Thesis or Non-Thesis Stream

Honors in Neuroscience students may choose from two research streams during their fourth year of study. Research Stream A (Independent Study and Laboratory Research) allows for *6 or *9 credits of independent study and research in one or more labs in the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute. This stream provides flexibility and allows for exposure to multiple research areas. Research Stream B (Undergraduate Honors Thesis in Neuroscience) involves *12 in independent study and research to be performed in the lab of a single faculty member in the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, with the development of an undergraduate honors research thesis. This option is therefore a more intensive research experience allowing for more time and independent study in a neuroscience lab, and will culminate with a written research thesis and oral thesis defense.

Research Stream A (Independent Study and Laboratory Research):

  • NEURO 450
  • NEURO 451 and/or NEURO 452
  • *6 chosen from the following courses covering topics in Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience: NEURO 410, NEURO 411, PHYSL 444, PMCOL 412 & 475 and PSYCH 478.
  • *6 chosen from the following courses covering topics in Systems and Cognitive Neuroscience: NEURO 520, 525; KIN 497; PHYSL 403, 405; PSYCH 471 and PSYCI 511.

Research Stream B (Undergraduate Honors Thesis in Neuroscience):

  • Students planning to enter Research Stream B are encouraged to take a *3 credit research project course in their third year of study (i.e. enrol in either NEURO 451 or NEURO 452) to gain experience in research prior to their fourth year. Note, however, that only *3 in research credits above the *12 from NEURO 498/499 in Research Stream B are permitted. Students in Research Stream B are not permitted to take NEURO 450.
  • *6 NEURO 498 and *6 NEURO 499
  • *6 chosen from the following courses covering topics in Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience: NEURO 410, NEURO 411, PHYSL 444, PMCOL 412, 475 and PSYCH 478.
  • *6 chosen from the following courses covering topics in Systems and Cognitive Neuroscience: NEURO 520, 525; KIN 497; PHYSL 403, 405; PSYCI 471, and PSYCI 511.

NEURO 410 - Cellular and Molecular Aspects of Normal Aging and Neurodegenerative Disorders
*3 (fi 6) (first term,3-0-0)

Designed to provide senior undergraduate and graduate students in the Neuroscience program a comprehensive overview on neurobiology of normal aging and the cellular/molecular phenomena that may underlie various age-related neurodegenerative diseases. There is an emphasis on presenting new and exciting primary research that has shaped the present state of the field. Specific topics include an introduction to major cell type responses (e.g. neurons, astrocytes, microglia) in disease and cutting-edge research techniques used to study the differences between normal aging and the aberrant development of neurodegenerative disorders. The course finishes with presentation of multiple strategies being developed in the field to treat neurodegeneration. Students can receive credit for either NEURO 410 or 510 but not both.

Prerequisites: PMCOL 371.
Course Coordinators: Sue-Ann Mok & Bradley Kerr

NEURO 411 - Clinical and Basic Science Aspects of Age-related Neurodegenerative Disorders
*3 (fi 6) (second term,3-0-0)

Designed to provide senior undergraduate and graduate students in the Neuroscience program a comprehensive overview on neurobiology of various neurodegenerative disorders. Both clinical and basic science aspects of major neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington disease, Prion disease, Motor neuron disease (MND), Frontotemporal Dementia, Multiple Sclerosis and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy will be covered. We also intend to include a video presentation of patients with neurodegenerative disorders to outline major clinical and psychological features. In addition, papers on the most recent developments in the field of aging research have been integrated into the course.

Prerequisites: NEURO 375 or ZOOL 342 or consent from the course coordinator
Course Coordinators: Bradley Kerr & Sue-Ann Mok

NEURO 450 - Readings on Selected Topics in Neuroscience
*3 (fi 6) (either term,3-0-0)

An individual study course involving detailed reading on a selected topic in cellular, molecular, systems, or cognitive neuroscience. Students will select a member of the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute who will guide them through a course of reading on a specialized topic at an advanced level. Completion of this course requires an oral presentation to an examining committee. Restricted to students in the Honours program in Neuroscience. Registration must be approved by the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute. Students in Research Stream B are not permitted to take NEURO 450.

