Neurobiology

The course will focus entirely on the neurobiology of memory and will be divided into a theoretical part (always aimed at encouraging active student participation) and a part consisting of oral presentations (given by students in turn) on scientific articles chosen jointly by the teacher and students. Moreover, students will be required to write (in itinere) a revision of the scientific article chosen together with the instructor during class. The theoretical topics covered will be: 1) the taxonomy of memory; 2) animal models of memory; 3) comparison between types of memory in humans and rodents and the behavioral tasks used to study them; 4) mechanisms of synaptic plasticity associated with memory; 5) theories on memory consolidation; 6) the concept of memory engrams and the technologies used to study them.

A good knowledge of English is required, sufficient to enable students to independently read the papers shared by the teacher, listen to the lessons, and participate in oral discussions. In any case, the teacher will take the utmost care to facilitate understanding of the lessons in class.

The instructor will provide the teaching materials, which will mainly consist of recent articles from scientific literature on the topics covered. The course slides and articles will be shared by the teacher through the Sapienza eLearning platform (https://elearning.uniroma1.it/) in a manner that will be explained in class. Under no circumstances is it permitted to share the content uploaded by the teacher on the platform or to record the lessons.

Mandatory

The assessment includes a written test and an oral presentation during the course. Written test during the course: based on a scientific article chosen together with the teacher during the lesson, students will have to produce a short review and critique of the selected study, following a format that the teacher will provide during class. Oral test: each student will have to present the chosen article (and subject of the written test) simulating a conference presentation. On this occasion, the other students will have to prepare (in advance) questions to ask the presenter at the end of their discussion. If the number of students exceeds the number of days available for the presentation, the students will be divided into working groups by the teacher and will give a group presentation. The written and oral exams are designed to assess the students' level of knowledge and understanding of recent scientific articles and their critical thinking skills. The final assessment will be expressed in 30/30 (minimum grade 18/30, maximum grade 30/30 with honors), where the written paper will account for 40% of the final grade, the oral presentation in class for 30%, the class discussion for 15%, and participation in other students' presentations for 15%.

The course consists of theoretical lectures and practical exercises both in the classroom and in the laboratory. The total duration of the course is 52 hours.

The course will focus entirely on the neurobiology of memory and will be divided into a theoretical part (always aimed at encouraging active student participation) and a part consisting of oral presentations (given by students in turn) on scientific articles chosen jointly by the teacher and students. Moreover, students will be required to write (in itinere) a revision of the scientific article chosen together with the instructor during class. The theoretical topics covered will be: 1) the taxonomy of memory; 2) animal models of memory; 3) comparison between types of memory in humans and rodents and the behavioral tasks used to study them; 4) mechanisms of synaptic plasticity associated with memory; 5) theories on memory consolidation; 6) the concept of memory engrams and the technologies used to study them.

A good knowledge of English is required, sufficient to enable students to independently read the papers shared by the teacher, listen to the lessons, and participate in oral discussions. In any case, the teacher will take the utmost care to facilitate understanding of the lessons in class.

The instructor will provide the teaching materials, which will mainly consist of recent articles from scientific literature on the topics covered. The course slides and articles will be shared by the teacher through the Sapienza eLearning platform (https://elearning.uniroma1.it/) in a manner that will be explained in class. Under no circumstances is it permitted to share the content uploaded by the teacher on the platform or to record the lessons.

Mandatory

The assessment includes a written test and an oral presentation during the course. Written test during the course: based on a scientific article chosen together with the teacher during the lesson, students will have to produce a short review and critique of the selected study, following a format that the teacher will provide during class. Oral test: each student will have to present the chosen article (and subject of the written test) simulating a conference presentation. On this occasion, the other students will have to prepare (in advance) questions to ask the presenter at the end of their discussion. If the number of students exceeds the number of days available for the presentation, the students will be divided into working groups by the teacher and will give a group presentation. The written and oral exams are designed to assess the students' level of knowledge and understanding of recent scientific articles and their critical thinking skills. The final assessment will be expressed in 30/30 (minimum grade 18/30, maximum grade 30/30 with honors), where the written paper will account for 40% of the final grade, the oral presentation in class for 30%, the class discussion for 15%, and participation in other students' presentations for 15%.

The course consists of theoretical lectures and practical exercises both in the classroom and in the laboratory. The total duration of the course is 52 hours.