Neuroscience Program Courses

This is a required course for all third year Basic Sciences students and all MD/PhD students entering doctoral study but who are not on the CPHR track. The PARC course helps to center our students in areas that are foundational to success in research: responsible data management; management of intellectual property; the ethical use of research subjects; recognizing and resolving conflicts of interest, professionalism in peer review and publishing; engaging mentors; and career exploration and planning. The PARC course comprises faculty-led presentations and small group discussions with case studies and workshop material. An online learning module (CITI training program comprising many case studies) is also included and must be completed before the end of the fall semester. 

Course Directors: Anthony Imbalzano, Cynthia Fuhrmann

Semester Offered: Fall 

Last Taught: Fall 2019

This course seeks to help prospective scientists in the biological and medical sciences communicate their work effectively, in writing, graphics, and oral presentations. The course teaches how to prepare a research paper using words, statistics, and figures; how to present science to a lay audience; how to write a grant proposal; and how to present orally to scientific peers.

Co-Course Directors: Mary Ellen Lane, Darryl Conte

Semester Offered: Fall 

Last Taught: Fall 2019

This problem-based course provides learning opportunities through exploration of multidisciplinary areas of contemporary biomedical research, and creates a forum for practice in the skills required for research.

Course Directors: Jill Zitzewitz

Semester Offered: Fall 

Last Taught: Fall 2019

This course gives an overview of the fundamental principles of molecular, cellular, developmental and integrated neuroscience, including state-of-the-art experimental approaches. Required for all students in the Neuroscience Program. Optional advanced topics course for students in other programs.

Course Director: Ann Rittenhouse

Semester Offered: Spring

Last Taught: Spring 2020

This advanced topics course will be an in-depth study of specific areas of the neurochemical, anatomical, cell biological and genetic basis of nervous system disease. It will teach students skills in critically reading, literature and presentation of research material. The course topics are divided into sections covering disorders of neuronal migration and development; neurodegenerative diseases; and behavioral disorders. These topics cover the cell and molecular biological processes of brain function in health and disease. 

Course Director: Claudio Punzo

Semester Offered: Fall

Last Taught: Fall 2019

The genetics of behavior represents a focal point in contemporary neuroscience research. Genetic screens have been conducted to identify mutants affecting behavior in model systems, and this has converged with advances in understanding the neurobiological basis of behavior. This course will synthesize the state of the art regarding the genetic basis of behavior in model organisms (worms, flies and mice), including discussion of learning and memory, circadian rhythms, and social behaviors. Lectures will include descriptions of systems for identifying mutations, genes that have been identified, and how identification of these genes contributes to understanding the underlying neural mechanisms of behavior. The course format will include faculty lectures, student presentations and discussion of assigned readings. 

Course Director: Yang Xiang

Semester Offered: Fall, even years

Last Taught: Spring 2019

The nervous system is the most complex tissue in the human body. The formation and maintenance of this amazing structure entails sophisticated mechanisms that drive the specification of appropriate cell fates in and along the spatial and temporal axes, and the formation and fine tuning of highly specific cell-cell contacts that are crucial for the organism to properly comprehend and manipulate its environment. In this course, students will present and discuss seminal papers that have unveiled important molecular and cellular aspects of nervous system development. Topics covered will include cell fate specification of neurons and glia, neuronal and glial differentiation, axon guidance, synaptogenesis and the fine tuning of the neural circuits through apoptosis and neurite pruning. Over the course of these studies, the students will gain an understanding of the fundamental mechanisms that are used to build nervous systems and the insights provided by model organisms. 

Course Director: Dorothy Schafer

Course Offered: Fall, odd years

Last Taught: Fall 2017

Neuroscience Journal Club gives students the opportunity to present and discuss exciting new papers in neuroscience in an informal setting. Student presentations occur weekly (Wednesday 12-1). Students are also expected to attend the Neuroscience Program Seminar series (Thursday 12:15-1:15) and to meet with external speakers (Thursday 1:40-2:20). Program in Neuroscience students are required to take 2 semesters of BBS 808.  BBS 838 substitutes for 808.

