Course Detail

Course Description Course Outline Course Contribution to Program Qualifications Assessment Methods ECTS-Workload Detail Informations of the Course Numerical Data

Course Description

Course	Code	Semester	T+P (Hour)	Credit	ECTS
INTRODUCTION to NEUROSCIENCE	PSY1116834	Fall Semester	3+0	3	5

Course Program

Prerequisites Courses
Recommended Elective Courses

Language of Course	English
Course Level	First Cycle (Bachelor's Degree)
Course Type	Required
Course Coordinator	Assist.Prof. Zeynep TEMEL BAŞER
Name of Lecturer(s)	Lect.Dr. Deniz YERLİKAYA
Assistant(s)
Aim	This course aims to provide students with a fundamental understanding of the cellular, molecular, anatomical, and functional organization of the nervous system and the scientific foundations required to understand the neural basis of behavior. The course covers the structure and function of neurons and glial cells, action potentials, synaptic transmission and neurotransmitter systems; the anatomical organization of the nervous system and cerebral cortex; major neuroscience research methods; and the principles of genetics, neural development, and plasticity. It also examines the neural mechanisms of vision, audition, somatosensation, chemical senses, and motor systems, together with the neurobiological basis of circadian rhythms and sleep-wake processes. By the end of the course, students are expected to integrate different levels of nervous-system organization and evaluate fundamental neuroscience findings within the framework of brain-behavior relationships.
Course Content	This course contains; Introduction to Neuroscience and Biological Foundations of Behavior,Cellular Foundations of the Nervous System: Neurons and Glia,Neural Electrical Signaling and the Action Potential,Synaptic Transmission and Neurotransmitter Systems,Anatomical Organization of the Nervous System,Cerebral Cortex, Functional Organization, and Large-Scale Brain Networks,Research Methods in Neuroscience and Mapping Brain–Behavior Relationships,Midterm Examination,Genetics, Neural Development, and Neuroplasticity,Neural Foundations of the Visual System,Auditory, Somatosensory, and Chemical Sensory Systems,Neural Mechanisms of Motor Control and Movement Disorders,Neurobiology of Circadian Rhythms, Sleep, and Wakefulness,Final Examination.

Course Learning Outcomes	Teaching Methods	Assessment Methods
		B, C, G

Teaching Methods:
Assessment Methods:	B: Short Answer Exam, C: Multiple-Choice Exam, G: Quiz

Course Outline

Order	Subjects	Preliminary Work
1	Introduction to Neuroscience and Biological Foundations of Behavior	Kalat, Chapter 1, Module 1.1
2	Cellular Foundations of the Nervous System: Neurons and Glia	Kalat, Chapter 1, Module 1.2
3	Neural Electrical Signaling and the Action Potential	Kalat, Chapter 1, Module 1.3
4	Synaptic Transmission and Neurotransmitter Systems	Kalat, Chapter 2, Modules 2.1–2.2; relevant sections in Kandel on synaptic transmission
5	Anatomical Organization of the Nervous System	Kalat, Chapter 3, Module 3.1; relevant sections in Kandel and Gazzaniga on the organization of the nervous system
6	Cerebral Cortex, Functional Organization, and Large-Scale Brain Networks	Kalat, Chapter 3, Module 3.2; relevant chapter in Gazzaniga on cortical organization; Mesulam (1990); Menon (2023)
7	Research Methods in Neuroscience and Mapping Brain–Behavior Relationships	Kalat, Chapter 3, Module 3.3; relevant chapter in Gazzaniga on cognitive neuroscience methods; Fox (2018); Siddiqi et al. (2022)
8	Midterm Examination	Review of Weeks 1–7
9	Genetics, Neural Development, and Neuroplasticity	Kalat, Chapter 4, Modules 4.1–4.3; relevant sections in Kandel on neural development and plasticity
10	Neural Foundations of the Visual System	Kalat, Chapter 5, Modules 5.1–5.3; relevant sections in Kandel and Gazzaniga on the visual system and visual processing
11	Auditory, Somatosensory, and Chemical Sensory Systems	Kalat, Chapter 6, Modules 6.1–6.3; relevant sections in Kandel on auditory and somatosensory systems
12	Neural Mechanisms of Motor Control and Movement Disorders	Kalat, Chapter 7, Modules 7.1–7.3; relevant sections in Kandel on motor systems and the basal ganglia
13	Neurobiology of Circadian Rhythms, Sleep, and Wakefulness	Kalat, Chapter 8, Modules 8.1–8.3; relevant sections in Kandel on the neural mechanisms of sleep and wakefulness
14	Final Examination	Comprehensive review of course topics

