When you click the Amazon logo to the left of any citation and purchase the book (or other media) from Amazon.com, MIT OpenCourseWare will receive up to 10% of this purchase and any other purchases you make during that visit. This will not increase the cost of your purchase. Links provided are to the US Amazon site, but you can also support OCW through Amazon sites in other regions. Learn more.

Course Meeting Times

Lectures: 3 sessions / week, 1 hour / session

Overview

This course gives an outline of mammalian functional neuroanatomy, aided by studies of brain development, comparative neuroanatomy and evolution. Topics include early steps to a central nervous system, basic patterns of brain and spinal cord connections, regional development and differentiation, regeneration, motor and sensory pathways and structures, systems underlying motivations, innate action patterns, formation of habits, and various cognitive functions, lab techniques. It also covers optional brain dissections.

There will be readings assigned for each session, and a series of questions to help guide your readings. Class time will consist of discussions of the topics related to the readings. We expect class participation by students so try to prepare answers to the questions before each class session.

Texts

Allman, John Morgan. Evolving Brains. New York, NY: Scientific American Library: Distributed by W. H. Freeman and Co., 1999. ISBN: 0716750767.

Brodal, Per. The Central Nervous System, Structure and Function. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2003. ISBN: 0195165608.

Butler, Ann B., and William Hodos. Comparative Vertebrate Neuroanatomy: Evolution and Adaptation. New York, NY: Wiley-Liss, 1996. ISBN: 0471888893.

Cajal, S. Ramón y. Histology of the Nervous System of Man and Vertebrates. Translated by Neely Swanson and Larry W. Swanson. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1995. ISBN: 0195074017.

Mesulam, M-Marsel, ed. Principles of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2000. ISBN: 0195134753.

Nauta, Walle J. H., and Michael Feirtag. Fundamental Neuroanatomy. New York, NY: Freeman, 1986. ISBN: 0716717239.

Purves, Dale, and Jeff W. Lichtman. Principles of Neural Development. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, 1985. ISBN: 0878937447.

Striedter, Georg F. Principles of Brain Evolution. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, 2005. ISBN: 0878938206.

Swanson, Larry W. Brain Architecture, Understanding the Basic Plan. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2003. ISBN: 0195105052.

Zigmond, Michael J. et al, eds. Fundamental Neuroscience. Illustrations by Robert S. Woolley. Part III. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 1999. ISBN: 0127808701.

Assignments

There are four homework assignments for this class.

Grading