Journal Of Undergraduate Neuroscience Education[JOURNAL]
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200 papers
Teaching the Nature of Science Improves Scientific Literacy Among Students Not Majoring in STEM.
Donley DW
J Undergrad Neurosci Educ · 2024 · PMID 39280704 · Full text
Traditionally, science courses focus on knowledge and practices within specific disciplines. There has long been a call, however, to increase the focus on the nature and process of science as a way to improve scientific...
Traditionally, science courses focus on knowledge and practices within specific disciplines. There has long been a call, however, to increase the focus on the nature and process of science as a way to improve scientific literacy and increase the transfer of knowledge. Despite this, there are few systematic studies that seek to understand the impact of this approach. Revising a STEM course in a liberal arts curriculum to primarily focus on the nature and process of science rather than on the content of a specific discipline increased student scores on the Test of Scientific Literacy Skills and improved perceptions of STEM. In the revised course, students self-reported higher levels of confidence in their ability to learn scientific information and their ability to contribute to scientific progress compared to traditional methods. These data and other literature suggest that the traditional knowledge-focused approach to science education is insufficient to facilitate scientific literacy and address equity gaps in STEM. Proposed is a model where scientific literacy and feelings of inclusion in STEM are the product of direct engagement in the process of science and careful evaluation of the nature of science. Long-term, a holistic approach that includes an authentic discussion of the enterprise of sciences is needed to prepare students to engage in future problems that are best solved by cross-disciplinary collaboration.
A Versatile Semester-Long Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience using Optogenetics and RNAi to Identify Genes Important for Synapse Function.
Luth ES, Juo P
J Undergrad Neurosci Educ · 2023 · PMID 38322408 · Full text
Compared to traditional teaching laboratory activities, course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) can increase student engagement and confidence, improve scientific literacy, enhance critical thinking, and...
Compared to traditional teaching laboratory activities, course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) can increase student engagement and confidence, improve scientific literacy, enhance critical thinking, and promote accessibility in STEM. Here we describe a versatile CURE for an upper-level Neurobiology course that incorporates genetic, molecular, cellular, and behavioral experiments into a semester-long investigation to identify genes important for glutamate synapse formation or function in . Following introduction to the CURE approach and basic techniques, students construct their own low-cost optogenetics rigs, which we describe in detail here, to activate a mechanosensory escape reflex via photostimulation. They then perform a small-scale RNAi screen with this light-activated behavioral readout. Once a gene of interest is identified, students submit a proposal to investigate the role of this gene in nervous system function and spend the rest of the semester carrying out follow-up experiments using mutant strains. We also describe ways in which this CURE can be modified depending on the pedagogical objectives, availability of materials, or research interests of the instructor. Participating in this lab significantly enhanced students' abilities to see themselves as STEM professionals and prompted students to report substantial gains in skills critical for entry into and success in graduate and medical schools. In addition to the benefits CUREs provide to students, faculty benefit from the generation of preliminary data and training of students for potential independent research projects.
Primary Afferent Depolarization and the Gate Control Theory of Pain: A Tutorial Simulation.
Heitler B
J Undergrad Neurosci Educ · 2023 · PMID 38322407 · Full text
The gate control theory of pain postulates that the sensation of pain can be reduced or blocked by closing a "gate" at the earliest synaptic level in the spinal cord, where nociceptive (pain) afferents excite the ascendi...
The gate control theory of pain postulates that the sensation of pain can be reduced or blocked by closing a "gate" at the earliest synaptic level in the spinal cord, where nociceptive (pain) afferents excite the ascending interneurons that transmit the signal to the brain. Furthermore, the gate can be induced to close by stimulating touch afferents with receptive fields in the same general area as the trauma that is generating the pain (the "rub it to make it better" effect). A considerable volume of research has substantiated the theory and shown that a key mechanism mediating the gate is pre-synaptic inhibition, and that this inhibition is generated by depolarizing IPSPs in the nociceptor central terminals (primary afferent depolarization; PAD). Both pre-synaptic inhibition and depolarizing IPSPs are topics that students often regard as matters of secondary importance (if they are aware of them at all), and yet they are crucial to a matter of primary importance to us all - pain control. This report describes some simple computer simulations that illustrate pre-synaptic inhibition and explore the importance of the depolarizing aspect of the IPSPs. These concepts are then built into a model of the gate control of pain itself. Finally, the simulations show how a small change in chloride homeostasis can generate the dorsal root reflex, in which nociceptor afferents generate antidromic spikes which may increase neurogenic inflammation and actually exacerbate pain. The hope is that the simulations will increase awareness and understanding of a topic that is important in both basic neuroscience and medical neurology.
