Courses

• Data Analysis Bootcamp
• Principles of Neuroscience
• Foundations of Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology
• Foundations of Systems Neuroscience
• Bioethics in Neuroscience

• Lab Rotation for First-Year Students, Fall and Spring
• Second Year Thesis Research, Fall and Spring
• Statistics and Data Analysis Course
• Responsible Conduct in Research Refresher for Senior BBS Students
• One additional elective course

INP 5701, Principles of Neuroscience
General neuroscience seminar: Lectures, readings and discussion of selected topics in neuroscience. Emphasis will be on how approaches at the molecular, cellular, physiological and organismal levels can lead to understanding of neuronal and brain function. Course is restricted to graduate students.

INP 5702, Foundations of Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology
This is a one-semester course for 1st-year INP graduate students. Each class will comprise lectures from faculty in the greater Neuroscience community, covering a comprehensive overview of cellular and molecular concepts in neuroscience. Grading will be based on three exams. Each exam will cover one third of the course (Cell Biology, Electrophysiology, and Synaptic Function) and consist of a one-week, take-home set of short answer/essay questions.

INP 5703, Foundations of Systems Neuroscience
An examination of the neural circuits that subserve sensory, motor, cognitive and affective function, and their relationships to human disorders. A comparative species approach will be used to highlight the evolution of neural circuits and their functions.

INP 6511/INP 6512, Lab Rotation for First-Year Students
Required for all first-year Neuroscience graduate students. Rotation period is one term. Grading is Sat/Unsat based on PI’s rotation evaluation.

INP 5580, Bioethics in Neuroscience
This course is an introduction to ethics and ethical decision-making in the Neurosciences. Format for the course is an informal discussion. Each week, we will be joined by members of the Yale faculty and community who can share their experiences and expertise as it relates to the topic of the week. This course is mandatory for first year graduate students in the Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program (INP). Grading is Sat/Unsat and is determined based on attendance/participation, weekly questions submitted based on assigned readings and a final term paper and presentation.

INP 6513/INP 6514, Second Year Thesis Research
Required for all second-year INP graduate students. Both terms required. Grading is Sat/Unsat based on PI’s certification.

When selecting elective courses, students should consult the course listings from the GSAS at the time of registration. Examples include:

INP 9507 Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Neurological Diseases
This course focuses on diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Schizophrenia, Multiple Sclerosis, and Epilepsy, in which modern neuroscience has advanced mechanistic explanations for clinical conditions. The course will highlight recent genetic, molecular, electrophysiological, and imaging experiments in parsing disease mechanisms.

INP 9510 Structural and Functional Organization of the Human Nervous System
An integrative overview of the structure and function of the human brain pertaining to major neurological and psychiatric disorders. Neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, and clinical correlations are interrelated to provide essential background in the neurosciences. Lectures in neurocytology and neuroanatomy survey neuronal organization in the human brain, with emphasis on long fiber tracts related to clinical neurology. Weekly three-hour laboratory sections in close collaboration with faculty members. Lectures in neurophysiology cover various aspects of neural function at the cellular level, with a strong emphasis on the mammalian nervous system. Clinical correlations consist of five sessions given by one or two faculty members representing both basic and clinical sciences. These sessions relate neurological symptoms to cellular processes in various diseases of the brain. Variable class schedule; contact course instructor. Registration for this course is by permission of the instructor.

INP 9521 Neuroimaging in Neuropsychiatry II: Clinical Applications
Neuroimaging methodologies including Positron Emission Tomography (PET); Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT); Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI); functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI); Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) are rapidly evolving tools used to study the living human brain. Neuroimaging has unprecedented implications for routine clinical diagnosis, for assessment of drug efficacy; for determination of psychotropic drug occupancy and for the study of pathophysiological mechanisms underlying neurologic and psychiatric disorders. This course is designed to provide an overview the application of state of the art neuroimaging methods to research in neurologic and psychiatric disorders.

INP 9523 Imaging Drugs in the Brain
Seminar course to explore the uses of functional imaging (PET and fMRI) to study the mechanisms of action and long-term effects of drugs (legal and illegal) on brain function. Basic research findings are the main topics, augmented by some discussion of imaging in drug development by Pharma. The central theme of the course is experiment design. How to design the proper imaging experiment to ask the question. What are the endpoints of the experiment? What are the limitations of interpretation? What are the proper controls and what are the proper analyses to ensure reliable, interpretable results?

INP 9532 Neurobiology of Cortical Systems
An examination of the neural circuits that subserve sensory, motor, cognitive, and affective function, and their relationships to human disorders. A comparative species approach is used to highlight the evolution of neural circuits and their functions.

