Introduction to Neuroethology

Course Description:

This course will focus on the neural mechanisms of animal behavior from an evolutionary and ecological perspective. We will investigate the neurobiology behind unique animal behaviors. We will talk about examples like how bats are able to echolocate, how owls are able to localize sound with surprising precision, and what types of information we can extract from a bird song. We will draw connections from all our observations in the animal world and think about how our sensory systems function. Topics will include contributions of diverse species to understanding fundamental properties of nervous system structure and function; electrical signals of sensory cells, neurons, and muscle; neural processing of sensory input; neural control of behavioral output; anatomy and physiology of sensory and motor systems; learning and memory; the evolution of neural circuits. If you’ve ever wondered how a homing pigeon can deliver a note to a window hundreds of kilometers away, join me in “Introduction to Neuroethology” and learn more about fundamental neural principles along with which animals I find fascinating. 

Course Goals: 

• Understand basic principles of how sensory information is processed and motor output is generated 

• Understand how neuroscientists ask questions about how the nervous system works, and how they design behavioral and neurophysiological experiments to answer those questions 

• Appreciate why neuroscientists choose certain species (sometimes called “model systems”) to address certain questions 

Course Outline:

Week 1: Intro to Neuroethology and Cellular Neurobiology

Week 2: Sound Localization in Barn Owls

Week 3: Echolocation in Bats

Week 4: Bird Song

Week 5: Associative Learning in Honeybees and Food Storing in Birds