Teaching Synaptic Transmission Using Primary Literature: A Skills-Focused Pedagogical Approach.
Payne AJ, Bills KB, Steffensen SC
J Undergrad Neurosci Educ · 2023 · PMID 38322406 · Full text
Neuroscience is a burgeoning and intensive undergraduate major at many institutions of higher education and several areas in neuroscience education need further development. One such needed development is an increased fo...
Neuroscience is a burgeoning and intensive undergraduate major at many institutions of higher education and several areas in neuroscience education need further development. One such needed development is an increased focus on the procurement of career-relevant skills in addition to the traditional acquisition of subject knowledge. Skill development is particularly challenging in neuroscience education as the subject's interdisciplinary nature provides an atypically broad range of potential careers for graduates. Skills common to many careers in neuroscience include the ability to understand and analyze quantitative data and to draw conclusions based on those analyses. Here is presented an active learning pedagogical approach involving the analysis of seminal articles in the primary scientific literature to provide practice in analyzing data and drawing conclusions from those data while at the same time learning the fundamental tenets of synaptic transmission. Articles were selected that highlight principles such as the role of Ca in synaptic release, exocytosis, quantal release, and synaptic delay. Figures from these articles that can readily be used to teach these principles were selected, and questions that can help to guide students' analysis of the data are also suggested. Activities like this are needed in greater numbers to facilitate the process of helping students gain skills relevant to a productive career in neuroscience.
Teaching Scientific Literature Analysis: A Systematic Adoption of Skill-Building Methods to Enrich Research Training for Undergraduate Students.
Venugopal S
J Undergrad Neurosci Educ · 2023 · PMID 38322405 · Full text
Teaching scientific literature analysis skills is a critical step in research training. Here I describe a 6-week skill-building module on understanding scientific literature, incorporated into a 10-week undergraduate hon...
Teaching scientific literature analysis skills is a critical step in research training. Here I describe a 6-week skill-building module on understanding scientific literature, incorporated into a 10-week undergraduate honors research practice course in Neuroscience. Key pedagogical components include: 1) student-centered active-learning, skill-building and community-building activities; 2) persistent adoption of a proven CREATE method and a novel curate scientific summary (CSS) method for teaching scientific literature analysis skills; 3) collaborative class organization consisting of persistent learning pods (PLPs) to facilitate student-driven participation and peer learning; and, 4) role play of a real research lab. Skill development was assessed using a self-assessment survey (SAS) and longitudinal evaluation of the CREATE and CSS methods application by the PLPs to analyze primary research articles (PRAs) over four weeks. Outcomes demonstrate alleviation of pre-existing student anxiety to read complex scientific literature and advancement of critical-thinking and collaborative skills. Specifically, the SAS responses indicate that student perception about reading scientific literature transformed from being a daunting task to an enjoyable activity; this enhanced their confidence in evaluating scientific literature. PLPs fostered student engagement, peer instruction, and community building, and contributed to skill development. Weekly assessment of CREATE and CSS application highlighted marked improvements in students' abilities to analyze and critique complicated scientific material. Role playing a research lab setting with a focused research theme facilitated integrative understanding of a frontier topic in Neuroscience. The outlined innovative approach can be adopted in Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) and should help contribute to systematizing didactic practices to train neuroscientists.
Unlocking Hidden Awareness: Repurposing fMRI to Detect Levels of Consciousness.
Caccamo A, Nolde G, Bakir H … +3 more , Ho L, Alonso-Moreno MC, Wanniarachchi S
J Undergrad Neurosci Educ · 2023 · PMID 38322404 · Full text
Determining the state of consciousness in patients with disorders of consciousness is a challenging task because for someone to be deemed conscious, both wakefulness and awareness are required. Awareness has traditionall...
