N155: Wiring and the Brain is taught in Winter Quarter by Professor Susana Cohen-Cory.
Dr. Susana Cohen-Cory
Prerequisite: BIO SCI N110 or BIO SCI N152
Course Objective:
The development of the nervous system will be discussed with particular emphasis on the processes that underlie the appearance of complex and highly ordered neural circuits during embryonic development. Basic mechanisms of development will be analyzed and related to deficits that can lead to complex developmental disorders. Specific topics to be covered are: neuronal specification, neuronal migration, guidance of nerve processes to their targets, and the formation and maintenance of synaptic connections.
Sample Syllabus:
| Week # | Topic |
| 1 | Course Organization and Introductory Lecture |
| 2 | Neuronal Patterning |
| 3 | No Class – MLK Holiday |
| 4 | Neuronal Migration and Developmental Disorders |
| 5 | Neuronal Migration and Developmental Disorders |
| 6 | Growth Cones, Pathfinding Mechanisms, and Neural Circuit Formation |
| 7 | No Class – President’s Day |
| 8 | Dendrite Branching – Self Avoidance Mechanisms |
| 9 | Synaptic Competition – Battle at the Neuromuscular Junction |
| 10 | Synaptogenesis and Neurodevelopmental Disorders |