Recent uclapsych_bns items

iNeuro Workshop White Paper

Tue, 17 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000

iNeuro Workshop White Paper

Gel Scramble: An E-Tool for Teaching Molecular Neuroscience

Mon, 16 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Gel Scramble: An E-Tool for Teaching Molecular Neuroscience

Supplementary Materials for

Tue, 3 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000

This document contains supporting material for "Design of a neurally plausible

model of fear learning" by FB Krasne, MS Fanselow, and M Zelikowsky. The model is

referred to as FRAT (for Fraidy Rat). The first main section of this paper provides a full

mathematical description of the model. The second section presents a number of

simulations that were not included in the main paper.

Using Digital Images of the Zebra Finch Song System as

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Zebra finch song behavior is sexually dimorphic: males sing and females do not. The neural

system underlying this behavior is sexually dimorphic, and this sex difference is easy to quantify.

During development, the zebra finch song system can be altered by steroid hormones,

specifically estradiol, which actually masculinizes it. Because of the ease of quantification and

experimental manipulation, the zebra finch song system has great potential for use in

undergraduate labs.

Unfortunately, the underlying costs prohibit use of this system in undergraduate labs. Further, the

time required to perform a developmental study renders such undertakings unrealistic within a

single academic term.

We have overcome these barriers by creating digital tools, including an image library of song

nuclei from zebra finch brains. Students using this library replicate and extend a published

experiment examining the dose of estradiol...

Supplementary Materials for Design of a neurally plausible fear learning model

Thu, 16 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

This document contains supporting material for "Design of a neurally plausible fear learning model" by FB Krasne, MS Fanselow, and M Zelikowsky. The model is referred to as FRAT (for Fraidy Rat). The first main section of this paper provides a full mathematical presentation of the model. The second section presents a number of simulations that were not included in the main paper.

Teaching Bioinformatics and Neuroinformatics Using Free Web-based Tools

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 00:00:00 +0000

This completely computer-based module’s purpose is to introduce students to bioinformatics resources. We present an easy-to-adopt module that weaves together

several important bioinformatic tools so students can grasp how these tools are used in answering research questions. This module integrates information gathered from websites dealing with anatomy (Mouse Brain Library), Quantitative Trait Locus analysis

(WebQTL from GeneNetwork), bioinformatics and gene expression analyses (University of California, Santa Cruz Genome Browser, NCBI Entrez Gene, and the Allen Brain Atlas), and information resources (PubMed).

This module provides for teaching genetics from the phenotypic level to the molecular level, some neuroanatomy, some aspects of histology, statistics, Quantitaive Trait Locus analysis, molecular biology including in situ hybridization and microarray analysis in addition to introducing bioinformatic resources. Students use these resources to discover...

Modular Digital Course in Undergraduate Neuroscience Education (MDCUNE): A Website Offering Free Digital Tools for Neuroscience Educators

Tue, 6 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0000

We are providing free digital resources for teaching neuroscience labs at http://mdcune.psych.ucla.edu/. These resources will ultimately include materials for teaching laboratories in electrophysiology of neuronal circuits (SWIMMY), a Neuroinformatics/Bioinformatics module, and two modules for investigating the effects of hormones on early CNS development—one focusing on the development of the song system and one focusing on sex differences in spinal cord motor neurons. All of these modules are inquiry based—students gain from genuine experiences in doing actual studies rather than just simulations. These materials should provide instructors the ability to provide good quality laboratory experiences regardless of resource limitations. Currently, modules on sex differences in the spinal cord and virtual neural circuits (SWIMMY) are available on our website. More will be available in summer 2009 and 2010. SWIMMY was demonstrated at the Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience (FUN)...

SWIMMY: Free Software for Teaching Neurophysiology of Neuronal Circuits

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000

To circumvent the many problems in teaching neurophysiology as a “wet lab,” we developed SWIMMY, a virtual fish that swims by moving its virtual tail by means of a virtual neural circuit. SWIMMY diminishes the need for expensive equipment, troubleshooting, and manual skills that require practice. Also, SWIMMY effectively replaces live preparations, which some students find objectionable.

Using SWIMMY, students (1) review the basics of neurophysiology, (2) identify the neurons in the circuit, (3) ascertain the neurons’ synaptic interconnections, (4) discover which cells generate the motor pattern of swimming, (5) discover how the rhythm is generated, and finally (6) use an animation that corresponds to the activity of the motoneurons to discover the behavioral effects produced by various lesions and explain them in terms of their neural underpinnings. SWIMMY is a genuine inquiry-based exercise producing data that requires individual thought and interpretation. It is neither...

Resources for Teaching Mammalian Neuroanatomy Using Sheep Brains: A Review

Tue, 1 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0000

Sheep brain dissection is a mainstay of many neuroscience and biological psychology lab courses. Sheep brain dissection is relatively easy and requires only the brains, surgical gloves, and a large, sharp knife without serrations to provide a valuable learning experience. Preserved sheep brains are readily available from a variety of vendors at a reasonable cost. (Getting brains with the dura already removed is highly recommended because students tend to tear up the brain when removing the dura.) Most structures in the sheep brain are highly homologous to structures in the brains of other placental mammals, including humans. Only cortical structures, particularly sulci and gyri, which are not always homologous across mammalian orders, differ markedly between humans and sheep. Thus, specific facts learned from dissecting sheep brains can be readily generalized to other species.

A published hard-copy photographic atlas of the sheep brain is available (Vanderwolf and Cooley,...

Sex Differences and Organizational Effects of Androgen in Spinal Cord Motor Nuclei

Tue, 1 Jul 2008 00:00:00 +0000

This article describes a laboratory module taught at UCLA and offers digitized microscope images that will allow instructors to recreate this module at their home institutions with only a computer required. This module allows for 1) an exploration of the effects of hormones on neural development, 2) the demonstration of sex differences in the nervous system, 3) the production of robust and statistically significant data by novice undergraduates, 4) the discussion of sophisticated statistical analyses (ANOVAs with significant main effects and an interaction), and 5) the understanding of at least some of the neuroanatomy of the spinal cord. Specifically, this module both replicates and extends a previously published experiment on sexually dimorphic neurons in the spinal cord of rats (Grisham et al., 1992), which examined the effect of antiandrogen exposure (Flutamide) in utero on sexually dimorphic spinal motoneurons in male and female rats.