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This senior level course offered by the College of Health Sciences is instructed here at Rio Verde University-Utah by Professor Richard R. Roth. Dr. R “cubed” (³) as his students affectionately label him is a semi-retired neuro-surgeon. Dr. Roth earned his medical degree and advanced specialties in medicine at Medico de Los Robles in Costa Rica, C.A. and his PhD in biochemistry at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Roth has published extensively in trade and scholastic publications. Professor Roth currently resides in Mazatlan, MEX with his wife Solidad, in the winter and comes to stay with his children near Santa Teresa (El Paso, TX) New Mexico in the spring. We are delighted to have a professor of his caliber work with us here at RVU-U. During the course, if you have questions on the course, you can e-mail Dr. Roth at information@rioverdeuniversity.org. Currently this class is available by distance learning only. We hope to have the class on DVD by the fall. (The cost of this course may be tax deductible under either the HOPE or LIFETIME LEARNING programs approved by Congress and incorporated into IRS forms.) |
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| The text we will be using for this
course is: NEUROBIOLOGY, Molecules, Cells and Systems, by
Gary G. Matthews (SUNY) second edition, (Blackwell
Publishing/John Wiley & Sons Books) Hardback, ISBN: 9780632044962
and is designed to be used as a first course in neurobiology. As the
title suggests, the text ranges from molecules to systems from a
biological viewpoint. Various systems are used to illustrate
concepts depending on which system is best suited for the concept.
The second edition of Neurobiology: Molecules, Cells, and Systems
incorporates numerous additions and improvements. For students,
several new learning tools have been introduced. The Essential
Background section at the beginning of each chapter lists the
assumed background information for that chapter, with references to
specific chapters when the material is covered in this book.
Key Points have been interspersed throughout the text, framed as questions that will be answered in each section. Review questions have been added at the end of each chapter to focus attention on the main points covered in the chapter. New topics added to the second edition include a chapter devoted to the roles of the hypothalamus, including a description of recent advances in understanding the molecular basis of circadian rhythms. A chapter on language and cognition in the human brain has also been added. Two new Advanced Topics have been included for students and instructors who wish to cover cellular aspects of neurobiology in a more quantitatively rigorous way. One advanced topic discusses ion channel kinetics, and the other describes the passive electrical characteristics of cell membranes. The most obvious change from the first edition is the artwork, which has been completely redrawn to exploit the book's new four-color format. Each illustration was designed to illuminate a particular principle, and the drawings are integrated into the text discussion of each topic. The goal has been to make the figures accessible and readily comprehensible to beginning students of neurobiology, as well as visually attractive. In addition, animations of selected illustrations are available at this web site, as indicated by special icons next to the relevant figures. Although the second edition incorporates many changes, the general approach to the field of neurobiology has not changed from the first edition. Neurobiology is a diverse field. Although Neurobiology: Molecules, Cells, and Systems provides broad exposure to this field, the author has not attempted to cover all aspects of neuroscience. Instead of an encyclopedic survey, a subset of topics within neurobiology that illustrate the fundamentals of nervous system function have been selected. Within each selected topic, the author has chosen specific examples that lend themselves to explanations at the levels of molecules, cells, and neural systems. The intention is to provide a framework for further learning, which individual instructors and students can supplement with additional subject matter. Toward this end, suggested readings for each chapter are included and reviewed periodically, an approach that will help ensure that the readings are up-to-date. Errata - Chapter 10 Summary In this chapter, we have explored some of the ways in which sensory information is translated into motor output, using examples from the mechanisms that control movement of the eyes. Sensory information is vital for the proper performance of the motor output systems at all levels in the hierarchy. Within the brainstem, reflex systems rapidly translate vestibular signals originating in the semicircular canals into motor signals for the extraocular muscles, allowing eye movements to compensate quickly for movements of the head. The main goal of these reflex circuits is to maintain a stable image on the retina during locomotion. Motion in the visual field can also trigger reflexive movements of the eyes, which match the speed of the moving object so that the image remains in a constant location on the retina. These reflexive movements consist of a slow movement in the same direction as the moving object, followed by a fast resetting movement in the opposite direction to restore the eyes to a more centered position within the orbit. Fast movements, called saccades, are also made voluntarily to bring various objects of interest within the visual field into the center of the field, where the image will fall on the fovea of the retina. Saccades are produced by neuronal circuits in the brainstem that operate in parallel with the pathways of the vestibular reflex system. The brainstem saccade generators are controlled by commands from the superior colliculus and from the frontal eye fields in the frontal lobes of the cerebral cortex. The superior colliculus receives sensory information from the visual system, which is used to construct a two-dimensional map of the visual fields in dorsal layers of the colliculus. In deeper layers of the superior colliculus, this map of visual space is translated into a map of saccade space, whose outputs trigger saccades of the proper direction and magnitude to bring the fovea to a particular position in the visual field. In primates, a similar mapping of visual space into saccade space also occurs in parts of the parietal cortex. The saccade circuits of the superior colliculus are inhibited by inputs from the substantia nigra. The frontal eye fields in the frontal cortex trigger saccades, both by activating the circuits in the superior colliculus and by activating neurons in the caudate nucleus that in turn inhibit the inhibitory neurons of the substantia nigra. When you receive your packet (i.e. study guide and text materials) you will find the directions regarding usage of the study materials, on the first page of the study guide. You can order the text book from the RVU-U bookstore (go to the bookstore on the website, go to checkout). Or the book can be acquired at many bookstores throughout North America.  Rat cerebral cortex, Golgi preparation Amherst College students 2006 INSTRUCTIONS: This program is geared to take approximately 60 hours of the student’s time. It should take you about 2.5 to 3 hours to read and complete the quizzes at the end of each of the 21 chapters. Begin by opening the text materials. Read the introduction. Read chapter 1. Close the study materials. Take the quiz at the end of chapter 1. (Always make a copy of your tests. Some DO get lost in the mail). When you complete the course send the quiz and the cover sheet enclosed in your text materials to: RVU-U c/o Dr. RRRoth 3214 N University Ave. Unit #435, Provo, UT 84604. Upon receipt of your quiz it will be graded by staff, recorded in your student file, and returned to you. (A 70% grade is required for successful completion of each course.) Keep the graded quiz with your text materials. Read chapter 2. When you complete the course send the quiz and the cover sheet, etc. . . . Repeat the process until you have completed all 21 chapters. All of the quizzes count for 20% of your final grade. After you have successfully read each chapter, and taken the first 10 quizzes and received all your quizzes back, you may take the mid-term exam. The exam is an open book exam. You have 2 1/2 hours to take the mid-term exam. When you complete the mid-term exam, mail it along with the Mid-Term Exam cover sheet to RVU-U. It will be graded and recorded in your student file. The mid-term exam counts for 20% of your total grade.  Scheme
showing central connections of the
optic nerves and optic tracts. |
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