neu141 - Visual Neuroscience - Physiology and Anatomy (Complete module description)

3 SWS Lecture (VO)
Total workload 90 h: 30h contact / 60h background literature reading and preparation for sh
1 SWS Seminar (SE)
Total workload 30h: 10h contact / 20h literature reading and preparation of result presentation
8 SWS Supervised excercise (UE)
Total workload 240h: 200h contact / 40h results analysis, writing of short reports for portfolio

Basic knowledge of neurobiology

++ Neurosci. knowlg.
++ Expt. Methods
+ Independent research
++ Scient. Literature
+ Social skills
+ Maths/Stats/Progr.
++ Data present./disc.
+ Scientific English
+ Ethics


Upon successful completion of this course, students

• have basic knowledge of electrophysiological techniques used in neuroscience research
• have acquired first practical skills in some electrophysiological techniques
• have acquired basic skills in data analysis
• have knowledge on retinal physiology and anatomy of the visual system
• have basic knowledge of brain structures and their function
• have profound knowledge of the architecture and circuits of the vertebrate retina
• have aquired basic skills in histological techniques (tissue fixation, embedding, sectioning,
• have aquired fundamental skills in microscopy (differential interference contrast microscopy,

The background module Neurophysiology consists of two weeks of theoretical introduction and two weeks of hands-on lab exercises in patch or extracellular recordings and two weeks of hands-on lab exercises in anatomy.

The seminars cover the following topics:
• Visual system
• Introduction to electrophysiological methods
• Introduction into methods used in neuranatomy and neurochemistry
• Introduction into microscopy and image analysis
• Presentation and discussion of results relating to the literature

Course scripts and mandatory scientific literature discussed in the seminar will be available in Stud.IP.
Background and seminar literature will be available in Stud.IP.

Shared course components with (cannot be credited twice):
neu151 BM Visual Neuroscience: Anatomy

during the course (summer semester, first half)
In addition, mandatory but ungraded: seminar presentation

PF