Prerequisites: PHYSL 372.

To register in this course, students must secure a supervisor from the NMHI Membership Listing and complete the Course Proposal Registration and Proposal Form. Please submit the completed form to nmhiedu@ualberta.ca by the end of the first week of the term.

NEURO 450 Course Guidelines
Course Coordinator: Jacqueline Cummine

NEURO 451 - Honours Research Project in Neuroscience
*3 (fi 6) (first term,0-0-3)

NEURO 452 - Honours Research Project in Neuroscience
*3 (fi 6) (second term,0-0-3)

Research projects involving laboratory experimentation done under the supervision of a member of the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute. Laboratory projects may involve current topics and methodologies encountered in specific areas of cellular, molecular, systems, or cognitive neuroscience. Completion of this course requires a written report of the project and an oral presentation to an examining committee. Restricted to students in the Honors program in Neuroscience. Registration must be approved by the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute.

Prerequisites: PHYSL 372
Course Coordinator: Simonetta Sipione

To register in these courses, students must first find and secure a supervisor from the NMHI Membership Listing.

Registration will require a short (15 min) meeting of each potential student and his/her supervisor with the course coordinator. Please contact nmhiedu@ualberta.ca to request a pre-registration meeting, indicating the name and contact information of your potential supervisor. Meetings will be scheduled between August and the first week of September for registration to Neuro 451 and between December and the first week of January for Neuro 452. Please complete the Course Proposal Registration and Proposal Form.

At the time of the meeting it is expected that the student and supervisor will have had a discussion and agreement on the following:

  1. Research topic: one or two scientific questions that will serve as basis for the student to develop a thesis proposal (NEURO 451) and test it experimentally (NEURO 451 and NEURO 452).
  2. Proof that ethics approval is in place for the project.
  3. Feasibility of the proposed project within the minimum of 8h/week allocated to the course. When selecting the topic of study, the supervisor should consider that the student will receive 3 credits after completion of each NEURO 451 and NEURO 452.
  4. Specific requirements and special considerations, such as occasional extended work hours, working with animals, working alone protocols, having access to confidential information from patients, etc.
  5. Identification of a supervisor for the student's day-to day activities (if different than the PI).
  6. Location(s) where the student's day to day activity will take place. Registration form will be made available after the meeting.

NEURO 451/452 Course Guidelines

NEURO 472 - Autonomic Nervous System *Currently not offered
*3 (fi 6) (second term,3-0-0)

Lectures presented by members of the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute on neurophysiological, anatomical, clinical, pharmacological and cellular aspects of the autonomic nervous system. Topics include neural regulation of homeostasis and reproduction, disorders of autonomic function, sympathetically maintained pain, effects of spinal cord injury and current research issues.

Prerequisites: PHYSL 210 or 212/214 or ZOOL 241 or equivalent and PMCOL 202 or ZOOL 342 or PHYSL 372.

KIN497 - Computational Neuroscience
*3 (fi 6) (second term,3-0-0)

An interdisciplinary course designed to introduce students in biological science programs (Biology, Neuroscience, Physiology and Psychology) to computational neuroscience, and students in computer science programs to the broad field of neuroscience. Biological science students will learn the basic methods of computer programming, while computer science students will learn the fundamentals of neuroscience. All students will learn how computer simulations can be used to further our understanding of neurons, neuronal networks, processing of sensory information, and control of movements. The lectures are complemented by laboratory exercises that will allow students to develop programming skills and to construct computer simulations of neurophysiological processes.

Prerequisites: PHYSL 372 or CMPUT 340 or permission of instructor
Course Coordinator: Kelvin Jones

NEURO 498 - Honours Research Project in Neuroscience I
*6 (first term,0-0-6)

Individual study and research.

