The Hidden World of the Brain

Catalog description

From understanding how we remember the past to explaining how we acquire new skills and interpret the world around us, neuroscience has revealed the biological mechanisms that underpin the incredible abilities of the brain. Despite this, many of the most remarkable discoveries in neuroscience remain accessible only to experts or appear in public media in a distorted form. In this course—intended for students interested in neuroscience, but not necessarily majoring in biology—challenging ideas in neuroscience are illuminated through animations, simplified models and historical accounts of our evolving understanding of the brain. Topics in the course will include dopamine, the neural circuits that support movement and navigation, and mechanisms of memory formation and recall. No background in neuroscience or biology is required.