Neurobiology

By Prof. Nitin Gupta | IIT Kanpur

Learners enrolled: 3399 | Exam registration: 656

ABOUT THE COURSE:

Neurobiology is the fascinating field that explores the organization and the functioning of the brain. This course will provide an introduction to the field of neurobiology/neuroscience. We will learn about how individual neurons in the brain function, how they generate electrical activity, how neurons communicate with one another, and how they organize into circuits that enable complex abilities such as sensory perception. The course will also be useful for students who are interested in neural networks or artificial intelligence to draw inspiration from the biological neural networks. The course can be taken by students irrespective of whether they have prior exposure to the field of biology

INTENDED AUDIENCE: The course is suitable for any UG/PG/PhD student in sciences and engineering who has an interest in neurobiology. Students who have interest in artificial neural networks, cognition, and psychiatry will also find this course useful to learn about the basic biology of the brain.

PREREQUISITES: Basic Class 10th level knowledge of biology and mathematics is sufficient. No pre-requisite courses are required.

INDUSTRY SUPPORT: AI, Brain-computer interface, Neurosurgery

Summary

Course Status :	Completed
Course Type :	Elective
Language for course content :	English
Duration :	4 weeks
Category :	Biological Sciences & Bioengineering Biosciences
Credit Points :	1
Level :	Undergraduate/Postgraduate
Start Date :	19 Aug 2024
End Date :	13 Sep 2024
Enrollment Ends :	19 Aug 2024
Exam Registration Ends :	30 Aug 2024
Exam Date :	26 Oct 2024 IST

Note: This exam date is subject to change based on seat availability. You can check final exam date on your hall ticket.

Page Visits

Course layout

1: Introduction

· History of Neuroscience

· Evolutionary perspective

· Methods and tools in neuroscience

· Brain structures

2: Electrical activity in the brain

· Conductance and capacitance

· Time constant and length constant

· Equilibrium potential

3: Active conductances

· Ion Channels,

· Active conductances

· Action potential

4: Synapses

· Chemical synapses

· Gap-junctions

· Synaptic integration

5: Sensory systems

· Tuning curves

· Perception

· Olfactory system

Books and references

Principles of Neural Science, 5th edition (Eric Kandel & colleagues)

Instructor bio

Prof. Nitin Gupta

IIT Kanpur

Prof.Nitin Gupta graduated from IIT Kanpur in 2004 with a bachelor's degree in computer science. He then joined the PhD program in bioinformatics and systems biology at the University of California, San Diego. His thesis focused on developing computational tools for data analysis in protein mass spectrometry, and using these tools for high-throughput annotation of genes and proteins. A collaborative project on identification of neuropeptides introduced him to the field of neuroscience. After completing his PhD in 2009, he spent a few months in the department of Psychology, and then moved to the National Institutes of Health to learn the techniques of experimental neuroscience. In July 2014, he joined the department of Biological Sciences and Bioengineering at IIT Kanpur, where currently he is an associate professor. His lab focuses on understanding the brain mechanisms that determine an animal's innate behavioral preferences to different smells. A part of his lab also works on developing automated digital interventions for mental health problems, such as depression

Course certificate

The course is free to enroll and learn from. But if you want a certificate, you have to register and write the proctored exam conducted by us in person at any of the designated exam centres.
The exam is optional for a fee of Rs 1000/- (Rupees one thousand only).
Date and Time of Exams: 26 October 2024 Morning session 9am to 12 noon; Afternoon Session 2pm to 5pm.
Registration url: Announcements will be made when the registration form is open for registrations.
The online registration form has to be filled and the certification exam fee needs to be paid. More details will be made available when the exam registration form is published. If there are any changes, it will be mentioned then.
Please check the form for more details on the cities where the exams will be held, the conditions you agree to when you fill the form etc.

CRITERIA TO GET A CERTIFICATE

Average assignment score = 25% of average of best 3 assignments out of the total 4 assignments given in the course.
Exam score = 75% of the proctored certification exam score out of 100

Final score = Average assignment score + Exam score

YOU WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR A CERTIFICATE ONLY IF AVERAGE ASSIGNMENT SCORE >=10/25 AND EXAM SCORE >= 30/75. If one of the 2 criteria is not met, you will not get the certificate even if the Final score >= 40/100.

Certificate will have your name, photograph and the score in the final exam with the breakup.It will have the logos of NPTEL and IIT Kanpur .It will be e-verifiable at nptel.ac.in/noc.

Only the e-certificate will be made available. Hard copies will not be dispatched.

Once again, thanks for your interest in our online courses and certification. Happy learning.

- NPTEL team

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