Course Description

Bundled Courses: 
NEUR 325 I Introduction to Human Neuroscience
NEUR 455 I Foundations of Compulsive Behavior

This bundle provides students with a connected learning pathway from the structure and function of the human nervous system to an advanced systems-level understanding of how neural circuits generate adaptive and maladaptive patterns of behavior. NEUR 325 (Introduction to Human Neuroscience) establishes the foundation, covering core neurophysiology, neuroanatomy, sensory and motor systems, memory, language, perception, and emotional processing. The course emphasizes interpreting current and historical research, including clinical and non-human animal models, to build a robust understanding of how the healthy brain works.

Building on this foundation, NEUR 455 (Foundations of Compulsive Behavior) examines how specific neural pathways—such as cortico-striatal loops, midbrain dopamine systems, and amygdala circuits—contribute to habit learning, reinforcement, motivation, and persistent behaviors. Students will explore how computational models, neuroimaging, and behavioral studies converge to explain compulsive and maladaptive actions, and how this knowledge informs treatment targets across psychiatric and neurological disorders. Through journal clubs, data analysis exercises, and experimental design practice, students learn to critically evaluate research and propose mechanistic hypotheses.

Together, these courses prepare learners to bridge basic neuroscience with emerging research on behavior and clinical intervention.

Learner Outcomes

• Identify the purpose and use all four panes in an R studio.
• Implement foundational R programming concepts such as data types, vector algebra, functions, decision making constructs, and looping constructs to analyze data.
• Create basic visualization plots.
• Develop scripts to wrangle data using the tidyverse approach.

Microcredential(s):

These courses apply toward the Biomedical Sciences Endeavor digital badge.

Textbook Information