Educational objectives Aim of the course is to provide an updated overview of the latest research investigatind brain mechanisms underlying some of the cutting-edge topics in learning and memory. The goal is for students to acquire knowledge about neurobiology of memory through selected topics and to develop critical skills when evaluating scientific literature.
Knowledge and comprehension
The student:
- knows correctly the terminology
- knows the main models of memory
- knows the most common for the study of synaptic plasticity
- knows the technique to study learning and memory
- knows the main brain circuits involved in learning and memory
Ability to apply knowledge and comprehension
- the student is able to correctly terminology
- the student is able to utilize animal models of learning and memory
- the student is able to critically analyze a scientific paper and to develop an experimental project.
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Educational objectives In-depth knowledge of methods for data taking and analysis of experimental results, mainly by laboratory experiments and lecture-hall practice. Exploitation of instruments, hardware and software tools. Application of advanced methods for statistical inference (parametric and non parametric methods, test of hypothesis) to actual data from current literature or experiments in the context of the specific master degree.
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Educational objectives This course has two general teaching goals. The first one is to foster in students an advanced and up-to-date knowledge and understanding of the relationship between mind development and brain plasticity in the course of lifetime. The second is to foster in the student the ability to search, understand, report, and utilize information offered by scientific papers from the field of behavioral neurosciences.
More specifically, a student that successfully passes final examination in Developmental Psychobiology has:
1. advanced knowledge of the processes and mechanisms of brain maturation from embryonal state to early adulthood [Knowledge and understanding];
2. the ability to read up on and master current scientific research developments and have knowledge of current scientific developments within the field of Developmental Psychobiology [Knowledge and understanding].
3. advanced knowledge of the translational value of specific findings from basic and preclinical research on dysfunctional brain plasticity and psychopathology as basis or opportunity for originality in developing and/or applying ideas in the clinical and research contexts [Knowledge and understanding; applying of knowledge and understanding];
4. the skills to analyze and interpret psychobiological patterns and processes in both a qualitative and quantitative sense [Applying of knowledge and understanding];
5. the analyzing, problem-solving and synthesizing abilities in order to deal with current scientific knowledge on how the interplay between brain maturation and experience shape cognitive and affec-tive development during early postnatal years, adolescence and early adulthood, and apply this knowledge in new and continuously changing practical situations, also in broader, multidisciplinary contexts [Applying knowledge and understanding];
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Educational objectives General goals. The course introduces to the theories, approaches and methods of experimental
research on mental activity conducted on humans and animal models, highlighting the advantages
and limitations of a comparative approach.
The course consists of frontal activities in the classroom, with the presence of expert researchers for
specific topics, and of laboratory activities for experimentation of methods used in psychobiological
studies.
The main topics covered during the course are:
• History of ethology and comparative psychology
• Phylogeny and ontogenesis in comparison
• Development and validation of animal models
• The mammalian brain: anatomy, neurotransmission and morphology
• The study of animal behavior: parental care, attachment, adaptation, communication, social
organization, altruism and cooperation, emotions, motivation,
• Use of animal models in psychology and psychopathology
• Gene x environment interaction approach to study the onset of psychopathologies
• Techniques for the study of the behavioral, neurochemical and morphological phenotype in the
small rodent
The activities conducted in lab are:
• Use of systems for the analysis of animal behavior
• Use of systems for the analysis of ex-vivo (punch) and in-vivo (Microdialysis) neurotransmitters
• Use of systems for brain tissue staining and morphology analysis (Neurolucida)
• End-of-course lab meeting and presentation of the activities with final ppt
Specific aims
Knowledge and understanding:
Advanced knowledge on emerging themes, on the translational value and on the limits of the
preclinical research.
Knowledge and understanding of principles, theoretical models and methods used in research
conducted on animal behavior.
Knowledge of the main measure methods and automatic recording of animal behavior in nature and
in laboratory.
Applying knowledge and understanding:
Ability to use the knowledge to understand the contents of the scientific bibliography about human
behavior and the use of animal models.
Ability to apply an interdisciplinary vision in the study of new, different and interdisciplinary
themes.
Ability of experimental preclinical planning and research design about animal behavior.
Making judgements:
Ability to critically evaluate results obtained by preclinical experimentation.
