Last updated: April 23, 2025

PSY 340/BSC 340 Brain and Behavior Lecture Notes (Spring 2025) Below you will find two different kinds of materials NOTES (or POWERPOINT HANDOUTS) are the complete set of materials that I use for each individual class lecture. You should seriously consider downloading these and printing them out. [OUTLINES] or [POWERPOINTS/PPTs] are the visual (and sometimes sound) materials for a class that I will use on my computer screen and which I will talk about in each lecture. If we were holding class face-to-face, the OUTLINES or POWERPOINTS would be the material I'd be projecting on a screen in the front of the classroom. There is no need for your to download these.

	Module 1: The Major Issues in Biopsychology: General Introduction
Mon Jan 13	Class 01: General Introduction to Course • NOTES  [OUTLINE] for First Day of Class
Wed Jan 15	Class 02: The Biological Approach to Behavior • NOTES  [OUTLINE]
Fri Jan 17	Class 03: The Genetics of Behavior • NOTES  [OUTLINE]
	Module 2: Nerve Cells and Impulses
Mon Jan 20	Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday/Inauguration Day • No Class
Wed Jan 22	Cells of the Central Nervous System • PPT  (ppt slides 11 pgs.)
Fri Jan 24	Neural Impulse (a) • PPT (ppt slides 7 pgs.)
Mon Jan 27	Neural Impulse (b) • NOTES [OUTLINE]
	Module 3: Synapses
Wed Jan 29	The Concept of the Synapse • NOTES [OUTLINE]
Fri Jan 31	Chemical Events at the Synapse • NOTES [OUTLINE]
Mon Feb 03	Synapses, Drugs, & Addiction (Substance Abuse) • NOTES [OUTLINE] Additional, not in text: Unmyelinated fibers (axons), C-fibers, and shape of the axon (pdf, 3 pp.)
	Module 4: Anatomy of the Nervous System
Wed Feb 05	Structure of the Vertebrate Nervous System • NOTES [OUTLINE]
Fri Feb 07	The Cerebral Cortex (a) • NOTES [OUTLINE]
Mon Feb 10	The Cerebral Cortex (b) Complete
	Module 5: Research Methods
Wed Feb 12	Research Methods in Bio/Neuropsychology • NOTES [OUTLINE]
Fri Feb 14	Complete Research Methods... Large Scale Brain Networks • NOTES [Outline] (not in book)
Mon Feb 17	All classes cancelled due to snow storm
Wed Feb 19	Test #1 on Modules 1-4 (but NOT Module 5)
	Module 6: Brain Development
Fri Feb 21	Development of the Brain • NOTES [Outline]
Mon Feb 24	Plasticity after Brain Damage • NOTES [Outline]
Wed Feb 26	Wellness Day • No Class
	Module 7: Vision
Fri Feb 28	Visual Coding • NOTES [Outline]
Mon Mar 03	Parallel Processing in the Visual Cortex Full NOTES (pdf format) [Outline] Summary (pdf format)
Wed Mar 05	Test #2 on Modules 5-7
	Module 8: Wakefulness & Sleep
Fri Mar 07	Rhythms of Waking and Sleeping • NOTES [Outline]
Mon Mar 10	Stages of Sleep & Brain Mechanisms; Sleep Disorders• NOTES [Outline]
Wed Mar 12	Why Sleep? Why REM? Why Dreams? • NOTES [Outline]
	Module 9: Reproductive Behaviors
Fri Mar 14	Sex and Hormones • NOTES [Outline]
	Spring Break: March 17-21 • No Class
Mon Mar 24	Class cancelled
Wed Mar 26	Variations in Sexual Behavior • NOTES [Outline]
	Module 10: Emotional Behaviors
Fri Mar 28	What is Emotion? • NOTES [Outline]
Mon Mar 31	Attack and Escape Behaviors • NOTES [Outline]
Wed Apr 02	Stress & Health • NOTES [Outline]
	Module 11: Learning & Memory, Language
Fri Apr 04	Learning, Memory & Memory Loss; Dementia • NOTES [Outline] Alzheimer's Disease PPT Presentation • Slides in pdf format
Mon Apr 07	Test #3 on Modules 8, 9, & 10 (Module 11 will be on Test #4)
Wed Apr 09	The Hippocampus and the Striatum • NOTES [Outline]
Fri Apr 11	Lateralization of Function • NOTES [Outline]
Mon Apr 14	McGilchrist's The Master and His Emissary (The Divided Brain) • NOTES
Wed Apr 16	TBA
Fri Apr 18	Good Friday • No class
Mon Apr 21	Easter Monday • No class
Wed Apr 23	Evolution & Physiology of Language • DOLPHY DAY
Fri Apr 25	Evolution & Physiology of Language • NOTES [Outline]
	Module 12: Psychological Disorders
Mon Apr 28	Complete Language
Wed Apr 30	Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders & Psychosis • NOTES [Outline]
Fri May 02	Mood Disorders • NOTES [Outline]
Mon May 05	Mood Disorders (cont'd) • Last Class

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The first version of this page was posted January 18, 2005.