Faculty of Arts and Science
Introduction to Neuroscience
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
Introduction to the brain and how its ability to process information affects the way we interact with each other and the world around us.
Lib Ed Req:Science
Neuroscience 2300/Liberal Education 2300
Core Brain Story
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
Lifelong health is determined by many factors including genes, experiences, and social environment. Experiences at sensitive periods of development change the brain in ways that increase or decrease risk for later physical and mental illness, including addiction. This course is based on the Core Story of Brain Development offered by the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative (AFWI) and includes significant Indigenous content presented by Indigenous scholars. It is designed for students from any discipline seeking a deeper understanding of early brain development and its consequences for lifelong health, executive function development, and recovery from trauma, and includes Indigenous perspectives on life-long health and recovery from trauma.
Equivalent:Neuroscience 1850/Liberal Education 1850 (The Core Story of Brain Development) (prior to 2022/2023);
Neuroscience 2850/Liberal Education 2850 (The Core Story of Brain Development) (prior to 2022/2023)
Lib Ed Req:Science
Principles of Brain Structure and Function
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
The evolution of structure, function, and neurotransmission in the nervous system.
Prerequisite(s):One of Neuroscience 1000, Biology 1010, Psychology 1010, or Psychology 1000 (prior to 2022/2023)
Mutually Exclusive:
Neuroscience 2600 (prior to 2022/2023)
Substantially Similar:
Neuroscience 2600 (prior to 2022/2023)
Lib Ed Req:Science
Principles of Behavioural Neuroscience
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
A systems neuroscience approach to understanding behaviour and neuroplasticity.
Prerequisite(s):One of Neuroscience 1000, Biology 1010, Psychology 1010, or Psychology 1000 (prior to 2022/2023)
Mutually Exclusive:
Neuroscience 2600 (prior to 2022/2023)
Substantially Similar:
Neuroscience 2600 (prior to 2022/2023)
Lib Ed Req:Science
Neuroscience 3300/Interdisciplinary Studies 3300
Introduction to Robotics
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
Hands-on course in which students acquire basic skills in building and programming robotics. Students will learn to design and build robots to accomplish tasks such as handling sensor signals, navigation and path planning, motor control, and basic cognitive robotics and machine learning.
Prerequisite(s):One of Computer Science 1620, Neuroscience 3690, or Physics 2900
Equivalent:Neuroscience 3850/Interdisciplinary Studies 3850 (Introduction to Robotics) (prior to 2020/2021)
Lib Ed Req:Science
Fundamental Neurobiology
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
The basic principles of brain structure and function.
Prerequisite(s):One of Neuroscience 2610, Biology 2000, or Neuroscience 2600 (prior to 2022/2023)
Lib Ed Req:Science
Research Methods in Neuroscience
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
An introduction to the techniques and methods used in modern neuroscience research.
Prerequisite(s):Two 2000-level courses (6.0 credit hours) in Neuroscience or Psychology
Recommended Background:
One of Neuroscience 2610, Neuroscience 2620, or Biology 2000
Lib Ed Req:Science
Note:Students who wish to pursue graduate studies in Neuroscience should take Neuroscience 3605.
Human Neuropsychology
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
Theories and research on human brain function and the diagnosis of brain damage in humans. Study of brain asymmetry and effect of neurological disorders on complex psychological functions such as language, perception, memory and personality.
Prerequisite(s):Two 2000-level courses (6.0 credit hours) in Neuroscience or Psychology
Recommended Background:
One of Neuroscience 2610 or Neuroscience 2620
Lib Ed Req:Science
Functional Neuroanatomy
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
A detailed examination of the functional organization of the mammalian brain. Students are expected to have an introductory-level understanding of the brain.
Prerequisite(s):Two 2000-level courses (6.0 credit hours) in Neuroscience or Psychology
Recommended Background:
Neuroscience 2610
Lib Ed Req:Science
Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
Genetic and environmental influences on the regulation of cellular and molecular processes underlying brain function and behaviour. The implications of these processes for understanding diseases of the nervous system will be emphasized.
Prerequisite(s):Biology 2000
Recommended Background:
Neuroscience 2610
Lib Ed Req:Science
Brain Plasticity and Memory
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
Molecular and morphological bases of experience-induced changes in the brain.
Prerequisite(s):Two 2000-level courses (6.0 credit hours) in Neuroscience or Psychology
Recommended Background:
Neuroscience 2620
Lib Ed Req:Science
Cognitive Neuroscience I
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
Exploration of the neural mechanisms that convert sensory stimuli into perceptual experiences. Emphasis on sensory physiology, perception, and the attentional processes that filter sensory input.
Prerequisite(s):One of Neuroscience 2610, Neuroscience 2620, or Neuroscience 2600 (prior to 2022/2023)
Lib Ed Req:Science
Cognitive Neuroscience II
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
Examination of the methods and findings which connect mental processes with the brain, with emphasis on higher-level functions such as cognitive control, emotion, memory, and consciousness.