Determining the state of consciousness in patients with disorders of consciousness is a challenging task because for someone to be deemed conscious, both wakefulness and awareness are required. Awareness has traditionally been assessed by examining physical responsiveness but in 2010, Monti et al. explored how using fMRI to measure brain activity in humans could help reclassify the state of consciousness in these patients. The findings, published in , show that some brain regions are active when patients respond to an imagery or communication task. This is a seminal study because it demonstrates that patients who behaviourally appear to be in a vegetative or minimally conscious state may still have residual brain functions that would not be apparent from a clinical examination alone. Notably, it exemplified how fMRI can be repurposed as a communication tool for this subset of aware, but 'locked in', patients who appear unresponsive. From an educator's perspective, this paper is valuable because it is relevant to a broad audience, both introductory and advanced level undergraduate students. It introduces key concepts in cognitive and clinical neuroscience and encourages students to consider the connections between social issues and technology development in neuroscience. Finally, educators may use this paper to discuss and debate the nature of consciousness and the ethical implications that the use of fMRI for determining consciousness may have on medical ethics.
Early-Career Pedagogical Practice: The Value of Training Undergraduates to Teach.
Carr CEG, Bailey K
J Undergrad Neurosci Educ · 2023 · PMID 38322403 · Full text
Pedagogical experiences prior to a career in higher education are limited, particularly for interested undergraduates. We detail here the experience of an undergraduate mentored in pedagogical techniques such as topic an...
Pedagogical experiences prior to a career in higher education are limited, particularly for interested undergraduates. We detail here the experience of an undergraduate mentored in pedagogical techniques such as topic and reading selection, assessment creation and grading, and classroom management. Their pedagogical training included co-instructing a course with their mentor. The mentee found the experience to be rewarding, learning the areas in which they excelled and struggled. For the mentor, this was a valuable opportunity to reflect on their own pedagogical choices and techniques. The process provided a new perspective for each of us as we viewed the course through the lens of the other person. More opportunities for undergraduates to undertake similar roles may strengthen teaching in higher education and grant early career experiences to interested individuals. Though rewarding, course construction and implementation is time-consuming and difficult. Balancing time and effort beyond the class is a required skill, and frequent communication between the mentee and mentor is necessary.
PopScience: Teaching students to Communicate Scientific Findings to the General Public.
Gill MJ
J Undergrad Neurosci Educ · 2023 · PMID 38322402 · Full text
Scientific communication has become more important than ever before, yet most scientists are not trained in how to communicate their research findings to the general public. The PopScience assignment is a semester-long w...
Scientific communication has become more important than ever before, yet most scientists are not trained in how to communicate their research findings to the general public. The PopScience assignment is a semester-long writing and oral communication project that focuses on how to communicate primary scientific literature to the general public. The overall goals of the PopScience project are to teach students how to: 1) critically evaluate neuroscience primary literature, and 2) translate and convey primary literature findings to a lay audience. Students completed a pre- and post- assignment perceptive assessment to evaluate the skills they obtained (e.g., reading comprehension and critical thinking), and the effectiveness of the assignment in improving these skills. Students reported that overall, the assignment improved their ability to read primary literature articles and explain them to a lay audience. Self-evaluation and professor assessments suggest the PopScience assignment also improved student's ability to integrate and summarize results from multiple sources, as well as identify and explain neuroscience terminology that often leads to confusion for lay audiences. In conclusion, this assignment teaches students how to communicate basic neuroscience to the general public, a skill that continues to be critical in successful scientific careers.
Does Insomnia Cause Revenge Seeking Behavior? Using a Puzzle-Based Sleep Lab Educational Escape Room to Teach Circadian Rhythms in a Large Introductory Neuroscience Course.
Nakashyan B, Clabough EBD
J Undergrad Neurosci Educ · 2023 · PMID 38322401 · Full text
Traditional large lecture classes can be passive experiences for students. Instead, imagine that several of those learners work at a sleep laboratory and admit four new patients. Within hours, the entire facility is on l...