Honors research thesis completed under the supervision of a member of the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute. Taken in conjunction with NEURO 499, this 6-credit course is the first part of a 12-credit program in two terms resulting in an honours research thesis in neuroscience. Students spend the term in the laboratory of a faculty member from the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute to carry out a research project related to current topics and methodologies in the supervisor's area of expertise in cellular, molecular, systems, or cognitive neuroscience. During NEURO 498 (Neuroscience I), students will develop background knowledge in an area of neuroscience research, design an experimental plan (in conjunction with their supervisor) to investigate a particular research question, learn the methodologies to be used, and begin experiments to answer this research question. Completion of this course requires a written proposal summarizing background information and experimental design and methods for the project as well as an oral presentation to an examining committee. Restricted to students in the Honors program in Neuroscience. Registration must be approved by the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute.

Prerequisite: Consent of the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute
Course Coordinator: Esther Fujiwara and Clayton Dickson

NEURO 499 - Honours Research Project in Neuroscience II
*6 (second term,0-0-6)

Individual laboratory research.

Part two of an honours research thesis completed under the supervision of a member of the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute. Taken in conjunction with NEURO 498 this 6-credit course is the second part of a 12-credit program in two terms resulting in an honours research thesis in neuroscience. Upon satisfactory progress in first-term NEURO 498, students will continue their research and produce a written honours thesis on their project. An oral presentation and thesis defense will occur at the end of term and be evaluated. Registration must be approved by the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute.

Prerequisite: Consent of the Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute.

To register in NEURO 498/499, students must first find and secure a supervisor from the NMHI Membership Listing.

For supervisors who have not supervised students in NEURO 498/499, a short (15 min) pre-registration with the student and his/her supervisor with one of the course coordinators is required. Please contact nmhiedu@ualberta.ca to request a pre-registration meeting, indicating the name and contact information of your potential supervisor. Meetings will be scheduled between August and the first week of September for registration to NEURO 498 and NEURO 499. Please complete the Course Proposal Registration and Proposal Form.

At the time of the meeting it is expected that the student and supervisor will have had a discussion and agreement on the following:

  1. Research topic: one or two scientific questions that will serve as basis for the student to develop a thesis proposal (NEURO 498) and test it experimentally (NEURO 498 and NEURO 499).
  2. Proof that ethics approval is in place for the project.
  3. Feasibility of the proposed project within a minimum of 20 hours per week allocated to the course. When selecting the topic of study, the supervisor should consider that this is an "intensive undergraduate" research course and that the student will receive 12 credits after completion.
  4. Specific requirements and special considerations, such as occasional extended work hours, working with animals, working alone protocols, having access to confidential information from patients, etc.
  5. Identification of a supervisor for the student's day-to day activities (if different than the PI).
  6. Location(s) where the student's day to day activity will take place. Registration form will be made available after the meeting.

NEURO 520 - Neuroplasticity
*3 (fi 6) (second term,3-0-0) *Offered every other year (Winter 2024/26/28)

An advanced course for graduate students in Neuroscience that covers the cellular and systems level changes in sensorimotor and pain pathways in response to motor training and/or trauma to the nervous system. A background on experimental techniques and mechanisms of neuronal plasticity from key studies in cortical, spinal and dorsal horn systems will be provided. Students are expected to write and present on current topics in the field of motor and pain neuroplasticity. Students should have a basic background in neurophysiology.

Note: Credit will be granted for only one of BME 520 or NEURO 520.

