Loading...

Course Description

Bundle Registration! Save a bundle and receive 30% off the individual course rate when you register for both NEUR 325 and NEUR 455!

This graduate-level course gives students a systems view of how brains generate persistent, sometimes maladaptive, actions. We begin with the psychological constructs that separate compulsive, habitual, and flexible behavior, then trace the underlying circuitry: cortico-striatal loops, amygdala, midbrain, and neuromodulators, using evidence from rodents, non-human primates, and humans. Finally, we show how reinforcement-learning and other computational frameworks formalize these mechanisms and point to new therapeutic targets. By blending lecture, journal club, and design exercises, the course prepares learners to read critically, analyze data, and design experiments that bridge behavior, neural circuits, and models.

Learner Outcomes

When you complete the course successfully, you will be able to:

  • Differentiate key behavioral constructs and paradigms: Distinguish compulsive, impulsive, habitual, and flexible actions across clinical disorders and pre-clinical models, and relate each to its characteristic behavioral assays.
  • Analyze neurobiological mechanisms: Integrate evidence from anatomy, physiology, and manipulation studies to explain how specific circuits drive or curve compulsive and adaptive behavior
  • Critically evaluate computational models and experimental designs, and understand how they can be used to interpret data or propose novel interventions for compulsive behavior
  • Learn to construct Specific Aims page for a grant or project proposal

Microcredential(s)

This course applies towards the Biomedical Sciences Endeavor badge. 

Textbook Information

There is no textbook for purchase required for this course.

Prerequisites

NEUR 325 or similar.

Refund

Follow the link to review FAES Tuition Refund Policy.

Scholarship and Funding

Are you a self-funded student? FAES offers scholarship options. Click here for more information and to apply. 

Looking for resources to help you acquire funding for your continued education? Click here for our funding justification guide. 

Photo Release

By registering for this event, you agree to allow FAES to take photographs of you during the event and to use these photos for promotional purposes, including on our website, social media, and marketing materials, without further compensation. You understand that you have no right to review or approve the final use of these images.

Loading...

To Register Click on "Add to Cart"

Section Title
Foundations of Compulsive Behavior
Type
Online Asynchronous
Dates
Mar 25, 2026 to May 12, 2026
Total Cost (Includes $75 non-refundable technology fee per course when applicable)
Eligible Discounts Can Be Applied at Checkout (2 Credits) $775.00
Potential Discount(s)
Available for Academic Credit
2 Credit(s)
Instructor(s)
  • Linda Amarante
  • Matthew Broomer
  • Diana Burk
Required fields are indicated by .