INP 9533 Function and Dysfunction of the Visual System
A survey course on the visual system, covering the retina, central visual pathways, and visual centers. Topics on the development, structure, function, dysfunction, and repair of the visual system will be introduced by faculty members and discussed among students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty members. The class will meet for one 1.5 hr lecture and one 1.5 hr paper discussion session per week.

INP 8542 Developing and Writing Fellowship Proposals
In this course, graduate students will learn how fellowship award review panels are run and what the selection criteria are. The NIH National Research Service Award (NRSA) Fellowship will be used as the main framework for learning. Students will develop NIH style Biosketches, learn to generate key points in the NIH Research Training Plan, and learn how to write a Specific Aims page and what to consider for the Project Narrative. Through student-led groups, students will learn how to critique Specific Aims pages, with input from instructors, and will then develop Project Narratives with specific focuses on effective communication of the underlying hypotheses, impact and significance, and experimental plans.

INP 9552 Critical Thinking in Learning and Memory
Are you interested in a Neuroscience approach and its dual perspectives to understanding neuronal ensemble mechanisms underlying learning and episodic memory formation? The “Critical Thinking in Learning and Memory” course aims to engage students into critical thinking of classic neuroscience readings in learning and memory. Pairs of key studies in the field of learning and memory will be discussed in every class and debated either as dual perspectives on a given topic or as complementary approaches to certain aspects of learning and memory. The course goals are twofold: first, to develop and further students’ critical thinking in neuroscience and related fields; second, to acquire key concepts and knowledge in the field of learning and memory. The focus will be on studies revealing the role of medial temporal lobe and limbic structures in learning and memory, primarily in humans and rodents. Students will present at least two of the proposed papers and participate in the scientific debates in the class.

INP 9554 Human Molecular Diversity in the Context of Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Behavioral Traits
This course aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of human molecular diversity and its implications with respect to the study of neuropsychiatric disorders and behavioral traits. Every class will be organized around the discussion of recent articles published in the primary literature. Initially, the discussion will focus on basic concepts related to variability between individuals, within a population, and between populations across different omics domains including genetics, transcriptomics, epigenetics, and proteomics. Two aspects will be also thoroughly discussed: i) the definitions of ancestry, race, and ethnicity and how they should be considered when designing a molecular study and ii) the systematic underrepresentation of certain minorities in human molecular studies and its consequences. Subsequently, the classes will focus on different aspects related to the modeling of human molecular variation to investigate the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders and their comorbidities with behavioral traits. These will include the discussion of different study designs (e.g., case-control and case-only), the approaches needed to account for potential biases (e.g., population stratification), statistical power, effect sizes across different omics domains, and causal inference.

INP 7558 Computational Methods in Human Neuroscience
This course provides training on how to use computational science for the advanced analysis of brain imaging data, primarily from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Topics include scientific programming, high-performance computing, machine learning, network/graph analysis, real-time neurofeedback, nonparametric statistics, and functional alignment. Prerequisite: some prior experience with programming, data preprocessing, and basic fMRI analysis.

INP 7562 Dynamical Systems in Biology
This course covers advanced topics in computational biology and dynamical systems. How do cells compute, how do they count and tell time, how do they oscillate and generate spatial patterns? Topics include time dependent dynamics in regulatory, signal transduction and neuronal networks, fluctuations, growth and form: mechanics of cell shape and motion, spatially heterogeneous processes, diffusion. This year, the course will spend roughly half its time on mechanical systems at the cellular and tissue level, and half on models of neurons and neural systems in computational neuroscience.

INP 7575 Computational Vision and Biological Perception
An overview of computational vision with a biological emphasis. Suitable as an introduction to biological perception for computer science and engineering students, as well as an introduction to computational vision for mathematics, psychology, and physiology students.

INP 9585 Fundamentals of Neuroimaging
The neuroenergetic and neurochemical basis of several dominant neuroimaging methods, including fMRI. Topics range from technical aspects of different methods to interpretation of the neuroimaging results. Controversies and/or challenges for application of fMRI and related methods in medicine are identified.

INP 7599 Statistics and Data Analysis in Neuroscience
This course focuses on practical applications of various statistical models and tests commonly used in neuroscience research. It covers basic probability theory, hypothesis testing, and maximum likelihood estimation, as well as model comparison. The specific models and tests covered include ANOVA, regression, time series analyses, and dimension reduction techniques (e.g., PCA). Examples and homework will be given in MATLAB, which will be introduced at the beginning of the course. Previous experience in programming and basic statistics is desirable but not required.

INP 9610 Advanced Topics in Neurogenomics
This course focuses on the rapidly changing field of functional genomics of psychiatric disease, centered on validations using human cell-based models. It is designed for students who already have basic knowledge of neuroscience and human genetics.

INP 9720 Neurobiology
Examination of the excitability of the nerve cell membrane provides a starting point for the study of molecular, cellular and intracellular mechanisms underlying the generation and control of behavior. Fall, offered annually.