Resources

Kalat, J. W. (2024). Biological Psychology (14th ed.). Cengage Learning.

Kandel, E. R., Koester, J. D., Mack, S. H., & Siegelbaum, S. A. (Eds.). (2021). Principles of Neural Science (6th ed.). McGraw Hill. Gazzaniga, M. S., Ivry, R. B., & Mangun, G. R. (2019). Cognitive Neuroscience: The Biology of the Mind (5th ed.). W. W. Norton & Company. Fox, M. D. (2018). Mapping symptoms to brain networks with the human connectome. The New England Journal of Medicine, 379(23), 2237–2245. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMra1706158 Menon, V. (2023). 20 years of the default mode network: A review and synthesis. Neuron, 111(16), 2469–2487. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2023.04.023 Mesulam, M.-M. (1990). Large-scale neurocognitive networks and distributed processing for attention, language, and memory. Annals of Neurology, 28(5), 597–613. https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.410280502 Siddiqi, S. H., Kording, K. P., Parvizi, J., & Fox, M. D. (2022). Causal mapping of human brain function. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 23(6), 361–375. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41583-022-00583-8

Course Contribution to Program Qualifications

Course Contribution to Program Qualifications
No	Program Qualification	Contribution Level
No	Program Qualification	1	2	3	4	5
1	Knows the basic concepts of research and application-oriented sub-fields of psychology and the basic theories of these fields.					X
2	Can compare theories and schools in the history of psychology, and relate new developments with this knowledge.			X
3	Can recognize and interpret the problems they encounter and offer solutions using their expert knowledge.			X
4	Can investigate a problem with scientific methods, interpret findings and turn the results into a scientific publication.			X
5	Can lead the project, plan and manage the activities in a team established to solve the problems related to their field.	X
6	Can question and criticize new ideas from a scientific point of view without taking sides.			X
7	They adopt the principle of lifelong learning and can follow new developments in their field.				X
8	Can share their findings, knowledge and solution suggestions about a problem with colleagues or people outside of their field in written or oral form, in an appropriate language.				X
9	They have a sense of social responsibility and can use their professional achievements in solving problems in their near and far surroundings.	X
10	Speaks English at least at B1 level to follow international professional developments.					X
11	Has basic computer skills and can communicate with colleagues on up-to-date platforms.
12	Knows the basic tools of psychology used in assessment and evaluation and can use these tools.			X
13	Knows professional responsibilities, authorization, and limits, recognizes psychological problems, can make the right referral for their solution, and abides by ethical principles in research and practice.	X
14	They consider individual and cultural differences in research and practice and take these differences into account while evaluating the research results.	X

Assessment Methods

Contribution Level	Absolute Evaluation
Rate of Midterm Exam to Success		40
Rate of Final Exam to Success		60
Total		100

ECTS / Workload Table
Activities	Number of	Duration(Hour)	Total Workload(Hour)
Course Hours	14	3	42
Guided Problem Solving	0	0	0
Resolution of Homework Problems and Submission as a Report	0	0	0
Term Project	12	4	48
Presentation of Project / Seminar	0	0	0
Quiz	0	0	0
Midterm Exam	1	25	25
General Exam	1	35	35
Performance Task, Maintenance Plan	0	0	0
Total Workload(Hour)			150
*Dersin AKTS Kredisi = Toplam İş Yükü (Saat)/30=(150/30)**			5
ECTS of the course: 30 hours of work is counted as 1 ECTS credit.

Detail Informations of the Course