Course Director: David Weaver 

Semester Offered: Fall, Spring

Last Taught: Fall 2019

Neuroimaging is an area of growing interest among the neuroscience research community and an area of active research here at UMass Medical School and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Fruitful neuroimaging research is predicated on fluency with the fundamentals of imaging technology as well as fluency with the neuroscience topics related to the questions being addressed. The Center for Comparative Neuroimaging (CCNI) holds this monthly seminar to facilitate this synthesis of information by examining current neuroimaging research. Students wishing to build a more detailed understanding of the challenges and strategies of current neuroimaging research may attend this seminar for credit. Students receiving credit will be required to present a topic of their choosing at a scheduled weekly meeting, and will have the support of the course mentors and CCNI faculty in the preparation of their talk.

Course Director: Constance Moore

Semester Offered: Fall

Last Taught: Fall 2015

GSBS students will participate in journal clubs with clinical residents and fellows, and
participate in other clinically-focused activities typically outside the opportunities
available to GSBS students.

Course Directors: Sheldon Benjamin, David Weaver

Semester Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer

Last Taught: Fall 2018

This course will demonstrate the major elements that distinguish a great presentation, and identify areas in which each student can improve their presentations through peer critiques and self-assessment. Importantly, this class will allow students many opportunities to see their skills improve throughout the course. Substitutes for Neuroscience Journal Club in meeting Neuroscience Program requirements.

Course Director: David Weaver

Course Offered: Fall

Last Taught: Fall 2015

Tutorials offer the opportunity for one student or a small group of students to discuss research in a specific research area, or a series of selected papers, with one or more faculty members. The small group format allows extensive discussion and interaction. This course number allows faculty and students the flexibility to develop a syllabus of their making. The proposed syllabus must be approved by the Neuroscience Program director. Tutorials are arranged with individual faculty members. Students may re-enroll for multiple tutorials.

Course Director: David Weaver

Semester Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer

Last Taught: Spring 2020

The study of addiction is very appealing to neuroscientists, since aside from the obvious societal and medical impact of this topic, it allows one to cover the breadth of the discipline, from channel and membrane biophysics to psychology. In this course, which meets weekly for one-half semester, there will be an orientation lecture presented by the instructor, after which students will present and discuss relevant literature. 

Course Director: Gilles Martin

Semester Offered: Spring

Last Taught: Has not been taught within past two years

Laboratory rotations are defined periods of research experience under the direction of a faculty member. They are intended to familiarize the student with concepts and techniques in several areas of research and to assist the student in evaluating research laboratories and projects that might be developed into a dissertation project. The student will participate in an ongoing research project; gain familiarity with concepts underlying the research; acquire a working knowledge of techniques used in the research; and write a report and present an oral summary of the results of the research. 

Course Director: Faculty member in whose lab student is working

Semester Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer

Last Taught: Taught every Fall and Spring semester

Laboratory rotations are defined periods of research experience under the direction of a faculty member. They are intended to familiarize the student with concepts and techniques in several areas of research and to assist the student in evaluating research laboratories and projects that might be developed into a dissertation project. The student will participate in an ongoing research project; gain familiarity with concepts underlying the research; acquire a working knowledge of techniques used in the research; and write a report and present an oral summary of the results of the research. 

Course Director: Faculty member in whose lab student is working

Semester Offered: Summer

Last Taught: Taught every Summer

Students are required to register for this course in the fall semester of the academic year in which they are to pass their Qualifying Examination.

Course Director: Mary Ellen Lane

Semester Offered: Fall

Last Taught: Taught every year 

All graduate students are required to have at least one Thesis Research Advisory Committee (TRAC) meeting each academic year. After passing their Qualifying Examination and selection of their TRAC, students are required to register for this course each fall semester until their Dissertation Advisory Committee is formed. 

Course Director: Mary Ellen Lane

Semester Offered: Fall

Last Taught: Taught every year

This course is for students who have selected a program and thesis advisor but who have not yet passed the Qualifying Examination. 

Course Director: Student's thesis advisor

Semester Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer

Last Taught: Taught every semester

Students register for Thesis Research fall term of year three of the program, after passing the Qualifying Exam.

Course Director: Student's thesis advisor

Semester Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer

Last Taught: Taught every semester

Students register for Graduate Research fall term of year four in the PhD Program and will continue to register each semester until they complete all remaining requirements.

Course Director: Student's thesis advisor

Semester Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer

Last Taught: Taught every semester