NEUROBIOLOGY OF ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR
Academic year2023/24
CourseNEUROSCIENCE
Code423EE
Credits6
PeriodSemester 1
LanguageEnglish
| Modules | Area | Type | Hours | Teacher(s) |
| NEUROBIOLOGY OF ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR | BIO/09,BIO/05 | LEZIONI | 48 | |
Obiettivi di apprendimento
Conoscenze
Il corso è in lingua inglese. Per il programma consultare le pagine in inglese.
Knowledge
- The course is organized around studies of the neurobiological bases of ecologically relevant behaviors, providing examples of multidisciplinary integration of findings coming from Neuroscience, Ethology and Evolutionary Biology.
- At the end of the course, the students will have acquired critical instruments to understand behavioral phenomena and the factors regulating them. The course gives the students the opportunity to meditate on the acquired neurobiological knowledge to link the activity of nerve cells and of the sensory and motor systems of the brain with the generated behavioral output.
Assessment criteria of knowledge
- The knowledge acquired by the student during the course will be assessed during the final examination.
Skills
- At the end of the course, the student will be able to understand how the behavior of an animal is linked and is produced by the integrated activities of different neuronal populations in the brain.
Assessment criteria of skills
- The skills acquired by the student during the course will be assessed during the final examination.
Prerequisites
- Physiology of neuron and synapse. Fundamentals of Ethology.
Teaching methods
- Face to face delivery with Power Point presentations
- A link to download the presentations is available at the elearning site of the course
- For information and appointments, contact the teachers (giovanni.casini@unipi.it or anna.gagliardo@unipi.it)
Syllabus
- Introduction: Ethology and Neuroethology.
- The pioneers: Walter Hess, Erich von Holst and Ursula von St. Paul.
- Classical studies in Neuroethology: Prey - catching behavior in toads, Sound localization in barn owls, Echolocation in bats, Electrolocation in fishes, Birdsong.
- Spatial cognition: Hippocampal formation and place cells; The role of the hippocampal formation in birds’ spatial memory.
- Large scale spatial behavior: Orientation and navigation in pigeons; Role of the hippocampal formation.
- Brain asymmetries
- Mirror neurons
- Escape responses
Bibliography
- Zupanc G.K.H. Behavioral Neurobiology, An integrative approach. 2nd Edition. New York: Oxford Univ. Press, 2010
- Simmons P. and Young D. Nerve Cells and Animal Behaviour. 3rd Edition. New York: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2010
- Carew T.J. Behavioral Neurobiology. The cellular organization of animal behavior. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, 2000
- Power points
- Cited literature
Non-attending students info
- There are no particular indications for non-frequenting students. For information or elucidations (on the course organization or on lecture contents), please contact the teachers (giovanni.casini@unipi.it or anna.gagliardo@unipi.it).
Assessment methods
- Oral exam. This exam consists of a conversation between the student and the examiner of approximately 30 – 45 minutes. This exam is not passed if:
- the student does not speak clearly and using appropriate terminology.
- the student cannot pick at least the fundamental aspects of the issues discussed during the course.
Notes
Examination committee:
President: Giovanni Casini, Anna Gagliardo
Members: Dimitri Giunchi, Paolo Luschi
Updated: 19/12/2023 13:53
