Neuroscience

Requirements

Note: For more detail on requirements, courses, sample course programs, etc. please visit the CNAS Undergraduate Academic Advising Center website for Neuroscience majors at: http://cnasstudent.ucr.edu/majors/neuro.html. For a copy of the UCR general catalog: https://registrar.ucr.edu/registering/catalog.

1. Neuroscience Core

   (66 to 72 units; satisfies the Life Sciences Core required for some majors in the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences). Up to 12 units of upper-division life sciences courses (for this major, courses from the departments of Biochemistry, Biology, Cell Biology and Neuroscience, and Entomology) not being used to satisfy the core may be taken prior to completion of the core; permission from the program chair or the program chair's designate is required to take upper-division units in excess of these 12 units.

   Students must complete all required Life Science Core courses with a grade of “C-” or better and with a cumulative GPA in the courses of at least 2.0. Grades of “D” or “F” in two required courses, either separate courses or repetitions of the same course, are grounds for discontinuation from the major.

   1. BIOL 005A, BIOL 05LA, BIOL 005B, BIOL 005C (BIOL 002 and BIOL 003 may be substituted for BIOL 005A, BIOL 05LA, and BIOL 005B with advisor's approval.)
   2. PSYC 011 or STAT 040 or STAT 100A
   3. MATH 008B or MATH 009A or MATH 09HA; and MATH 009B or MATH 09HB
   4. CHEM 001A, CHEM 001B, CHEM 001C, CHEM 01LA, CHEM 01LB, CHEM 01LC (or CHEM 01HA and CHEM 1HLA, CHEM 01HB and CHEM 1HLB, CHEM 01HC and CHEM 1HLC); CHEM 112A, CHEM 112B, CHEM 112C
   5. PHYS 002A, PHYS 002B, PHYS 002C, PHYS 02LA, PHYS 02LB, PHYS 02LC; or PHYS 040A, PHYS 040B, PHYS 040C
   6. BCH 100 or BCH 110A
       

2. Upper-division requirements 

   Students must complete all required First Tier and Second Tier courses with a grade of “C-” or better and with a cumulative GPA in the courses of at least 2.0. Grades of “D” or “F” in two required courses, either separate courses or repetitions of the same course, are grounds for discontinuation from the major.

   1. First Tier (14 units)

      1. CBNS 106 with a grade of C- or better

      2. CBNS 120/PSYC 120

      3. CBNS 120L/PSYC 120L or CBNS 130L

      4. CBNS 124/PSYC 124
          

   2. Second Tier (at least 12 units for the B.A. or at least 20 units for the B.S.)

      BIOL 178; CBNS 101, CBNS 116, CBNS 121/PSYC 121, CBNS 125/PSYC 125, CBNS 126/PSYC 126, CBNS 127/PSYC 127; CBNS 129, PSYC 112, PSYC 117, PSYC 129

   3. Third Tier (additional units to reach a total of 36 units for the B.A. or 52 units for the B.S.) 

      Select from upper-division courses listed under Neuroscience Core, First Tier, or Second Tier above not used to satisfy those requirements, and the additional courses listed below. The combined number of units taken under First Tier, Second Tier, and Third Tier must total either 36 if the B.A. is sought or 52 if the B.S. is sought. 
      
      BCH 102, BCH 110B, BCH 110C, BCH 120; BIOL 100/ENTM 100, BIOL 102, BIOL 105, BIOL 107A, BIOL 108, BIOL 109, BIOL 110, BIOL 151, BIOL 160, BIOL 161A, BIOL 161B; BIOL 162/ENTM 162; BIOL 171, BIOL 171L, BIOL 173/ENTM 173, BIOL 175, BIOL 185P; CBNS 108, CBNS 150/ENTX 150, CBNS 165, CBNS 169; up to 9 units from CBNS 194, CBNS 197 and/or CBNS 199; CS 170; PHYS 139L; PSYC 115, PSYC 130, PSYC 132, PSYC 134, PSYC 135, ANTH 146/ PSYC 146.

Neuroscience Courses

First Tier:

• CBNS 106. Introduction to Neuroscience. (4 units)

  Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour.
  Prerequisites:BIOL 005A and BIOL 005B with grades of “C-” or better, CHEM 001A, CHEM 001B, CHEM 001C; or consent of instructor.
  An introduction to cellular, organismal, and behavioral neuroscience for science majors. Topics include structure and functions of the brain, neurons, and synapses; sensory systems and perception; control of movement; neurobiology of hormones and sexual behavior; biorhythms, learning, memory, and psychoses.

• CBNS 120. Cellular Neuroscience: Membrane & Synaptic Phenomena. (4 units)

  Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour.
  Prerequisites: CBNS 106 or consent of instructor.
  An examination of cellular and molecular mechanisms of nervous system function using concepts drawn from the study of vertebrates and invertebrates with emphasis on mammalian systems. Cross-listed with PSYC 120.

• CBNS/PSYC 120L. Neuroscience Laboratory. (2 units)

  Lecture, one hour; laboratory, three hours.
  Prerequisites: CBNS 120/PSYC 120 or concurrent enrollment.
  Laboratory experiments using electrophysiological, chemical, and anatomical research methods fundamental to understanding neurons and neural systems. Crosslisted with PSYC 120L.