Ability to reflect on social and ethical responsibilities related to the application of preclinical
research.
Communication skills:
Ability to produce written and oral report about scientific bibliography in competent and clear way.
Learning skills:
Ability to read critically and to understand a scientific article on animal behavior.
Ability to autonomously pursue knowledge and skills on the topic.
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Educational objectives General skills
Nonhuman primates – prosimians, monkeys and apes - represent the best animal models to trace
back the evolutionary origins of human behavior and cognition. This course aims at exploring the
current knowledge on multiple aspects of non-human and human primate behavior from a
comparative perspective.
Main aims of the course are: to familiarize students with primate models in behavioral and
cognitive research; encourage students to understand the advantages and challenges of using
nonhuman primates as animal models to investigate the evolutionary origins of human behavior; to
promote the students’ understanding of human behavior and of its evolutionary origins in a
comparative perspective, examining both the traits that are considered uniquely human and those
that are shared with other primates. The students will acquire knowledge on the most recent
research on the evolutionary origins of human behavior. The course will emphasize conceptual,
methodological, empirical, and ethical aspects of research on nonhuman primates. Students will be
encouraged to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of observational vs. experimental research, in
captivity vs. in natural conditions. Students will be familiarized with the concepts of controllability
of variables, replicability of findings, and ecological validity of results, and will be encouraged to
discuss the scientific and ethical issues concerning research on nonhuman primates and to critically
evaluate the scientific literature, in order to promote their capacity to formulate testable hypotheses
and develop effective protocols for data collection and analysis. Some basic knowledge of
psychology, psychobiology, and evolutionary biology is required.
Specific skills
A) Knowledge and understanding of the following topics concerning the Primate order: Use of
primate models in behavioral and cognitive research; Taxonomy, distribution and ecology; The
evolution of nervous system; Visual and tactile perception; Taste and olfactory perception; Methods
and tools to study nonhuman primate behavioral and cognition; The evolution of primate social
structures and mating systems; The neuroendocrinology of sexual behavior; The biology of
reproduction; Parental care; Attachment theory; Social and cognitive development; Psychosocial
stress; Hand skills, tool use and innovation; Attention and memory; Quantitative cognition;
Decision-making; Individual and social learning; Self-recognition, theory of mind and empathy;
The evolution of cooperation; The evolution of communication; The evolution of language; Ethical
aspects of research on non-human primates.
B) Applying knowledge and understanding
- Be able to understand what the main experimental approaches are used to investigate the
evolutionary origins of human behavior.
- Be able to understand what the still open questions in the study of the evolutionary origins are of
human behavior.
- Be able to understand what the most effective experimental approaches are used to investigate the
evolutionary origins of human behavior.
- Be able to understand how the behavioral and cognitive research on nonhuman primates can
contribute to the understanding of human behavior.
C) Making judgements
- To promote independent judgments through critical thinking, participate in debates on scientific
and research issues, and critically evaluate the scientific literature.
D) Communication skills
- To be able to ask and answer questions properly, summarize materials covered in lectures and
readings, orally present topics and research problems, clearly articulate and justify own research
ideas and positions.
E) Learning skills
- To learn how to identify research questions, formulate hypotheses, and choose appropriate
experimental procedures to test them.
- To learn how to use proper concepts and terminology to investigate the evolutionary origins of
human behavior.
- To learn how to identify sources of information (journals, books, authors) in the fields of
behavioral and cognitive research on nonhuman primates.
- To learn how to evaluate human behavior and cognition in a comparative perspective, using non-
human primate models.
