NROB60H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Behavioral Neuroscience, Genetic Engineering, Neurosurgery
11 Oct 2015
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Neuroscience = focus on cns, brain + associated nervous system -> biology + psychology + pharmacology + chemistry + mental health + zoology. Various aspects of human nature: curiosity, pain, pleasure, movement, reasoning, learning, memory, emotion, and madness. Use animal models bc they"re easier to manipulate (and there"s no ethical stuff to go through as much: easier to control their environment -> can study them bc we have common ancestors -> common mechanisms. Use sheep brains bc they"re pretty big + accessible (there"s a lot of sheep around) + similar structures + cheaper. Levels of analysis: molecular, cellular, systems, behavioral, cognitive. Animals: renewable natural resources: in us <1% of the number killed for food alone used for biomedical research, the more basic the process under investigation, the more distant the evolutionary relationship with humans you can use. Examples (from simple to more complex) - nematodes, insects, snails, squid, rodents, monkeys, etc.
