Brains, Minds, and Computers - Fall 2008

(ECEN 4831/5831)

Course Description

Text:

Selections From: E. R. Kandel, J. H. Schwartz, and T. M. Jessel, Principles of Neural Science, fourth edition, published by McGraw Hill, plus journal articles and reprints on reserve in the Math/Engineering library.

Time and location:

Tuesday and Thursday, 11:00-12:15, ECCS 1B14 (small CAETE classroom)

Instructor:

Howard Wachtel

Office: Engineering Center Office Tower, OT 433
   Phone: (303) 492-7713
   Fax: (303) 492-2758
   E-mail: wachtel@colorado.edu or
           hwachtel@comcast.net

Guest lecturer:

Dave Beeman

Office: Engineering Center ECEE 124
   Phone: (303) 492-2852
   Fax: (303) 492-2758
   E-mail: dbeeman@dogstar.colorado.edu
   WWW Home Page: http://dogstar.colorado.edu/dbeeman/dbeeman.html

Course Information and Materials

We will be adding to this list throughout the semester. To get a rough idea of some of the things that we will be doing later on, see the Fall 2007 Course Information. Note that the two week unit on Artificial Neural Nets has been replaced by a unit on recording and using neural signals from the brain.

Tentative Course Outline (MS Word format)
Grading Scheme
Syllabus and Reading Assignments for Oct. 2 - 14 (PDF file to view with Acrobat Reader.) These will handed out in class on September 23.
Summary of the Hodgkin-Huxley model You should have the printed version of this with you during the Oct. 7 lecture.

Material for Oct. 2 - 14 lectures:

"Lectures on Computational Neuroscience" (link to http://www.genesis-sim.org/GENESIS/cnslecs/cnslecs.html)
"The Book of GENESIS" (link to http://www.genesis-sim.org/GENESIS/iBoG/iBoGpdf/)

Lecture notes for Prof. Beeman's lectures

Modeling the Brain: Simplified vs. Realistic Models (10/2/08)
Introduction to Computational Neuroscience, and Modeling of Action Potentials (10/7/08)
Modeling Dendritic Structure and Synapses (10/9/08) [NOTE: This has a correction to the version at www.genesis-sim.org/GENESIS/cnslecs/, involving units of RA.]
Modeling More Complex Cells and Network (10/14/08)