Cecilia Phillips Toro

The human brain contains roughly 80 billion neurons connected by trillions of synapses. This uniquely complex organ is responsible for our remarkable capabilities, including the sensation and perception of diverse internal and external stimuli; the performance of precise movements and behaviors; and the ability to learn and remember an extraordinary amount of information. In this lecture course, we will investigate the nervous system from molecular, cellular, and systems-level perspectives. We will delve into the structure and function of neurons, including the molecular mechanisms underlying the action potential and synaptic transmission. We will learn how sensory systems detect diverse external and internal stimuli and how they communicate this information to the brain. We will also explore how the brain drives motor output, from the motor cortex to the neuromuscular junction, and the areas of the brain that control distinct aspects of language. Students will regularly engage in active learning through in-class, small-group exercises that complement content covered in lectures. In group conference, we will learn about neurodivergence and neurological disorders through discussions centered on the book, The Disordered Mind: What Unusual Brains Tell Us about Ourselves, by Nobel Prize-winning neuroscientist Eric Kandel. Students should leave this course with a solid understanding of the principles of neuroscience, which will prepare them for further study in neuroscience, physiology, and medicine.

Disorders of the brain are often devastating. They can disrupt fundamental characteristics of life, such as memory formation and retrieval, the ability to communicate, the foundations of a personality, and the execution of movements, including those necessary for breathing. In this course, we will learn about the brain in health and disease by exploring the neuroscience of neurological disorders. We will study Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, lytico-bodig, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and autism spectrum disorder. We will consider these disorders holistically and from a biological point of view. We will explore: the lived experience of the affected and their loved ones; how symptoms of the disorders can be understood by studying changes in the neural tissues, cells, and molecules associated with each disorder; and what is known about genetic or environmental underpinnings and current treatments. Readings will be drawn primarily from the writings of the neurologist Oliver Sacks, the neuroscientist Eric Kandel, and the science journalist and Parkinson’s patient Jon Palfreman, in addition to magazine articles, scientific studies, and relevant films that complement and expand upon their descriptions of brain function.

The nervous system is the ultimate target of many drugs: those taken to alleviate pain, to increase pleasure, or to transform perceptions. We will focus on the neuronal targets and mechanisms of psychoactive drugs, including which neurotransmitter systems they modulate. We will consider stimulants, depressants, narcotics, analgesics, hallucinogens, and psychotherapeutics. In order to gain a more comprehensive understanding of drug use and abuse, we will also explore the social, political, economic, and genetic factors that influence drug consumption—both legal and illegal—and drug epidemics, including the ongoing and devastating opioid epidemic. We will learn about drug sources, forms, and methods of use while also exploring what is known about the biological basis of tolerance, cravings, withdrawal, and addiction. Lectures will be complemented by seminar-style group conferences in which we will discuss the narrative nonfiction books Dreamland, by Sam Quinones, and How to Change Your Mind, by Michael Pollan.

Animals are composed of an astoundingly complex orchestra of molecules, cells, tissues, and organs that support life. In this laboratory-based seminar, we will explore the intricacies of animal physiology, from the molecular to the behavioral, while engaging in complementary experimentation using the versatile zebrafish model organism. Seminar and lab time will be integrated, as we move back and forth between discussing concepts in biology and applying them to our lab work. We will begin with the foundational subject of neurobiology by studying the nervous system and how it accomplishes the sensation and perception of diverse internal and external stimuli through visual, auditory, somatosensory, gustatory, and olfactory systems; the performance of precise movements and behaviors; and learning and memory. Our knowledge of the nervous system will serve as groundwork upon which we will grow our understanding of other topics in physiology, including circulation, respiration and breathing, feeding and digestion, thermoregulation, osmoregulation, hormonal regulation, reproduction, and camouflage. Students will learn to house, breed, and conduct experiments with adult and larval zebrafish and will collaboratively design and execute novel experiments based on relevant scientific literature.