Traditional large lecture classes can be passive experiences for students. Instead, imagine that several of those learners work at a sleep laboratory and admit four new patients. Within hours, the entire facility is on lockdown, and a mysterious voice on the intercom proclaims that all researchers will lose their ability to sleep within the next hour. This story is the plot of an interactive educational escape room (EER) where students work together and apply concepts related to the history of sleep research, circadian rhythms, and neurological concepts of sleep to solve puzzles. Conventionally, escape rooms are an entertainment experience that requires participants to escape a room in a limited timeframe. We have created a neuroscience EER designed to educate students about the neural basis of sleep, while providing small groups of students with an immersive and interactive experience. Students follow a specially designed digital escape room framework to review sleep pathways, researchers, and brain regions involved with sleep. Unlike conventional escape rooms that can accommodate a limited number of participants, this sleep lab EER is scalable to hundreds of students without the need for a specialized room. Puzzles are enhanced by digital technology that allows instructors to track the progress of every team and note how the entire classroom is doing. Students and teaching assistants had very positive experiences with this EER activity, reporting that the EER solidified course concepts while using creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking skills. We find that EERs are an easy, useful tool to increase engagement and boost inclusivity within large classroom settings, with potential to also be used as an assessment tool.
Reducing Brain Injury Misconceptions and Willingness to Risk Concussion with a Three-Week Introductory-level Neuroscience Course.
Gordon RG
J Undergrad Neurosci Educ · 2023 · PMID 38322399 · Full text
Misconceptions of brain injury are common and persistent in the general public (Ralph and Derbyshire, 2013). Moreover, undergraduate students are in an age range where they are at high risk of concussion and traumatic br...
Misconceptions of brain injury are common and persistent in the general public (Ralph and Derbyshire, 2013). Moreover, undergraduate students are in an age range where they are at high risk of concussion and traumatic brain injury, but often lack knowledge of the symptoms, severity, recovery, and varied impacts of brain injury on cognition. Introductory-level undergraduate neuroscience courses have the potential to reach a broad audience and improve students' knowledge of the brain. It is also important to know, however, if neuroscience courses can combat common misconceptions and impact real-world behaviors like willingness to risk concussion and prevention of brain injury. An introductory-level immersive three-week course during January term was developed, targeted at first-year students and non-majors. The focus of the course was to help students understand the role of different brain regions in behavior by presenting neurological cases that demonstrate the human experience of brain injury. Following the course, all students displayed greater knowledge about brain injury and reduced willingness to risk brain injury or concussion. Although students with a history of concussion were more willing to risk future concussion overall, they did show a similar reduction in risk as those without a history of concussion but were also less likely to endorse safety practices like helmet use. Beyond improving basic knowledge of neuroscience, introductory-level courses also have an opportunity to impact students' understanding of brain injury in their personal and professional lives.
Using Two-Choice Assay to Study Optogenetics in Hands-On Neurobiology Laboratory Activities.
Fu Z, Huda A, Kimbrough IF … +1 more , Ni L
J Undergrad Neurosci Educ · 2023 · PMID 38322398 · Full text
Optogenetics has made a significant impact on neuroscience, allowing activation and inhibition of neural activity with exquisite spatiotemporal precision in response to light. In this lab session, we use fruit flies to h...
Optogenetics has made a significant impact on neuroscience, allowing activation and inhibition of neural activity with exquisite spatiotemporal precision in response to light. In this lab session, we use fruit flies to help students understand the fundamentals of optogenetics through hands-on activities. The CsChrimson channelrhodopsin, a light-activated cation channel, is expressed in sweet and bitter sensory neurons. Sweet sensory neurons guide animals to identify nutrient-rich food and drive appetitive behaviors, while bitter sensory neurons direct animals to avoid potentially toxic substances and guide aversive behavior. Students use two-choice assays to explore the causality between the stimulation activation of these neurons and the appetitive and avoidance behaviors of the fruit flies. To quantify their observations, students calculate preference indices and use the Student's t-test to analyze their data. After this lab session, students are expected to have a basic understanding of optogenetics, fly genetics, sensory perception, and how these relate to sensory-guided behaviors. They will also learn to conduct, quantify, and analyze two-choice behavioral assays.
Poppy Seed Consumption and Oral Fluid Opioids Detection: A Classroom Demonstration of Psychopharmacological Concepts.
Flaisher-Grinberg S
J Undergrad Neurosci Educ · 2023 · PMID 38322397 · Full text
Psychopharmacological concepts such as pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and drug interactions can be difficult to illustrate within the college classroom. In this demonstration, students consume poppy seed-containing f...
