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Courses - Fall 2023
BSCI
Biological Sciences Program Department Site
BSCI431
The Origin and Evolution of Nervous Systems
Credits: 3
Grad Meth: Reg, P-F, Aud
Prerequisite: Minimum grade of C- in NEUR200 or BSCI207.
Explore how brains change through evolution along the animal tree of life. By comparing the nervous system structure and development across the animal kingdom, this course aims to reveal common designs and mechanisms that generate behavior, and to inform our understanding of how biology builds minds. Topics include the origins of neurons, the universal molecular patterning of brain development across invertebrates and vertebrates, the evolution of neurotransmission, comparative mechanisms of learning and memory, and what in our brain makes us human.