Introduction to Behavioral Neuroscience

Explore how the brain and nervous system give rise to behavior — neurons and neurochemistry, the sensory and motor systems, and the biology of emotion, stress, sleep, learning, memory, and the mind.

Career Pathways

NeuroscientistResearch AssistantClinical PsychologistNeurodiagnostic TechnologistCognitive ScientistPharmacology Researcher

Attention and Executive Function

7 courses · 20 lessons$0.00/mo

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Introduction to Attention and Executive Function (1 lesson)
What are the Different Psychological Processes Associated with Attention? (4 lessons)
How is Attention Implemented in the Brain? (3 lessons)
What Happens to Unattended Information? (3 lessons)
What is the Relationship between Attention and Eye Movements? (2 lessons)
How Do Clinical Disorders Affect Attentional Function? (3 lessons)
How Do We Use Executive Functions to Make Decisions and Achieve Goals? (4 lessons)

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Basic Neurochemistry

4 courses · 15 lessons$0.00/mo

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Introduction to Basic Neurochemistry (1 lesson)
General Neurochemistry Principles (4 lessons)
Neurotransmitters Made from Amino Acids (5 lessons)
Neurotransmitters Made from Fats (5 lessons)

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Biological Rhythms and Sleep

6 courses · 25 lessons$0.00/mo

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Introduction to Biological Rhythms and Sleep (1 lesson)
What Are Circadian Rhythms? (4 lessons)
Where Are Rhythms in the Brain? (5 lessons)
Regulation of Sleep (5 lessons)
Disorders of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms (2 lessons)
Circadian Rhythms and Society (8 lessons)

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Comparative Neuroscience

7 courses · 14 lessons$0.00/mo

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Introduction to Comparative Neuroscience (1 lesson)
How Do We Choose A Model System? (2 lessons)
How Do We Compare Brains? (3 lessons)
How Do Brains Vary in Size? (3 lessons)
How Do Connections Differ Across Species? (2 lessons)
How Can Diverse Species Help Us Make Inferences about Human Neurobiology? (1 lesson)
How Can Brain Organoids Help Us Make Inferences about Brain Evolution? (2 lessons)

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Emotion and Mood

5 courses · 17 lessons$0.00/mo

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Introduction to Emotion and Mood (1 lesson)
Foundational and Contemporary Theories of Emotion (5 lessons)
What Category of Feelings Are Considered as the “Basic Emotions”? (2 lessons)
What Is the Contribution of Brain Structures in Emotional States? (7 lessons)
Mood and Emotional Disorders Associated with Depression (2 lessons)

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Hearing and Balance

5 courses · 13 lessons$0.00/mo

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Introduction to Hearing and Balance (1 lesson)
Acoustic Cues and Signals (3 lessons)
How Does Acoustic Information Enter the Brain? (4 lessons)
How Does the Brain Process Acoustic Information? (3 lessons)
Balance: A Sense of Where You Are (2 lessons)

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Homeostasis

6 courses · 13 lessons$0.00/mo

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Introduction to Homeostasis (1 lesson)
Principles of Homeostasis (3 lessons)
Neural Control of Blood Oxygenation Levels (2 lessons)
Neural Control of Core Body Temperature (3 lessons)
Neural Control of Feeding Behavior (3 lessons)
Neural Control of Drinking Behavior (1 lesson)

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Learning and Memory

5 courses · 11 lessons$0.00/mo

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Introduction to Learning and Memory (1 lesson)
Memory is Classified Based on Time Course and Type of Information Stored (2 lessons)
Implicit Memories: Associative vs. Nonassociative Learning (3 lessons)
Explicit Memories: Episodic and Semantic Memories (2 lessons)
Synaptic Mechanisms of Long-Term Memory (3 lessons)

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Motor Control

4 courses · 18 lessons$0.00/mo

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Introduction to Motor Control (1 lesson)
The Physiological Actions Implementing Movement - Contraction of Muscles (5 lessons)
Eliciting Contractions from Lower Levels - Lower Motoneurons and Reflex Arcs (7 lessons)
Our Brain Gets Involved - Responsibilities of Upper Motor Systems (5 lessons)

