Drawings of Invisible Neural Activity
Instructor: John Horowitz, Department of Neurobiology, Physiology & Behavior, College of Biological Sciences
Description: Neurobiologists at times draw sketches of the activity within neurons and at the connections between nerve cells, even though they can not directly observe motions of molecules. That is, key features are extracted from experiments on a jumble of intertwined cellular mechanisms and presented in a picture that suggests some sort of order. The pictures, while imperfect and often laced with gaps, may in turn suggest ways to design experiments to further explore neural networks to fill in the gaps. Moreover, sketches often form the first step in designing a mathematical model. Polished sketches then crop up in PowerPoint presentations, at seminars, in review papers, and eventually may become fossilized in text books. The first class sessions will cover basic material on changing activity in neural networks (neural plasticity), covering core experiments in neuroscience that have attracted immense attention. Yet many issues remain unresolved. For example, the relationship between various forms of neural activity “seen” at the cellular level and learning and memory observed in behaving animals is unsettled. The intent is to first describe an area of neuroscience that is a “work in progress,” and thus to set the stage for discussions led by students that invite graphical expression.
Format: The class will begin with presentations of introductory material on neurobiology by the instructor. Then each class period will then be led by 1-2 students who will explain some critical experiments from scientific papers (using diagrams and sketches, as appropriate), and lead a class discussion. (Students may meet with the instructor before the session to go over the material.) Grading: In addition to leading discussions, each student will write a final report on cellular experiments examining neural changes of no more than 10,000 words. However, since a picture is worth two thousand words (inflation), students can replace words with original figures (a drawing on paper, or an Adobe Illustrator or PowerPoint file) and appropriate figure captions. To determine if particular drawings are imaginative, provocative, and illuminating depictions of some invisible mechanism, and hence worth a full 2000 words, will be a topic considered by the class near the end of the quarter.
About the Instructor: John Horowitz received his advanced degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. A major portion of his research is on neuroplasticity at the cellular level. He likes to draw and has included illustrations in some of his scientific publications. In addition, his landscapes have been included in a group show in San Francisco.