In an evolutionary sense, the job of the nervous system is to produce, control, and coordinate behaviors that help an animal survive and reproduce. Neuroscience is the study of how the nervous system does that. Provides a broad introduction to neuroscience, always keeping the behavioral consequences in view.

Students will gain an appreciation of neuroscience as the nexus of chemistry, physics, and biology. Additionally, they will gain an understanding of how: both individual and networks of neurons function as variable electrical circuits; our nervous systems transduce signals from the outside world and sets-off molecular cascades; the behavior of a neuron can be changed and or remain the same in response to changing variables. Techniques used to study the nervous system at a cellular and molecular level will be discussed.