Psychopharmacological concepts such as pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and drug interactions can be difficult to illustrate within the college classroom. In this demonstration, students consume poppy seed-containing food items, assess opioid content in their oral fluid using commercial drug test kits, and relate the findings to learned materials, its real-life applications, and relevant societal implications. This demonstration can clarify processes such as drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME), broaden the review of information relevant to opioids mechanisms of action, and facilitate the discussion of topics such as drug abuse, dependence, and addiction, as well as drug development, testing, policy, and enforcement. Instructors can employ different experimental designs, create dose-dependent/timeline detection plots, or allow students to construct their own experiments, assessing possible mediators of opioid detection. The demonstration can also be utilized to discuss scientific myths, truths, data misinterpretation and misrepresentation. Several optional protocols are provided, required materials are indicated, and discussion points are suggested.
Mapping Human Neuronal Diversity in the Search for New Therapeutics: Using Real Human Neuron Data Sets to Build Student Quantitative Skills.
Milligan EC, Casimo K, Buchanan L … +2 more , Hutson B, Robertson S
J Undergrad Neurosci Educ · 2023 · PMID 38322396 · Full text
Case studies are a high impact educational practice that engage students in collaborative problem solving through storytelling. HITS, an NSF funded research coordination network dedicated to exposing students to high-thr...
Case studies are a high impact educational practice that engage students in collaborative problem solving through storytelling. HITS, an NSF funded research coordination network dedicated to exposing students to high-throughput discovery science, drove creation of this case. In this case, students imagine themselves as researchers developing new therapeutic drugs for epilepsy. Specifically, students work with the Allen Cell Types Database, which is the result of collaborative, interdisciplinary open science. Neurosurgeons partnered with the Allen institute to provide living human brain tissue for electrophysiological, morphological, and transcriptomic study. Students collaborate to collect and organize data, investigate a research question they identified, and perform fundamental statistical analyses to address their question. By leveraging the unique Cell Types dataset the case enhances student knowledge of epilepsy, illuminates high-throughput scientific approaches, and builds quantitative and research related skills. The case is also versatile and was implemented in two distinct courses. The case can also be taught in different modalities, in person or remote, with a combination of synchronous and asynchronous work. Indirect and direct measures along with quantitative and qualitative approaches were used for case assessment and improvement. Students performed well on case related exam questions, reported high confidence in their achievement of the learning outcomes, and enjoyed the case's link to neurological disease, real research data and advanced technological approaches. Our assessment findings and instructor implementation experiences are also included to facilitate the adoption or adaptation of the case for a variety of courses and/or modalities in neuroscience and STEM related curricula.
Comparing Student Performance in Emergency Remote and Face-to-Face Collaborative Learning Courses.
Azizi Y, Hession J, Newpher TM
J Undergrad Neurosci Educ · 2023 · PMID 37588654 · Full text
The start of the COVID-19 pandemic forced an unprecedented shift from face-to-face (F2F) instruction to emergency remote teaching (ERT) for over one billion learners worldwide. Studies from K-12 and higher education have...
The start of the COVID-19 pandemic forced an unprecedented shift from face-to-face (F2F) instruction to emergency remote teaching (ERT) for over one billion learners worldwide. Studies from K-12 and higher education have begun to address the impact of ERT on student learning and well-being. The lessons learned from ERT will likely shape the response to future public health emergencies and inform the design and implementation of remote courses. As such, it will be important to identify teaching practices in ERT that promoted student engagement and learning. Here, we address whether undergraduate collaborative learning courses were able to support student content knowledge outcomes at similar levels in ERT as compared to F2F classroom environments. Specifically, we tracked student performance in three different team-based undergraduate neuroscience courses. These courses were all taught by the same instructor during the academic years 2020-2021 and 2021-2022. Importantly, we found that student scores on individual and team assessments as well as measures of course satisfaction were similar between ERT and F2F. Taken together, our data suggest that the virtual collaborative learning environment in these courses was not associated with a decrease in student or team performance when compared to a traditional F2F classroom.
Sleepy Mice Case Study: Implementation and Assessment.
Gaudier-Diaz MM, Parekh SV, Penton RE … +2 more , Robertson SD, Thomas A
J Undergrad Neurosci Educ · 2023 · PMID 37588653 · Full text
Case studies are a valuable teaching tool to engage students in course content using real-world scenarios. As part of the High-throughput Discovery Science & Inquiry-based Case Studies for Today's Students (HITS) Researc...
