PROFESSOR CHARLES D. BLAHA

Director of the Division of Experimental Psychology

This course is designed to give students a detailed knowledge of central neuronal mechanisms underlying fundamental behaviours and how these behaviours are modified through experience (learning). The first half of the course describes the cytoarchitecture of central and peripheral neurons, the physiological and ionic bases of axonal and synaptic transmission, the overall anatomical organization of the mammalian brain, and sensory processing. The structure and function of the visual system in mammals is emphasized as a classic example of sensory coding and processing by the central nervous system. These topics are followed by discussion of the central neuronal mechanisms underlying mammalian behaviours, such as movement, sleep, learning, and psychopathology.