In this course, the student will learn about the field of developmental biology from its origins to the present day. The course will take a look at historical experiments as well as modern techniques and the mechanisms of development. The student will follow a variety of metazoan organisms from their start at fertilization through the stages of their development and on to entire organismal and post-embryonic development, learning along the way about the molecular and genetic regulations involved in these processes. (Biology 310)

The principles involved in morphogenesis and the determination of complex cellular patterns are examined using examples from animal systems in which the tools of genetics, molecular biology and cell biology have been applied to reveal mechanism. This graduate and advanced undergraduate level lecture and literature discussion course covers the current understanding of the molecular mechanisms that regulate animal development. Evolutionary mechanisms are emphasized as well as the discussion of relevant diseases. Vertebrate (mouse, chick, frog, fish) and invertebrate (fly, worm) models are covered. Specific topics include formation of early body plan, cell type determination, organogenesis, morphogenesis, stem cells, cloning, and issues in human development.

An introduction to computational theories of human cognition. Emphasizes questions of inductive learning and inference, and the representation of knowledge. Project required for graduate credit. This class is suitable for intermediate to advanced undergraduates or graduate students specializing in cognitive science, artificial intelligence, and related fields.

This course provides students with the basic tools for evaluating data from studies in the behavioral sciences, particularly psychology. Students will gain familiarity with data description, variance and variability, significance tests, confident intervals, correlation and linear regression, analysis of variance, and other related topics. The goal is to learn the application of statistical reasoning to decision making. Current events are often used to illustrate these issues.

This class is the second half of an intensive survey of cognitive science for first-year graduate students. Topics include visual perception, language, memory, cognitive architecture, learning, reasoning, decision-making, and cognitive development. Topics covered are from behavioral, computational, and neural perspectives.

Teaches principles of experimental methods in human perception and cognition, including design and statistical analysis. Combines lectures and hands-on experimental exercises; requires an independent experimental project. Some experience in programming desirable. To foster improved writing and presentation skills in conducting and critiquing research in cognitive science, students are required to provide reports and give oral presentations of three team experiments; a fourth individually conducted experiment includes a proposal with revision, and concluding written and oral reports.

Survey and special topics designed for graduate students in the brain and cognitive sciences. Emphasizes ethological studies of natural behavior patterns and their analysis in laboratory work, with contributions from field biology (mammology, primatology), sociobiology, and comparative psychology. Stresses human behavior but also includes major contributions from studies of other vertebrates and of invertebrates.

Human Development Through the Lifespan is devoted to the study and understanding of constancy and change for human beings, male and female, in the physical, cognitive, social and emotional domains interpreted through a variety of theoretical frameworks, contexts, and interdisciplinary research.

This assignment exposes students to data on economic growth and development as commonly measured by per capita GDP and the Human Development Index (HDI) for 100 countries of the world. There is a big debate about how good an indicator HDI is compared to GDP per capita as a measure of development.

UCSD Cognitive scientist Joan Stiles reveals the latest understandings about the intricate relationship between biology and external influences in the development of the brain. (58 minutes)

This site explores the brain and nervous system. Learn about brain development, brain lobes, the cerebral cortex, the skull, blood supply, brain fitness, neurons, the autonomic nervous system, sensory systems, the spinal cord, laughter and the brain, the musical brain, face recognition, drug effects, neurological and mental disorders, and more.

Relation of structure and function at various levels of neuronal integration. Topics include: functional neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, sensory and motor systems, centrally programmed behavior, sensory systems, sleep and dreaming, motivation and reward, emotional displays of various types, "higher functions" and the neocortex, and neural processes in learning and memory. In order to improve writing skills in describing experiments and critiquing published research in neuroscience, students are required to complete four homework assignments and one literature review with revision. This course begins with the study of nerve cells which includes their structure, the propagation of nerve impulses and transfer of information between nerve cells, the effect of drugs on this process, and the development of nerve cells into the brain and spinal cord. Next, sensory systems such as hearing, vision and touch are covered as well as a discussion on how physical energy such as light is converted into neural signals, where these signals travel in the brain and how they are processed. Other topics include the control of voluntary movement, the neurochemical bases of brain diseases, and those systems which control sleep and consciousness, learning and memory.

Second half of intensive survey of brain and behavioral studies for first-year graduate students. Topics include: perception, attention, working memory, recognition and recall, categorization, language, and thought. Topics covered from behavioral, computational, and neural perspectives.

C. elegans is easy to use, transparent, reproduces quickly, and has a cloned genome. All of these factors make it an ideal system for use in introductory, genetics or developmental biology labs. This lab familiarizes students with the life cycle, development, terminology, and common mutant phenotypes of C. elegans. It also introduces the use of GFP transgenic worms to visualize specific cell types in the worm. A detailed sample experiment is included that takes students through using genetic crosses and GFP transgenic strains to figure out the cause of a mutant phenotype.

This course is an introduction to computational theories of human cognition. Drawing on formal models from classic and contemporary artificial intelligence, students will explore fundamental issues in human knowledge representation, inductive learning and reasoning. What are the forms that our knowledge of the world takes? What are the inductive principles that allow us to acquire new knowledge from the interaction of prior knowledge with observed data? What kinds of data must be available to human learners, and what kinds of innate knowledge (if any) must they have?

Survey of principles underlying the structure and function of the nervous system, integrating molecular, cellular, and systems approaches. Topics: development of the nervous system and its connections, cell biology or neurons, neurotransmitters and synaptic transmission, sensory systems of the brain, the neuroendocrine system, the motor system, higher cortical functions, behavioral and cellular analyses of learning and memory. First half of an intensive two-term survey of brain and behavioral studies for first-year graduate students. Open to graduate students in other departments, with permission of instructor.

This course sequence teaches the pathophysiology of common diseases of the nervous system (including visual, auditory, and vestibular systems), and the general principles underlying diagnosis and management. The specific goals are:To review clinically relevant neuroanatomy and neurophysiology.To learn a systematic approach to the localization of neurologic lesions.To learn a systematic approach for determining the likely general category of disease process responsible for a patientŐs symptoms and signs, based primarily on localization and time course.To learn about some common symptom complexes and diseases of the nervous system, (including visual, auditory, and vestibular systems) with respect to clinical features, pathology, pathophysiology, approach to diagnosis, and approach to management.

Memory is not a unitary faculty, but rather consists of multiple forms of learning that differ in their operating characteristics and neurobiological substrates. This seminar will consider current debates regarding the cognitive and neural architectures of memory, specifically focusing on recent efforts to address these controversies through application of functional neuroimaging (primarily fMRI and PET).

Descriptive and inferential statistics for the behavioral and neurological sciences are considered. Techniques such as t-tests, factorial analysis of (co)variance, correlation, multiple regression, and nonparametric tests are introduced. Subject provides an introductory overview of some advanced methods such as path analysis, factor analysis, discriminant analysis, and analysis of functional MRI data. Basic issues of research design and methodology intimately associated with data analysis are discussed.