Case studies are a valuable teaching tool to engage students in course content using real-world scenarios. As part of the High-throughput Discovery Science & Inquiry-based Case Studies for Today's Students (HITS) Research Coordination Network (RCN), our team has created the Sleepy Mice Case Study for students to engage with RStudio and the Allen Institute for Brain Science's open access high-throughput sleep dataset on mice. Sleep is important for health, a familiar concern to college students, and was a basis for this case study. In this case, students completed an initial homework assignment, in-class work, and a final take-home application assignment. The case study was implemented in synchronous and asynchronous Introductory Neuroscience courses, a Biopsychology course, and a Human Anatomy and Physiology course, reflecting its versatility. The case can be used to teach course-specific learning objectives such as sleep-related content and/or science data processing skills. The case study was successful as shown by gains in student scores and confidence in achieving learning objectives. Most students reported enjoying learning about sleep deprivation course content using the case study. Best practices based on instructor experiences in implementation are also included to facilitate future use so that the Sleepy Mice Case Study can be used to teach content and/or research-related skills in various courses and modalities.
Remyelination and Ageing: Ethical Considerations of Using Surgically Joined Animals in Research.
Horn CM, Pop N, Anderson M
J Undergrad Neurosci Educ · 2023 · PMID 37588652 · Full text
Remyelination is a key repair process that ensures neurons remain protected following injury. This process is mediated by remyelinating oligodendrocytes in vertebrates, however, similarly to other neurobiological process...
Remyelination is a key repair process that ensures neurons remain protected following injury. This process is mediated by remyelinating oligodendrocytes in vertebrates, however, similarly to other neurobiological processes, the rate and efficiency of remyelination decreases across age and under pathological conditions. This has largely been attributed to two main contributors: 1) decreased exogenous signals supporting remyelination; and 2) aging of precursor cells that no longer differentiate into remyelinating oligodendrocytes. Here we discuss a key paper by Ruckh et al. (2012) who presented novel evidence that exposure to soluble bloodstream factors of young mice significantly rescues remyelination in old mice following a demyelinating insult. In this paper, a parabiosis approach was used where young and old mice were surgically joined for three weeks before and then left as a pair throughout the experiment. Ruckh and colleagues also offer novel insight into the role played by immune system cells, specifically macrophages, in clearance of myelin debris, a further contributor to remyelination. This paper is a good tool to expose undergraduate neuroscience students to basic molecular processes underlying conduction and transmission, helping them link cellular and network components. It also offers a platform for introducing the practicalities of research and debating ethical controversies that arise in animal research.
Quantitative and Qualitative Representation of Introductory and Advanced EEG Concepts: An Exploration of Different EEG Setups.
Hatton SL, Rathore S, Vilinsky I … +1 more , Stowasser A
J Undergrad Neurosci Educ · 2023 · PMID 37588651 · Full text
Electroencephalograms (EEGs) are the gold standard test used in the medical field to diagnose epilepsy and aid in the diagnosis of many other neurological and mental disorders. Growing in popularity in terms of nonmedica...
Electroencephalograms (EEGs) are the gold standard test used in the medical field to diagnose epilepsy and aid in the diagnosis of many other neurological and mental disorders. Growing in popularity in terms of nonmedical applications, the EEG is also used in research, neurofeedback, and brain-computer interface, making it increasingly relevant to student learning. Recent innovations have made EEG setups more accessible and affordable, thus allowing their integration into neuroscience educational settings. Introducing students to EEGs, however, can be daunting due to intricate setup protocols, individual variation, and potentially expensive equipment. This paper aims to provide guidance for introducing students and educators to fundamental beginning and advanced level EEG concepts. Specifically, this paper tested the potential of three different setups, with varying channel number and wired or wireless connectivity, for introducing students to qualitative and quantitative exploration of alpha enhancement when eyes are closed, and observation of the alpha/beta anterior to posterior gradient. The setups were compared to determine their relative advantages and their robustness in detecting these well-established parameters. The basic 1- or 2-channel setups are sufficient for observing alpha and beta waves, while more advanced systems containing 8 or 16 channels are required for consistent observation of an anterior-posterior gradient. In terms of localization, the 16-channel setup, in principle, was more adept. The 8-channel setup, however, was more effective than the 16-channel setup with regards to displaying the anterior to posterior gradient. Thus, an 8-channel setup is sufficient in an education setting to display these known trends. Modification of the 16-channel setup may provide a better observation of the anterior to posterior gradient.
