HOME >SYLLABUS
Grading Policy:
Grades are based on homework performance. There will be no midterm
or final examination. Homework will be assigned every class meeting except
the last meeting and will be due AT THE START of the next class meeting.
NO LATE HOMEWORK WILL BE ACCEPTED. All homework assignments are weighted
equally for determining your final grade. Your lowest homework score will
be dropped.
Syllabus:
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Week #
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Topics Covered:
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1
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Introduction & welcome. Overview of the visual
system. The particle nature of light causes fluctuations in light
intensity. Early visual psychophysics demonstrating ability to detect
single photons.
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2
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Overview of the photoreceptor. Photon absorption
causes a change in the circulating electrical current in photoreceptors.
Noise in the photoreceptor & implications for vision. Absorbance
spectra of photoreceptors. Simple color theory.
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3
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The phototransduction cascade. The players: rhodopsin,
transducin, phosphodiesterase, and cG channels. Optimization of
the cascade to minimize the effects of noise.
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4
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The photoreceptor synapse: Presynaptic mechanisms.
The role of calcium for triggering the release of vesicles. Quantal
theory of vesicle release from sensitive impedance measurements.
Specialization of the photoreceptor synapse & optimization for
visual task.
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5
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The photoreceptor synapse: Postsynaptic mechanisms:
ON vs. OFF bipolar cells and their different receptors. The Nerdst
equation & diffusion. Instructor: Erika Eggers
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6
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Ion channels. Relating structure to function. Conformational
changes in ion channels, movement of ions in solutions, the voltage
sensor, stabailization of ions by the channel, basic mechanisms.
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7
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The ganglion cell and the action potential Hodgkin-Huxley
model of Na+ & K+ channels. Why do neurons use a digital signal?
Cable theory: passive Vs active signal transmission. Instructor:
Erika Eggers
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8
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Putting it all together: What we see, what we don't,
summary & open questions. The next step after the retina, course
evaluations.
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9
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Hair cells: balance, hearing, forces & displacements
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| Acknowledgments | |
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