Homework / Problem sets

See how to submit the homework here.

Late policy:

You can turn in 1 assignment up to a week late without loss of credit. All other assignments will lose 10% of the graded value for each hour they are late.

1. Homework 1: due (see calendar)

2. Homework 2: due (see calendar)

3. Homework 3, and Nbio145b_HW3code.zip (choose "Save Link As..." for the code): due (see calendar)

4. Homework 4: due (see calendar)

5. Homework 5: and nbio145hw5.zip (choose "Save Link As..." for the files). Due (see calendar)

6. March (and April) Madness! Term paper, due in stages

   1. Pick either (due: see calendar)

      1. an area of the brain or nervous system to focus on – auditory system, somatosensory system, motor system, spinal cord, respiratory system, basal ganglia, cerebellum, superior colliculus, amygdala (or get approval of another topic from me) –

      2. a behavior that has a defined neural substrate; such as eye movements, smooth pursuit eye tracking, eye blink conditioning, fear conditioning, respiration, face recognition, color constancy and color vision (or another topic that is approved by me).

   2. The term paper will be comprised of 4 sections (11 point Arial font, 1.25" right and left margins, 1" top and bottom margins on 8.5" by 11" paper; single-spaced, with a blank line between paragraphs; references format is up to you as long as you are consistent). You are encouraged to use textbooks (Synaptic organization of the brain by Shepherd is a good one for the anatomy/physiology) and review articles. It is not necessary to consult a lot of primary literature, as this is the purpose of the in-class discussions, but it is very important that you cite your sources.

   3. The audience of the term paper is your fellow classmates. The papers will serve the function of teaching each other about areas that we won't study in detail in class. At the conclusion of the semester, the papers will be posted (internally at Brandeis) for others to read.

   4. If you picked an area of the brain, your 4 sections will be as follows:

• • 1. Anatomy and synaptic connections: A labeled drawing of your area of interest situated in the brain, including its major inputs and outputs. Text of approximately 1 page should describe these major inputs and outputs. Also, describe the anatomical structure and known synaptic connections within the structure. This "within structure" connectivity subsection should include a drawing and approximately 1-2 pages of extra text. (due: see calendar)

    2. Physiology of synaptic inputs, outputs, and internal connections: 1-2 pages on what is known about the physiological properties of these synaptic connections. (due: see calendar)

    3. Role in perception and behavior: 3-4 pages on what is known about the typical functions that this brain area performs. (due: see calendar)

    4. Diseases or injuries: 3-4 pages describing diseases or injuries that commonly impact your area of interest, their known etiology, and any therapies or treatments. If the number of diseases are too large, then focus on a single disease or therapy/emerging therapy and focus on that. (due: see calendar)

6. 5. If you picked a behavior, your 4 sections will be as follows:

• • 1. Anatomy and synaptic connections: A labeled drawing of the major areas involved in the behavior, including major inputs, outputs, and connections. Text of approximately 1 page should describe these major inputs and outputs and connections. Also, describe the anatomical structure and known synaptic connections within the structure. This "within structure" connectivity subsection should include a drawing and approximately 1-2 pages of extra text. (due: see calendar)

    2. Physiology of synaptic inputs, outputs, and connections: 1-2 pages on what is known about the physiological properties of these synaptic connections. This should involve consulting brain slice physiology studies and anatomical stain studies. (due: see calendar)

    3. Role in perception and behavior: 3-4 pages on the behavior and how the neural circuits described in part 1 and 2 perform the behavior. (due: see calendar)

    4. Diseases or injuries: 3-4 pages describing diseases or injuries that commonly impact your behavior, their known etiology, and any therapies or treatments. If the number of diseases are too large, then focus on a single disease or therapy/emerging therapy and focus on that. (due: see calendar)

6. 6. The first 3 sections will undergo a "peer review", where you will exchange papers and fill out a form giving constructive feedback to the author on clarity of writing and presentation. If the sentences are hard to read, or if a subject is not adequately explained, please use the form to indicate areas that need improvement.

   7. The final, revised paper is due Friday May 5 (M) at midnight (that is, 1 second after 2015-05-05 11:59pm). This is necessary so I can turn in grades for graduating students. (Earlier is acceptable, too!)