Harry M. Sinnamon - US grants

Wesleyan will initiate a new undergraduate program, Neuroscience & Behavior in 1990/91. Two of the three new courses for the program are the focus of this project. The program is research oriented and a key goal is to have virtually all of the 20-25 senior majors involved in independent research projects. As preparation, sophomores will take a laboratory course wither in submammalian neurophysiology or in mammalian behavioral neurobiology. We propose to obtain modern data acquisition, storage and analysis equipment for the behavioral neurobiology laboratory course. The equipment will also provide demonstrations in the introductory survey course, and make possible independent research for advanced majors. The equipment includes recording modules, an electrical stimulator, a video system, a computer workstation for analyzing physiological and behavioral data, and an optical disk system for mass storage. Experiments with animals will involve the chemical and electrical initiation of locomotion, and single neuron activity associated with head movement, spatial cognition, and memory. Experiments with human subjects will involve the preparation for locomotion, the generation of eye movements, and EEG and cardiac changes during learning. Each year the project will directly improve the training of 20 students in the laboratory course and independent projects and benefit another 30 students through the demonstrations in the introductory course.