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Neurodevelopment

5 courses · 13 lessons$0.00/mo

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Introduction to Neurodevelopment (1 lesson)
Gastrulation and Formation of the Neural Tube (Neurulation) (2 lessons)
Growth and Development of the Early Brain (4 lessons)
Synapse Formation and Maturation (4 lessons)
Experience Dependent Plasticity (2 lessons)

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Neuroimmunology

5 courses · 12 lessons$0.00/mo

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Introduction to Neuroimmunology (1 lesson)
Cells and Messengers of the Immune System (2 lessons)
What Does Your Immune System Have to Do with Your Behavior? (3 lessons)
How Does the Brain Talk to the Immune System? (4 lessons)
What Do Immune System Signals Do Once They Reach the Brain? (2 lessons)

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Neurophysiology

6 courses · 13 lessons$0.00/mo

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Introduction to Neurophysiology (1 lesson)
Neural Communication (2 lessons)
Neural Circuits (1 lesson)
Principles of Bioelectricity (4 lessons)
Mechanisms of Neural Signaling (3 lessons)
Our Deep but Still Incomplete Understanding of Neural Signaling (2 lessons)

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Psychopharmacology

5 courses · 14 lessons$0.00/mo

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Introduction to Psychopharmacology (1 lesson)
Basic Principles of Pharmacology (3 lessons)
Psychotherapeutics (3 lessons)
Neural Circuitry of Drug Reward (3 lessons)
Neurobiology of Addiction (4 lessons)

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Sexual Behavior and Development

5 courses · 10 lessons$0.00/mo

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Introduction to Sexual Behavior and Development (1 lesson)
Understanding Sexual Reproduction and Sexual Dimorphism (2 lessons)
Mechanisms of Sexual Determination and Differentiation (1 lesson)
Sex Differences in Brain and Behavior: Genetic, Hormonal, and Environmental Mechanisms (3 lessons)
Sex Differences in Brain Circuits and Susceptibility to Psychiatric Disease (3 lessons)

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Stress

5 courses · 20 lessons$0.00/mo

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Introduction to Stress (1 lesson)
What Is Stress? (4 lessons)
Neural Mechanisms and Circuitry of the Stress Response (5 lessons)
Interindividual Variability and Resilience in Response to Stress (2 lessons)
Clinical Implications of Stress (8 lessons)

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Structure and Function of the Nervous System: Cells and Anatomy

6 courses · 59 lessons$0.00/mo

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Introduction to Structure and Function of the Nervous System: Cells and Anatomy (1 lesson)
Building a Nervous System (15 lessons)
Organization of the Nervous System (12 lessons)
The Central Nervous System: CNS (8 lessons)
The Brain: Structure and Function (16 lessons)
The Peripheral Nervous System: PNS (7 lessons)

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The Chemical Senses

6 courses · 19 lessons$0.00/mo

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Introduction to The Chemical Senses (1 lesson)
The Chemical Senses are Several Distinct Sensory Systems (3 lessons)
The Gustatory System (4 lessons)
The Olfactory System (6 lessons)
Chemethesis, Spices, and Solitary Chemosensory Cells (3 lessons)
Influences That Shape Perception of Smell and Flavor (2 lessons)

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Touch and Pain

5 courses · 19 lessons$0.00/mo

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Introduction to Touch and Pain (1 lesson)
Somatosensory Receptors (2 lessons)
Somatosensation in the Central Nervous System (2 lessons)
Pain and Itch (7 lessons)
Pain Relief (7 lessons)

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Vision

7 courses · 27 lessons$0.00/mo

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Introduction to Vision (1 lesson)
An Overview of the Visual System (3 lessons)
The Retina (5 lessons)
Visual Processing Begins in Bipolar, Horizontal, Amacrine and Ganglion Cells (4 lessons)
The Thalamus and Primary Visual Cortex (7 lessons)
Extrastriate Cortex (4 lessons)
Unsolved Questions In Visual Perception (3 lessons)

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