Curriculum

This course is a primer on general topics within neuroscience covering basic principles of brain function and behavior from the neuron, to circuits, to behavior. The course includes introductions to each of these topics and provides overviews in: 1) the basics of neuron function including ion channels, electrophysiology and neurotransmission; 2) neurobiology and development; 3) neuroanatomy and neurochemical circuits (laboratory component); and 4) systems neuroscience including neuroimaging and implications in select neurological disorders.

This multidisciplinary course combines lectures that covers both fundamental principles of biology and the biochemical, cellular, molecular, immunological, genetic, and bioinformatics approaches that are used in biomedical research.  It expands these lectures with critical discussion of current research papers or emerging approaches.   FPM’s central focus is on how biological hypotheses can be critically tested.  The course will provide a foundation for biological principles that will be needed for the design of experiments that are both classic, current and next generational experimental approaches.

This year-long seminar series is a way to introduce students to program faculty and the variety of research questions that our program faculty pursue.

This course is composed entirely of lectures by prominent scientists on a series of topics related to the field of Neurosciences. The course is designed to enhance and broaden student’s knowledge on an array of relevant research and discoveries. Most lectures are given by speakers invited from outside the Weill Cornell community, but speakers are also drawn from the program in Neuroscience and scientists at the WCGS with related interests.

This course brings together 1^st and 2^nd year students in the Neuroscience program. Advances in Neuroscience I is for 1^st year Students and Advances in Neuroscience II is for 2^nd year students. The format of the course for both years is journal club style, where students present and discuss recent publications that offer significant advances in the broad field of neuroscience research. 

Students must complete 3 lab rotations by their second year.   Students are expected to spend at least 15 hours per week in the lab.  Each rotation should be 8 weeks minimum but no longer than 12 weeks.  Students are expected to provide 1-2 page write-up or a copy of their final lab presentation slides summarizing their lab experience with the lab rotation form. 

This course is jointly sponsored by the Neuroscience and Pharmacology Programs. It is designed to present current concepts of the major central nervous system (CNS) neurotransmitters and their functional neuroanatomy and their association with behavior and neuropsychiatric disorders. The course will integrate discussions of the mechanisms of neurotransmitter biosynthesis and release, receptor signal transduction and the alterations produced by CNS drugs.

This course examines connections between the sociocultural, environmental and (epi)genetic risk factors for substance dependence. Weekly faculty lectures and student-led discussion groups will review current research in addiction treatment, systems neuroscience and biological psychiatry, and uniquely, will address the sociocultural context of drug use and the effects of harm reduction approaches and drug policy reform. This course includes but goes beyond molecular mechanisms with the goal of equipping students with the multidisciplinary knowledge and critical thinking skills necessary for approaching addiction research with objectivity and compassion beyond the course. 

This year-long seminar series is a way to introduce students to program faculty and the variety of research questions that our program faculty pursue.

This course is composed entirely of lectures by prominent scientists on a series of topics related to the field of Neurosciences. The course is designed to enhance and broaden student’s knowledge on an array of relevant research and discoveries. Most lectures are given by speakers invited from outside the Weill Cornell community, but speakers are also drawn from the program in Neuroscience and scientists at the WCGS with related interests.

This course brings together 1^st and 2^nd year students in the Neuroscience program. Advances in Neuroscience I is for 1^st year Students and Advances in Neuroscience II is for 2^nd year students. The format of the course for both years is journal club style, where students present and discuss recent publications that offer significant advances in the broad field of neuroscience research. 

The objectives of this course are to heighten students' awareness of ethical considerations relevant to the conduct of research; inform students of federal, state, and institutional policies, regulations, and procedures; and provide students with critical analysis and problem-solving skills for ethical decision-making.  Required Year 1 and Year 5. To learn more, visit the MSKCC website.

This course will prepare students to apply quantitative techniques to the analysis of experimental data. To emphasize both practical and theoretical skills, the course will involve several hands-on workshops, and the completion of several projects will be required. Students will be well positioned to meet the emerging requirements of funding agencies for formally planned experiments and fully reproducible and documented data analysis methods.  Specific topics include: practical aspects of data formatting and management; graphical, mathematical and verbal communication of quantitative concepts; a review of statistics, with emphasis on the selection of appropriate statistical tests, the use of modern software packages, the interpretation of results, and the design of experiments; the formulation, evaluation, and analysis of mathematical models of biological function, with an emphasis on linear and non-linear regression, determination of model parameters, and the critical comparison of alternative models with regard to over-parameterization.

This course brings together 1^st and 2^nd year students in the Neuroscience program. Advances in Neuroscience I is for 1^st year Students and Advances in Neuroscience II is for 2^nd year students. The format of the course for both years is journal club style, where students present and discuss recent publications that offer significant advances in the broad field of neuroscience research. 

Once students have chosen a thesis advisor (major sponsor), they work with their mentor towards drafting a thesis project, conduct experiments, and prepare for their ACE. 

This course brings together 1^st and 2^nd year students in the Neuroscience program. Advances in Neuroscience I is for 1^st year Students and Advances in Neuroscience II is for 2^nd year students. The format of the course for both years is journal club style, where students present and discuss recent publications that offer significant advances in the broad field of neuroscience research. 

For details, view the Application for Admission to Doctoral Candidacy Examination form.

This course will present a range of mathematical approaches that play a central role in systems neuroscience, both for model-driven and data-driven investigations. We will take an approach beginning with the mathematical fundamentals and emphasize concepts rather than theorems. Topics will likely include time series analysis, linear systems theory, point processes and dimension reduction techniques, but can be tuned to the needs of the group. Prerequisites include familiarity with matrices and basic linear algebra, complex numbers and calculus, preferably multivariate.

This course combines assigned readings, student led Powerpoint presentations, case studies and group discussion. Students will be assigned a topic and will facilitate discussion through a presentation of data figures or other mediums. Students will be assigned readings each week which will be discussed at the conclusion of each student led presentation, facilitated by a course instructor. 

This is a student-driven, journal-club style course that will complement the existing general neuroscience classes with in-depth consideration of current neurodegenerative disorder research topics. Students will have an opportunity to learn about active areas of neurodegenerative disease research. They will read about and then discuss research approaches with an expert in that subfield. This course will be primarily based on dialogue rather than lecturing. At the end of these classes, students will have a better understanding of the current state of the field as well as future research directions. 

This is a student-organized course on fundamental concepts and latest advances in neuroimmunology. Lectures are led by internal faculty and invited experts focusing on diverse topics, including microglia, astrocytes, the blood-brain barrier, the blood-CSF barrier, gut-brain axis, and innate and adaptive immune mechanisms. Class discussions explore primary literature on the immune system and nervous system, including structural and molecular properties, cellular functions, and pathogenic mechanisms, and how the immune and nervous systems interact in health and disease. The course also covers the roles of these interactions in neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders.

This is a team-taught, graduate level course to promote new ideas and collaborations in the area of how the brain and peripheral organs communicate in disease. Three speakers per class will be asked to give a brief, verbal introduction on the scope of their work without slides. This will be followed by a moderated conversation on a suggested topic with participant involvement to catalyze new research concepts and identify roadblocks to communication and progress. Student participants will be primed with literature suggested by the speakers and coached on discussion goals. 

This course offers students an opportunity to learn about active areas of neurodevelopment research. They will read about and then discuss research approaches with an expert in that subfield, as this course will be primarily based on dialogue rather than lecturing. At the end of these classes, students will have a better understanding of the current state of the field as well as future research directions.