• CBNS 130L. Computational Neuroscience Laboratory: Introduction to Brain Modeling Techniques (2 units)

  Lecture,1 hour; laboratory, 3 hours.
  Prerequisites: CBNS120/PSYC 120 or consent of instructor.Introduces computer modeling techniques used to study neurons and neural systems. Selected topics include biophysical models of single neurons, small neural circuits, synaptic interactions, and larger scale network models.

• CBNS 124. Systems Neuroscience. (4 units)

  Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour.
  Prerequisites: CBNS 106 with a grade of “C-” or better or consent of instructor.
  A study of the structure and function of motor and sensory systems in vertebrate and invertebrate nervous systems. Cross-listed with PSYC 124.

Second Tier:

• BIOL 178. Hormones and Behavior (4 units)

  Lecture, 3 hours; discussion, 1 hour.
  Prerequisites: BIOL 005A, BIOL 005B, BIOL 005C, CHEM 001C or CHEM 01HC, CHEM 112C, MATH 009B or MATH 09HB, PHYS 002C, PHYS 02LC, BCH 100 or BCH 110A, one course in statistics.
  An examination of the interactions between hormones and behavior in animals, including humans. Provides an overview of endocrine physiology, and examines the roles of hormones in sexual differentiation, sex differences in behavior, sexual behavior, parental behavior, affiliation, aggression, stress, and mood.

• CBNS 101. Fundamentals of Cell Biology. (4 units)

  Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour.
  Prerequisites: CHEM 112C; BCH 100 or BCH 110A (BCH 100 or BCH 110A may be taken concurrently).
  Introduces the principles of eukaryotic cell biology. Includes an examination of the molecules and systems that mediate cell function and an overview of membrane architecture and function, cell signaling and signal transduction, the cytoskeleton, organelles, protein targeting and secretion, and the nucleus and nuclear transport. Credit is not awarded for CBNS 101 if it has already been awarded for BIOL 113 or BIOL 114.

• CBNS 116. Human Neuroanatomy: Structure-Function Relationships. (4 units)

  Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour.
  Prerequisites: CBNS 106 with a grade of “C-” or better or consent of instructor.
  Provides in-depth study of human functional neuroanatomy, including gross anatomy of the brain and spinal cord, microscopic anatomy (histology) of cellular components, and fine structure of the nervous system at the electron microscope (EM) level. Emphasizes understanding the neuroanatomy of key structures(e.g., hypothalamus, brainstem, hippocampus).

• CBNS 121. Developmental Neuroscience. (4 units)

  Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour.
  Prerequisites: CBNS 106 or consent of instructor.
  A study of the development of nervous systems. Examines the cellular and molecular mechanisms of neural development and the determinants of cell birth and death, axonal pathfinding, neuronal connections, and development of neural systems underlying behavior. Cross-listed with PSYC 121.

• CBNS 125. Neuropharmacology. (4 units)

  Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour.
  Prerequisites: CBNS 120/ PSYC 120; previous or concurrent enrollment in CBNS 120L/PSYC 120L and CBNS 124/PSYC 124 recommended. Cross-listed with PSYC 125.

• CBNS 126. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory. (4 units)

  Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour.
  Prerequisites: CBNS 106 or PSYC 110 or consent of instructor.
  Covers mechanisms of learning and memory across levels of analysis, including genetic, neuronal, systems and theory. Topics include the multiple memory systems, memory consolidation, working memory, emotional memory, recognition memory, spatial memory, and human amnesia. Cross-listed with PSYC 126.

• CBNS/PSYC 127. Behavioral Control Systems. (4 units)

  Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour.
  Prerequisites: CBNS 120/PSYC 120; CBNS 124/PSYC 124 strongly recommended.
  An analysis of neural mechanisms that underlie behavior, concentrating on motor control.  Topics range from command systems, to central pattern generators, to cortical control of voluntary movement and brain-machine interfaces (neuroprosthetics). Cross-listed with PSYC 127.

• PSYC 112. Neural Mechanisms of Animal Behavior (4 units)

  Lecture, 3 hours; discussion, 1 hour.
  Prerequisites: CBNS 106 with a grade of “C-” or better or PSYC 110 with a grade of “C-” or better or consent of instructor. 
  Studies how the nervous systems of vertebrates and invertebrates contribute to and control their behavior. Focuses on aspects of sensory physiology with a brief orientation to the structure and function of nervous systems. Emphasizes a top-down approach to neurobiology, with specific behaviors providing guidelines for an examination of neural mechanisms.

• PSYC 117. Cognitive Neuroscience of Memory and Consciousness (4 units)

  Seminar, 3 hours; extra reading,3 hours
  Prerequisites: CBNS 106 with a grade of“C-” or better or PSYC 110 with a grade of “C-” or better.
  Surveys the neural basis of mental processes,focusing on memory and consciousness and their behavioral manifestations. Emphasizes current research literature.

• PSYC 129. Human Neuropsychology. (4 units)

  Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour.
  Prerequisites: a grade of “C-” or better in one of the following courses or consent of instructor: CBNS 106, PSYC 110, PSYC 132, PSYC 134, PSYC 135.
  Surveys how high psychological functions (e.g., perception, memory, language) are organized in the human brain. Special emphasis on behavioral and cognitive impairments due to brain injury, and how this may inform our view of normal cognitive function.