(1) Thursday, August 28 – First Day of Classes – Biophysics, dynamics, and organization of the brain
Unit 1
(2) Tuesday, September 2 – Qualitative analysis and characteristic times
(3) Thursday, September 4 – Compartment modeling, phase diagrams, exponential relaxation, physical dimensions
(4) Tuesday, September 9 – Nernst equilibrium potential and GHK voltage equation
(5) Thursday, September 11 – RC circuit theory of plasma membrane
Problem Set 1 due at 11:59 pm.
(6) Tuesday, September 16 – GHK current equation and rectification
(7) Thursday, September 18 – Voltage-dependent currents and membrane bistability
Problem Set 2 due at 11:59 pm.
(8) Tuesday, September 23 – Fold, transcritical, and pitchfork bifurcations
UNIT 2
(9) Thursday, September 25 – No new material / review
(10) Tuesday, September 30 – EXAM 1 (Lectures 1-8)
(11) Thursday, October 2 – Voltage-clamp recording and Hodgkin-Huxley equations – Online and asynchronous
(12) Tuesday, October 7 – The Morris-Lecar model and phase plane
Fall Break October 9-12
(13) Tuesday, October 14 – Phase plane analysis of 2D ODE systems
(14) Thursday, October 16 – The Fitzhugh-Nagumo model, phase plane, and linear stability analysis
(15) Tuesday, October 21 – The Morris-Lecar phase plane, type 2 and type 1 oscillations and excitability
(16) Thursday, October 23 – Square-wave electrical bursting and homoclinic bifurcations
Problem Set 3 due at 11:59 pm.
(17) Tuesday, October 28 – Elliptical and Parabolic Bursting, The Low-Threshold Calcium Current and PIR Bursting, Delta Oscillations
(18) Thursday, October 30 – EXAM 2
UNIT 3
(19) Tuesday, November 4 – Election day [No class]
(20) Thursday, November 6 – Somatogastric ganglion, half-center oscillators, escape vs. release dynamics
(21) Tuesday, November 11 – Network properties of the thalamus
(22) Thursday, November 13 – EEG and sensory gating
(23) Tuesday, November 18 – Local field potentials, hippocampal place cells, theta rhythm
Problem Set 4 due at 11:59 pm. (optional)
(24) Thursday, November 20 – Vision: Classification of retinal ganglion cells, parallel pathways, contrast sensitivity, spatial frequency analysis
(25) Tuesday, November 25 – Inhibitory interneuron networks and cortical oscillations [Class is online and asynchronous].
Problem Set 5 due at 11:59 pm. (optional)
Thanksgiving Holiday – November 26-30
(26) Tuesday, December 2 – Look at you! [Last class]
Tuesday, December 2 – TAKE HOME FINAL EXAM – DISTRIBUTED
(27) Thursday, December 4 – [No class. Work on the final exam.]
Friday, December 12, 2:00-5:00 pm – TAKE HOME FINAL EXAM – SUBMISSION DEADLINE