Advanced Neurobiology Course

Lesson 1 • Action Potential Generation and Propagation

Details the Hodgkin-Huxley model, threshold dynamics, and saltatory conduction. Establishes the electrical signal as the fundamental unit of neural communication.

Lesson 2 • Ion Channels and Transporters

Classifies voltage-gated, ligand-gated, and leak channels by structure and gating kinetics. Links channel diversity to the range of neuronal firing behaviours.

Lesson 3 • Organisation of the Nervous System

Maps the central and peripheral divisions, their subdivisions, and functional roles. Provides the spatial scaffold on which cellular and circuit concepts are built.

Lesson 4 • Neuronal Cell Biology

Examines neuron morphology, organelle specialisation, and cytoskeletal architecture. Connects subcellular structure to signal transmission function.

Lesson 1 • Long-Term Potentiation and Depression

Examines Hebbian and non-Hebbian forms of LTP and LTD, focusing on NMDA receptor-dependent induction rules. Establishes synaptic plasticity as the cellular basis of learning.

Lesson 2 • Neurotransmitter Release Mechanisms

Covers calcium-triggered exocytosis, SNARE complex assembly, and vesicle recycling. Connects molecular machinery to the quantal nature of transmitter release.

Lesson 3 • Chemical Synapse Architecture

Describes presynaptic terminal ultrastructure, active zones, and postsynaptic densities. Contextualises structural specialisations within the transmission cycle.

Lesson 4 • Short-Term Synaptic Plasticity

Analyses facilitation, depression, and augmentation as use-dependent changes in release probability. Frames short-term dynamics as a filter for neural computation.

Lesson 1 • Neuropeptides and Unconventional Transmitters

Introduces opioid peptides, substance P, nitric oxide, and endocannabinoids as modulatory signals. Highlights retrograde and volume transmission as non-classical signalling modes.

Lesson 2 • Neuromodulation and Brain State Regulation

Analyses how diffuse modulatory systems shift network excitability, gain, and oscillatory state. Frames neuromodulation as a global tuning mechanism for cognition and behaviour.

Lesson 3 • Acetylcholine and Cholinergic Circuits

Details nicotinic and muscarinic receptor pharmacology, neuromuscular junction function, and basal forebrain projections. Connects cholinergic tone to cognition and motor control.

Lesson 4 • Glutamate and GABA Systems

Covers the principal excitatory and inhibitory transmitters, their metabolic cycles, and circuit roles. Anchors excitation-inhibition balance as a core regulatory principle.

Lesson 1 • Motor Circuit Architecture

Examines corticospinal, cerebellar, and basal ganglia contributions to voluntary movement. Links circuit-level dysfunction to motor disorders such as parkinsonism and ataxia.

Lesson 2 • Population Coding and Decoding

Introduces rate coding, temporal coding, and population vector approaches to neural representation. Prepares students to interpret multi-unit recording data and computational models.

Lesson 3 • Sensory Processing Circuits

Traces signal flow from receptor to cortex in visual, auditory, and somatosensory systems. Demonstrates how circuit architecture implements feature extraction and map formation.

Lesson 4 • Fundamental Circuit Motifs

Identifies feedforward, feedback, lateral inhibition, and recurrent excitation as canonical wiring patterns. Establishes motifs as reusable computational modules across brain regions.

Lesson 1 • Brainstem and Reticular Formation

Covers cranial nerve nuclei, reticular activating system, and descending pain modulation pathways. Establishes the brainstem as a hub for autonomic, sensory, and arousal regulation.

Lesson 2 • Basal Ganglia and Thalamus

Describes striatal, pallidal, and subthalamic nuclei and their thalamic targets. Connects basal ganglia-thalamocortical loops to action selection and habit formation.

Lesson 3 • Cerebral Cortex Organisation

Details cytoarchitectonic areas, laminar organisation, and cortico-cortical connectivity. Grounds functional specialisation in structural anatomy.

Lesson 4 • Cerebellum and Spinal Cord

Details cerebellar lobules, deep nuclei, and spinal cord laminae with their ascending and descending tracts. Connects structural organisation to motor coordination and sensory relay.

Lesson 1 • Protein Synthesis and Synaptic Tagging

Examines local dendritic translation, synaptic tagging and capture, and the role of BDNF. Connects protein synthesis to the persistence of long-term memory traces.

Lesson 2 • Transcription Factors and Gene Regulation

Covers CREB, AP-1, and NF-kB as activity-dependent transcription factors in neurons. Links immediate early gene induction to long-term synaptic and structural plasticity.

Lesson 3 • Intracellular Signal Transduction

Maps cAMP, PKA, MAPK, and PI3K-Akt pathways activated by neuronal receptors. Establishes second messenger logic as the bridge between surface signals and nuclear responses.

Lesson 4 • Neurotrophic Factors and Survival Signalling

Surveys NGF, BDNF, NT-3, and GDNF receptor systems and their pro-survival pathways. Frames neurotrophic signalling as a regulator of neuronal survival, growth, and connectivity.

Lesson 1 • Axon Guidance and Synaptogenesis

Details growth cone navigation by netrins, semaphorins, ephrins, and Slits. Links guidance cue logic to the formation of precise synaptic connections.

Lesson 2 • Neurogenesis and Migration

Examines progenitor zone proliferation, radial and tangential migration, and cortical layer formation. Connects migration defects to neurodevelopmental disorders.

Lesson 3 • Adult Neurogenesis and Regeneration

Covers hippocampal and olfactory bulb neurogenesis, regulatory factors, and functional integration of new neurons. Contrasts mammalian regenerative limits with invertebrate and fish models.

Lesson 4 • Critical Periods and Experience-Dependent Plasticity

Analyses ocular dominance plasticity, critical period opening and closure, and the role of inhibitory maturation. Frames critical periods as windows of heightened circuit malleability.

Lesson 1 • Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury

Details ischaemic cascade, excitotoxicity, and secondary injury mechanisms following stroke and TBI. Frames neuroprotective strategies within the context of injury biology.

Lesson 2 • Epilepsy and Channelopathies

Covers seizure initiation, propagation, and termination, with emphasis on ion channel mutations. Connects genetic channelopathies to specific epilepsy syndromes and treatment targets.

Lesson 3 • Psychiatric Disorder Neurobiology

Analyses synaptic, circuit, and genetic contributions to schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety disorders. Bridges neurobiology to pharmacological and circuit-based treatment strategies.

Lesson 4 • Neuroinflammation and Neuroimmunology

Examines microglia, astrocyte reactivity, blood-brain barrier breakdown, and peripheral immune infiltration. Positions neuroinflammation as both a pathological driver and a therapeutic target.