Dr. Oliver Sacks was a prominent neurologist and prolific writer, who considered the workings of the brain by observing and diagnosing patients—including himself. Sacks communicated the marvels of the nervous system to the public through his engaging and remarkable stories of neurological dysfunction and his musings on intriguing and poorly understood topics in neuroscience. We will study the brain in health and disease through Sacks’s writings, accompanied by other readings and films that complement and expand upon Sacks’s descriptions of brain function. Topics will likely include: vision, blindness, and prosopagnosia (aka face-blindness, which Sacks himself had); speech, reading, audition, music, and deafness; autism spectrum disorder; Tourette’s syndrome; neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, and ALS; learning, memory, and amnesia. We will meet for seminar classes and biweekly individual conferences throughout the year. In the fall semester, we will also have weekly group collaborative meetings, which will include neuroanatomy exploration using a neuroscience coloring book, movie screenings, or writing workshops.

Biology, the study of life on Earth, encompasses structures and forms ranging from the very minute to the very large. In order to grasp the complexities of life, we begin this study with the cellular and molecular forms and mechanisms that serve as the foundation for all living organisms. The initial part of the semester will introduce the fundamental molecules critical to the biochemistry of life processes. From there, we branch out to investigate the major ideas, structures, and concepts central to the biology of cells, genetics, and the chromosomal basis of inheritance. Finally, we conclude the semester by examining how those principles relate to the mechanisms of evolution. Throughout the semester, we will discuss the individuals responsible for major discoveries, as well as the experimental techniques and process by which such advances in biological understanding are made. Classes will be supplemented with weekly laboratory work.

Hormones are released from diverse tissues, including the brain, ovaries, testes, stomach, intestines, and fat. These small molecules travel around the body via the circulatory system to influence the activity of distant cells involved in key biological processes. In this introduction to endocrinology, we will study the principles of hormone signaling by focusing on two overarching topics: 1) hormones that modulate food intake and utilization, and 2) hormones that control reproduction. The key molecules, cells, and tissues that play a role in endocrine-signaling pathways will be examined. We will study hormones that control appetite, satiation, fat deposition, and weight, as well as those that control many aspects of reproduction—including puberty, arousal, sex, gender identity, ovulation, pregnancy, and lactation. Readings will include textbook chapters, scientific articles, and popular science pieces.

Disorders of the brain are often devastating. They can disrupt key characteristics of life, from memory formation and retrieval to communication and personality to execution of movements, including those necessary for breathing. In this course, we will learn about the brain in health and disease by exploring the neuroscience of neurological disorders. We will study Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, lytico-bodig, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, and autism spectrum disorder. We will consider these disorders holistically and from a biological point of view. We will explore the lived experience of the affected and their loved ones. We will see how symptoms of the disorders can be understood by studying what is known about the neural tissues, cells, and molecules that are dysfunctional in the disease state. We will explore what is known about the genetic or environmental underpinnings of the disorders and any current treatments available. Readings will be drawn from the writings of the prominent neurologist and author Oliver Sacks, in addition to magazine articles, scientific studies, and relevant films that complement and expand upon Sacks’ descriptions of brain function.

Why do chili peppers taste “hot,” while peppermint gum tastes “cold”? How can humans distinguish between a trillion different odors? Can onions be confused with apples if our noses are plugged? Why do flowers appear different to humans and to bees? Why can’t we hear the echolocation calls of most bats? The answers to these questions lie in our understanding of how animals interact with their environments via sensory perception. In this course, we will study the sensory systems underlying hearing, balance, vision, smell, taste, and touch, as well as unique abilities that support some animal navigation strategies like magnetoreception used by butterflies and sea turtles during migration. We will explore senses from a neurobiological perspective and, therefore, will begin with an overview of the nervous system and the structure and function of neurons. We will then study how each sense is based on the perception of a particular stimulus by specialized sensory neurons within specialized sensory tissues. We will discuss how stimuli are converted to cellular information and how that is communicated to the brain, leading to perception.