Schedule

BCSC 245: Lecture Schedule

Only students who are enrolled in the course may access the course readings online. You must be logged into Blackboard to download these materials.

Date
Topic
Reading
08/30
Introduction, course goals
Chapter 1, Purves et al.
09/04
Labor Day, No Class
 
SECTION I: Sensory Representations and Neural Coding
09/06
Retinal design principles
Chapter 11, Purves et al.
09/11
Receptive fields and geniculo-cortical transformations (LGN → V1)
Chapter 12, Purves et al., pp. 261-267, 273-276 (“Division of Labor…”) (4th edition: pp. 289-298, 303-307; 5th edition: pp. 257-265, 269-272)
09/13
Early visual cortex: architecture, maps, and coding schemes
[Lecture quiz #1: timed administration through Blackboard]
[Workshop #1 after this lecture]
Chapter 12, Purves et al., pp. 267-273 (4th edition: pp. 299-303; 5th edition: pp. 265-269)
09/18
Higher-level visual form processing (V4, IT)
Chapter 12, Purves et al., pp. 276-279 (4th edition: pp. 307-310; 5th edition: pp. 272-275)
DiCarlo, Zoccolan, and Rust, Neuron, 2012
09/20
Discussion I
[Discussion quiz #1: timed administration through Blackboard]
Kamitani and Tong, Nature Neuroscience, 2005
09/25
Constructing 3D representations: disparity and visual depth cues
Parker, Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2007
DeAngelis, Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 2000
09/27
Constructing 3D representations: auditory sound localization
[Lecture quiz #2: timed administration through Blackboard]
[Workshop #2 after this lecture]
Chapter 13, Purves et al. (same for 4th and 5th editions)
10/02
Discussion II
[Discussion quiz #2: timed administration through Blackboard]
Knudsen, Nature, 2002
Linkenhofer and Knudsen, Nature, 2002
10/04
Midterm Exam I (timed administration through Blackboard)
 
SECTION II: Linking Neural Activity to Behavior
10/09
Concepts of psychophysical measurement and signal detection theory
Appendix A, Goldstein, Sensation and Perception
10/11
Dorsal stream and visual motion processing (MT, MST)
Andersen, Neuron, 1997
10/16
Fall Break: no class
 
10/18
Comparison of Neuronal and Behavioral Sensitivity
[Workshop #3 after this lecture]
Britten et al., J. Neuroscience 1992
10/23
Correlation of Neuronal Activity with Perceptual Decisions
[Lecture quiz #3: timed administration through Blackboard]
Britten et al., J. Neuroscience 1996
10/25
Causal manipulations: microstimulation and inactivation
[Workshop #4 after this lecture]
Salzman et al., J. Neuroscience, 1992
10/30
Discussion III
[Discussion quiz #3: timed administration through Blackboard]
Purushothaman and Bradley, Nature Neuroscience, 2005
Nienborg and Cumming, Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 2010
11/01
Midterm exam II (in-class portion; timed administration through Blackboard); distribution of take-home exam
 
SECTION III: Motor Planning and Decision-Making
11/06
Oculomotor system basics
Chapter 20, Purves et al.
11/08
Saccade planning: intention, salience, target selection
Schall, Phil Trans. R. Soc. London, 2002
11/13
No Class: Society for Neuroscience Meeting
 
11/15
Sensori-motor transformations and reference frames
Cohen and Andersen, Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2002
11/20
Neural correlates of decision-making I
[Lecture quiz #4: timed administration through Blackboard]
[Workshop #5 after this lecture]
Gold and Shadlen, Annual Review of Neuroscience, 2007
11/22
Thanksgiving: No Class
 
11/27
Discussion IV
[Discussion quiz #4: timed administration through Blackboard]
Roitman and Shadlen, J. Neuroscience, 2002
Yang and Shadlen, Nature, 2007
11/29
Somatosensory system basics
Chapter 9, Purves et al.
12/04
Neural correlates of decision-making II
[Lecture quiz #5: timed administration through Blackboard]
Romo and Salinas, Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2003
12/06
Discussion V
[Discussion quiz #5: timed administration through Blackboard]
Romo et al. Neuron 2004
12/11
Attention: concepts and behavior
Ashcraft, Cognition, Chapter 4
12/13
Attention: physiology
[Workshop #6 after this lecture]
Reynolds and Chelazzi, Annual Review of Neuroscience, 2004
 
12/18-12/22: Final exam period, exam to be given on the date and time specified by the Registrar