectivity circuit of the retina. Nature 471:183-190
Asymmetric input to retinal ganglion cells has long been postulated to be the basis for their directional selective responses, but this has been difficult to demonstrate conclusively. This paper undertakes the heroic effort of reconstructing serial electronmicrographs of a 350 x 300 x 60 m M 3 block of tissue after determining the directional selectivity of the included ganglion cells. They clearly show asymmetric synaptic inputs.
Cury, K.M., Uchida, N. (2010) Robust odor coding via inhalation-coupled transient activity in the mammalian olfactory bulb. Neuron 68:570 – 585.
This is a fascinating, thorough, and challenging paper about how mice encode odor cues. The authors used electrophysiological and behavioral tests to assess the role of rapid sniffing in odor discrimination and conclude that the most important information is gleaned from the first 100 ms of the odor presentation.
Dallos, P., Wu, X., Cheatham, M.A., Gao, J., Zheng, J. Anderson, C.T., Jia, S., Want, X., Chang, W.H., Senqupta, S., He, D.Z., Zuo, J. (2008) Prestin-based outer hair cell motility is necessary for mammalian cochlear amplification. Neuron 58:333 – 339.
This study uses a knockout of the outer hair cell protein prestin. The results suggest that the presence of prestin is a requirement for coupling mechanical vibrations between the basilar membrane and stereocillia. Furthermore, the authors show that the sharp tuning of frequency on the basilar membrane requires amplification by the outer hair cells.
Diekelmann, S., Buchel, C., Born, J., Rasch, B. (2011) Labile or stable: opposing consequences for memory when reactivated during waking and sleep. Nature Neuroscience 14:381-386 Suppl. News & Views
Memories appear to enter an active state during reactivation during which they are labile and reconsolidation must occur in order for them to persist. This paper addresses whether the same process of reconsolidation also occurs during slow wave sleep. The authors used odor cues to probe memory stability during sleep and found that reactivation during slow wave sleep actually increased the resistance to interference.
Doumas, M., Krampe, F.T. (2010) Adaptation and reintegration of proprioceptive information in young and older adults’ postural control. J. Neurophysiol 104: 1969-1977.
This study investigates changes the proprioceptive contribution to posture during aging. They use a technique introduced in the 1980s by Nasher wherein ankle joint proprioception is either reduced or accentuated by having the subject stand on a platform that is suddenly tilted either forward or backward. They find an age-related changes in reweighting of postural information that is similar to changes in cognitive function.
Duffy, J. F. et al. (2011) Sex difference in the near-24 hour intrinsic period of the human circadian timing system. PNAS early edition
This study used the classic technique of isolating individual from all circadian cues and then measuring the intrinsic cycling of temperature and melatonin. Interestingly they found that females had a shorter circadian cycle than males and importantly in many of the female subjects this cycle was shorter than the 24 hour light-dark cycle.
Hackett, T.A., Barkat, T.R., O’brien, B.M.J., Hensch, T.K., Polley, D.B. (2011) Linking topography to tonotopy in the mouse auditory thalamocortical circuit. J. Neurosci. 31:2983.
The ordered representation of sound frequencies on the primary sensory cortex (tonotopy) has been demonstrated in at least 20 mammalian species, but, surprisingly, it is controversial in the mouse. This paper established the tonotopy of the mouse primary auditory cortex and explores the organization of the thalamic input that underlies this ordered projection.
Howe, P.D.L., Drew, T., Pinto, Y. Horowitz, T.S. (2011) Remapping attention in multiple object tracking Vision Research 51:489-495.
This is a psychophysical study that addresses questions of shifting of attention during saccades. In particular, it investigates the role of retinotopic vs. allocentric frames of reference during simultaneous tracking of multiple objects.
Jacob, V., LeCam, J., Ego-Stengel, V., Shultz, D.E. (2008) Emergent properties of tactile scenes selectively activate barrel cortex neurons. Neuron 60:1112-1125
The 24 facial vibrissae (whiskers) of the rat project to barrel cortex and this is one of the most thoroughly studied somatosensory system. Typically individual whiskers are displaced (or removed) and the resultant effects on cortical receptive fields are measured. This study used a whisker stimulator that could simultaneously, but independently, stimulate all 24 whiskers to show that individual neurons code for large-scale properties of complex tactile scenes.
Janssen, S., Laermans, J., Verhulst, P., Thijs, T., Tack, J., Depoortere, I. (2011) Bitter taste receptors and a-gustductin regulate the secretion of ghrelin with functional effects on food intake and gastric emptying PNAS 108:2094-2099
This paper addresses a role for taste receptors located, surprisingly, in the gut. Activation of these receptors with bitter compounds act through the hunger hormone ghrelin to temporarily increase food intake and accelerate gastric emptying.
Ko, H. Hofer, S.B., Pichler, B., Buchanan, K.A., Sjostrom, J., Mrsic-Flogel, T.D. (2011) Functional specificity of local synaptic connections in neocortical networks. Nature (10 April)
This paper addresses the similar question of structural and functional connections in the visual cortex that we discussed previously in the retina. Instead of determining connectivity by EM evidence, it uses simultaneous patch recording and it adds “naturalistic movies” to the stimuli analyzed.
Lungu, O., Frigon, A., Piche, M., Rainville, P., Rossignol, S., Doyon, J. (2010) Changes in spinal reflex excitability associated with motor sequence learning J. Neurophysiol. 103:2675
This study addresses the question of whether spinal reflexes are modulated during implicit motor learning. Subjects learned a tracking task without knowledge of the underlying sequence of movements during which the strength of a spinal reflex (H reflex) was measured. It was found that there was greater reflex depression during this learned movement than during similar non-learned movements.
Thyrion, C., Roll, J-P (2010) Predicting any arm movement feedback to induce three-dimensional illusory movements in humans. J. Neurophysiol. 104:949-959
Muscle spindles provide not only the afferent limb of the stretch but also input for conscious proprioception. This study used previously recorded spindle afferent activity from individual arm muscles as the basis for selectively stimulating spindles in the complex pattern expected during 3-D movements. Subjects reported illusionary movements that were perceived to result from “internal forces.”
Velliste, M., Perel, S., Spaling, M.C., Whitford, A.S., Schwartz, A.B. (2008) Cortical control of a prosthetic arm for self-feeding. Nature 453:1098-1101
Monkeys rapidly learn a brain-machine-interface that uses electrodes implanted in the motor cortex to control a prosthetic device to feed themselves.
Wang, S-H, Redondo, R.L., Morris, R.G.M. (2010) Relevance of synaptic tagging and capture to the persistence of long-term potentiation and everyday spatial memory. PNAS 107:19537-19542.
This paper presents a paradigm for producing transient “everyday memory” that can be made persistence by pairing it with a novel stimulus. They correlate behavioral data with hippocampal LTP recordings to conclude that memory persistence results from synaptic tagging and capture.
Zelik, K.E., Kuo, A.D. (2010) Human walking isn’t all hard work: evidence of soft tissue contributions to energy dissipation and return. J. Exp. Biol 213:4257-4264.
The results of this biomechanics study of human walking is summed up in a limerick that the authors managed to get by the reviewers: “There is a collision in gait / When the foot hits the ground and bears weight, / Joint work measures miss / Three-fifths of the squish, / Which soft tissues perhaps dissipate.”