Prerequisite(s):One of Neuroscience 2610, Neuroscience 2620, or Neuroscience 2600 (prior to 2022/2023) AND
One course (3.0 credit hours) at the 2000 level in Psychology
Recommended Background:
Neuroscience 3645
Lib Ed Req:Science
Neurobiological Basis of Learning and Memory in the Mammal
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
Analysis of the processes by which the mammalian nervous system acquires and stores information and how it transforms this information into thought and behaviour. Exploration of theoretical and empirical contributions to our understanding of the neural basis of learning and memory. Topics will include: mechanisms of synaptic plasticity, localization of function, electrophysiological correlates of learning, modulation of memory, age-related cognitive decline, and psychiatric disorders.
Prerequisite(s):One of Neuroscience 2620 or Neuroscience 2600 (prior to 2022/2023)
Equivalent:Neuroscience 3850 (Neurobiology of Learning and Memory) (prior to 2018/2019)
Lib Ed Req:Science
Introduction to Programming and Statistics in MATLAB
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
Introduction to programming in MATLAB. Acquisition of basic MATLAB programming skills, data analysis, and application of different statistical methods.
Prerequisite(s):Two courses (6.0 credit hours) at the 2000 level designated 'Science'
Lib Ed Req:Science
Neuroscience 3700/Biochemistry 3700
Introduction to Bioinformatics
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-3-0
Basic skills in bioinformatics analysis and foundational knowledge in the handling and application of omics big data in life sciences. Introduction to biological databases and simple programming languages that will enable students to conduct basic analysis of genomes, transcriptomes, epigenomes, and proteomes. Interpretation of data through work in interdisciplinary teams laying the foundations of a future career in the field of bioinformatics and genomics. Computer labs will focus on computational tools and case studies in biomolecular sciences and neurosciences.
Prerequisite(s):One of Biochemistry 2000, Biology 2000, or Computer Science 1620
Equivalent:Biochemistry 3850 (Bioinformatics I) (prior to 2020/2021)
Lib Ed Req:Science
List/Subfield:Biology List 1 - Cellular and Molecular Biology
Behaviour and the Evolution of Brains
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
Examination of how understanding the evolutionary origins and functions of behaviour can enhance our understanding of the organization and function of nervous systems. A comparative approach is emphasized for studying how behaviour and brains co-evolve.
Prerequisite(s):One of Neuroscience 2610 or Neuroscience 2600 (prior to 2022/2023)
Recommended Background:
Psychology 2700
Lib Ed Req:Science
Play Behaviour
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
Why do some animals play while others do not? How does the nervous system produce such behaviour? This course uses the conceptual tools from the fields of Animal Behaviour and Behavioural Neuroscience to understand the origins and functions of this most enigmatic of behaviours.
Prerequisite(s):One of Neuroscience 2610 or Neuroscience 2600 (prior to 2022/2023) AND
Psychology 2700
Equivalent:Neuroscience 3705 (prior to 2020/2021)
Lib Ed Req:Science
Understanding Behaviour
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
A scientific approach to studying behaviour, whatever the field (e.g., Behavioural Ecology, Behavioural Neuroscience, Behavioural Pharmacology), requires measuring behaviour, but what is measured can influence conclusions. This course explores principles useful for selecting appropriate 'units' to measure and how to measure them.
Prerequisite(s):Two courses (6.0 credit hours) at the 3000 level in Neuroscience or Psychology
Recommended Background:
One of Neuroscience 3605, Neuroscience 3710, or Neuroscience 3720
Lib Ed Req:Science
Neuroscience (Series)
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: 3-0-0
Advanced seminars in Neuroscience. Offerings will focus on the relationship between the structure and the function of the nervous system. Specific offerings may include the cellular basis of nervous system disorders, the biological basis of behaviour, and the neural substrates of cognitive processes.
Prerequisite(s):Two 3000-level courses (6.0 credit hours) in Neuroscience or Psychology
Recommended Background:
One of Neuroscience 3600, Neuroscience 3605, Neuroscience 3610, Neuroscience 3640, Psychology 3525, or Psychology 3535
Lib Ed Req:Science
Advanced Applications of Computational Methods
Credit hours: 3.00
Contact hours per week: Variable
This course is designed to help students with data analyses on a project of their choice using MATLAB as a programing tool. Series of lectures, seminar-style meetings, and one-on-one guidance for students as they pursue individual projects.
Prerequisite(s):One of Neuroscience 2610, Neuroscience 2620, Neuroscience 3690, or Neuroscience 2600 (prior to 2022/2023)
Recommended Background:
One course (3.0 credit hours) in the sciences at the 3000 level
Equivalent:Neuroscience 4850 (Advanced Applications of Computational Neuroscience) (prior to 2020/2021)
Lib Ed Req:Science
Undergraduate Thesis
Credit hours: 6.00
Contact hours per week: Variable
This is a challenging, work-intensive, research-oriented course in which students will conduct empirical research, report orally on the work, and submit a report in the form of an Undergraduate Thesis which will be made publicly available.
Prerequisite(s):Fourth-year standing (a minimum of 90.0 credit hours) AND
A minimum GPA of 3.30 calculated on all completed University of Lethbridge courses or calculated on all University of Lethbridge and transferable courses taken within the terms containing the last 20 courses (60.0 credit hours), whichever is higher AND
Application to the Department of Neuroscience
Recommended Background:
One Independent Study, Applied Study, or summer research internship in Neuroscience (or a cognate discipline)
Note:Contact hours will vary. Students should be aware that this course involves regular contact with the Thesis Supervisor as well as considerable independent work.