Prerequisites: PHYSL 372 or equivalents or consent of instructor

Course Coordinator: Monica Gorassini

NEURO 525 - Neuroimaging in Neuroscience
*3 (fi 6) (First term,3-0-0)

Neuroimaging has developed rapidly in recent years and has had a profound effect on how we understand the human brain. This advanced course is aimed to provide graduate students and senior undergraduate students a comprehensive overview of neuroimaging techniques, (structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), MRI spectroscopy (MRS) etc) currently used in neuroscience research. In addition, we will discuss how neuroimaging methods can advance our understanding of healthy brain function and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Prerequisites: Consent of Instructor

Course Coordinator: Nikolai Malykhin

PHYSL 403 - Neuroendoimmunomodulation
*3 (fi 6) (first term,3-0-0)

The physiological and pathophysiological interrelationships between the nervous, endocrine and immune systems.

Prerequisites: PHYSL 212 and 214, or 210 and consent of Department

PHYSL 405 - Sensory Physiology
*3 (fi 6) (second term,3-0-0)

The sensory systems in human physiology. The topics covered will be vision, hearing, vestibular mechanisms, taste, smell and touch, including receptor mechanisms and central organization.

Prerequisites: PHYSL 212 and 214, or 210 and consent of Department

PHYSL 444 - Current Topics in Neuroscience
*3 (fi 6) (first term,3-0-0)

A lecture course emphasizing contemporary aspects of developmental, cellular, systems and cognitive neurophysiology. Topics will include experience-dependent processes in the development of the nervous system, the molecular and cellular mechanisms for learning and memory, and voluntary movement, the representation and transformation of information in the nervous system, and the neuronal events associated with conscious experience. Students will be expected to demonstrate a thorough understanding of selected readings from current and classical literature. Suitable for honors students in Physiology, Pharmacology, Psychology and Neuroscience.

Prerequisites: PMCOL 371 and PHYSL 372 and consent of Department

PMCOL 412 - Drugs and the Nervous System
*3 (fi 6) (first term,3-0-0)

No disease can be cured without knowledge of the underlying cause and molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis. The goal of PMCOL 412 is to learn about the molecular basis of disorders of the nervous system, current therapies in use, as well as novel potential treatments that are in clinical trials or at the preclinical experimental stage. Research frontiers in pain and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer, Parkinson and Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis and HIV-related neurodegeneration, among others, will be explored. Novel therapeutic targets and the potential treatments of tomorrow will be discussed.

Prerequisite: PMCOL 343 and 344 or 371

PMCOL 512 - Pharmacology of the Synapse
*3 (fi 6) (either term, 3-0-0)

Current concepts of neurotransmitters, neuromodulators and trophic factors are discussed in the context of the normal, diseased and developing nervous systems. Students should have some biological background either in physiology, pharmacology, zoology, or the neurosciences.

Prerequisite: consent of department

PSYCI 511 - Biological Aspects of Psychiatry
*3 (fi 6) (second term, 3-0-0)

Lectures and seminars on: classification, description and measurement of psychiatric disorders; sleep disorders; biochemical theories of psychiatric disorders, and discussions of how the actions of the drugs used to treat these disorders relate to these theories; practical aspects of drug treatment; biological markers; brain imaging; women's health issues; herbal products and psychiatry.

Prerequisite: Permission of Department

PSYCO 471 - Neurophysiology: Theory, Methods, and Analysis
*3 (fi 6) (either term, 3-0-0)

A survey of theory, methods, and analysis of various neurophysiological techniques utilized in brain-behaviour research. The dynamics of in vivo recordings will be extensively covered.

Prerequisites: One of PSYCO 371, 375 or 377 

PSYCO 475 - Biological Bases of Behavior
*3 (fi 6) (either term,3-0-0)

Basic neuroanatomy and neuropsychology of sensory and motor systems.

Prerequisite: PSYCO 371 or 377. Students who have obtained credit in NEURO 375 cannot take PSYCO 475 for credit

PSYCO 478 - Behavior and Brain Chemistry
*3 (fi 6) (either term,3-0-0)

The influence of environmental and genetic factors on the relationship between chemistry of the brain and the behavior of humans and animals.

Prerequisite: PSYCO 371 or 377