Smartphone-Enabled Web-Based Simulation of Cellular Neurophysiology for Laboratory Course and its Effectiveness.
Yamamoto T, Weitemier A, Kurokawa M
J Undergrad Neurosci Educ · 2023 · PMID 37588650 · Full text
The introduction of computer simulations has enhanced the teaching of neurobiology. Many simulators for personal computers are available, but in countries where schools have low school information and communication techn...
The introduction of computer simulations has enhanced the teaching of neurobiology. Many simulators for personal computers are available, but in countries where schools have low school information and communication technology readiness, it is difficult to introduce computer simulations. Even in such countries, however, students often have their own smartphones and are good at operating them. Therefore, we have developed five web-based simulators that cover a wide range of neurophysiology, including single and whole-cell channel currents, membrane potentials and generation and conduction of action potentials using HTML5 and JavaScript. These simulators may be run free of charge on any device, regardless of the model or OS, thereby enabling schools that have no experience in introducing simulations to introduce them easily. These simulators were especially useful in many schools during COVID-19 restrictions. In this paper, we explain the functions of the simulators we have developed and introduce some practical examples. To verify the usefulness of the simulators, we also conducted a survey in the classrooms in which the simulators were used. Understanding and motivation to learn was shown to increase significantly, indicating that these are useful for neurobiology education.
An Undergraduate Laboratory Series Using That Prepares Students for Independent Inquiry.
Quinan V, Hsu K, Mann M … +2 more , Barclay K, Bauer D
J Undergrad Neurosci Educ · 2023 · PMID 37588649 · Full text
Undergraduate neuroscience laboratories provide valuable opportunities for students to learn about neurobiological systems through active learning. () is a valuable model for teaching students how to use a reductionist...
Undergraduate neuroscience laboratories provide valuable opportunities for students to learn about neurobiological systems through active learning. () is a valuable model for teaching students how to use a reductionist approach to neuroscientific inquiry. This series of lab modules trains students to utilize foundational laboratory techniques such as worm handling and maintenance, fluorescence imaging, behavioral assays, and Western blot. Upon completing this series of laboratory exercises, students are well prepared to engage in independent research projects using these research techniques. As supported by student survey results, this series of laboratory exercises leads to the development of essential research skills, which students may be able to apply to a wide range of future scientific endeavors.
The NEURON Program: Utilizing Low-Cost Neuroscience for Remote Education Outreach.
Ramadan B, Ricoy UM
J Undergrad Neurosci Educ · 2023 · PMID 37588648 · Full text
The NEURON initiative (Neuroscience Education in Undergraduate Research, Outreach, and Networking) is a free program engaging first year students, including underrepresented minority (URM) students in Neuroscience and Co...
The NEURON initiative (Neuroscience Education in Undergraduate Research, Outreach, and Networking) is a free program engaging first year students, including underrepresented minority (URM) students in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science (NSCS) at the University of Arizona (UA). The NEURON program builds on former Grass Foundation-sponsored workshops run by Dr. Ricoy (2010-2019) implementing hands-on and culturally responsive active learning curriculum with low-cost equipment from Backyard Brains to increase student retention of URM students in the sciences at Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI). We present the implementation of the NEURON program at the onset of the COVID pandemic. Combining best practices of distance learning and peer mentoring, we conducted three-week projects exploring principles of neuroscience and neurophysiology. Enrollment and demographic data from NSCS at the UA demonstrate historical disenfranchisement and program attrition primarily impacting URM students. As an extension on previous URM peer mentorship programs in Neuroscience (Ricoy, presentation at Northern New Mexico College Research Symposium, 2010, 2011; presentation at Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americas in Science, 2012), we leveraged low-cost equipment and remote sessions to advance the community of undergraduate mentors and pair with high school mentees on hands-on curriculum. Throughout the program, undergraduate mentors received guidance while crafting and delivering four laboratory lessons to mentees. By coordinating with a Title I school, we better connected with historically underserved students. Critical to this program was providing hands-on opportunities to students who were undergoing distance-based learning during the pandemic. Distribution of equipment allowed high school students to experiment remotely, guided by undergraduate mentors. The NEURON program met its objectives of fostering both mentors and mentees as burgeoning scientists.
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