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Educational objectives • Run Python programs
• Store data in programs
• Use built-in functions
• Detect syntax errors occurring in programs
• Read tabular data
• Visualise and statistically analyse tabular data
• Plot biological data
• Create functions
• Repeat actions with loops
• Make choices
• Determine where errors occurred
• Manage errors and exceptions
• Make programs readable
• Use software that other people have written
• Recognize various data formats to represent DNA/RNA sequence data
• Independently write Python scripts to
o Read in sequence data using Python or BioPython modules
o Parse data files
o Run external programs
o Read input from the command line
• Describe a wide range of machine learning techniques
• Recognize what machine learning method is most applicable to given data
analysis problems
• Transform biological data for ML application. In particular, transform sequence
data into a machine-readable format for input into a machine learning pipeline
• Preprocess Biological Sequence Data for Natural Language Processing
• Build a Random Forest model (RF) to classify a set of sequences
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Educational objectives Objectives
General skills
The main goal of this course is to develop in the students the capacity to use the specific
language of this discipline, to study and understand physiological and pathological processes and
the mechanisms underlying the generation, transmission and coding of information in the central
nervous system. The course is designed to support students with limited computational knowledge,
equipping them with the necessary skills to develop and implement computational models,
regardless of their prior programming experience.
Specific skills
A) Knowledge and understanding of the topics outlined in the following syllabus.
The membrane equation. Passive characteristics and propagation of signals in dendrites. Input
resistance of a neuron; membrane time constant. Download and use of 3D reconstructions of
neurons. Introduction to the NEURON simulation environment. NEURON Graphical User
Interface. Creation of a neuron and manipulation of passive properties. Kinetics of activation and
inactivation of ion channels. Channel dynamics during the generation of an Action Potential. Main
types of ionic conductances (Na, KA, KDR). Hodgkin-Huxley equations. Effect of various ion
channels on action potentials and modulation of firing characteristics. Types of synapses and
expressions for their conductance in various cases. Implementation of a network of neurons. The
role of ionic currents in modulating the time integration window of synaptic signals. The
distribution of ion channels in the dendrites of the main types of pyramidal neurons, and their role
in modulating the propagation of an action potential in the dendrites. Computational models for
synaptic plasticity. Implementation of synaptic plasticity rules. Electroencephalographic rhythms.
Synchronization processes: role of reciprocal connections and subthreshold oscillations. Associative
memory. The Hopfield-Brody model for pattern recognition. Computational models to investigate
brain diseases, drug effects, biochemical pathways, and external factors such as electric fields at
power lines frequencies. The Hippocampus, the retina, and the olfactory bulb: structure, types of
neurons, and major circuits.
B) Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
Gain familiarity with specialized simulation tools such as NEURON.
Develop and implement mathematical models that represent the behavior of neurons,
synapses, and neural networks, using programming languages like NEURON.
C) Judgment autonomy
Develop critical judgment skills through the detailed analysis of scientific papers published
in high-impact journals and their corresponding computational models.
D) Communication skills
Be able to communicate what has been learned during the presentation of individual work
and the oral exam.
E) Learning ability
Learn the specific terminology.
Logically connect the acquired knowledge.
Prerequisites
A solid foundational knowledge in biological sciences, familiarity with the basic principles of
programming, and understanding of electrical circuit theory.
Methods of conduct
The course is structured with 4-hour classroom sessions, during which students will be guided not
only to deepen the theoretical concepts underlying mathematical models and neuroscience, but also
to develop practical skills in programming and implementing simple computational models.
Method of evaluation
The assessment of learning will be based on the evaluation of the student's individual work, which
involves a critical study and presentation (15 minutes + 5 minutes of discussion) of a recent
scientific publication and its corresponding computational model, addressing one of the topics
covered in the course or chosen by the student. Following the presentation and discussion of the
individual work (which Erasmus students can present in English), at least two oral questions will be
asked on the theoretical and computational topics covered in class.
For the final grade, the evaluation will consider: the level of knowledge (superficial, accurate and
complete, thorough and in-depth), the ability to translate theoretical concepts into computational
code (errors in applying the concepts, satisfactory, good, well-consolidated), and the ability to
analyze, synthesize, and make interdisciplinary connections (sufficient, good, excellent).
Texts
A text of choice from the following:
Christof Koch (1999). Biophysics of Computation. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Lytton W.W. (2002). From Computer to Brain: Foundations of Computational Neuroscience.
Berlin: Springer.
Johnston D., Wu S.M. (1995). Foundations of Cellular Neurophysiology. Cambridge, MA: The
MIT Press.
Nicholas T. Carnevale, Michael L. Hines, The NEURON Book, Cambridge Univ. Press, 2006.
(for the computational part)
For some topics, specific scientific articles will be distributed during the lectures, as well as the
teaching material distributed by the teacher.
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