Fundamentals of Neuroscience

Quality resource: this resource has been proposed for featuring on the main page of Wikiversity.

Completion status: This resource is effectively completed, although corrections are always welcome.

Subject Classification: this is a neuroscience resource.

Subject classification: this is a psychology resource.

Introduction

Welcome to the Fundamentals of Neuroscience course at Wikiversity! This course provides a general introduction to the most essential principles of neuroscience, from neuron to perception, intended to give a strong foundational understanding of the human brain and nervous system so that this foundation can be expanded on by more advanced topics like those found elsewhere in Topic: Neuroscience.

Lessons

A Chimpanzee brain

Conceptual Overviews:

Lesson 1: What is Neuroscience?
Lesson 2: Neural Cells
Lesson 3: Neural Signaling
Lesson 4: Classification of the Nervous System
Lesson 5: Divisions of the Brain

Focused Topics:

Lesson 6: Development
Lesson 7: Sleep
Lesson 8: Memory
Lesson 9: Language
Lesson 10: Emotion

Senses and Movement:

Lesson 11: Sight
Lesson 12: Hearing
Lesson 13: Taste and Smell
Lesson 14: Pain and Touch
Lesson 15: Movement

Disorders:

In addition, these supplemental lessons, which cover more technical topics, may be of interest:

Lesson A: Basic Cell Biology
Lesson B: Properties of Electrical Currents
Lesson C: Membrane Potential at Rest

Exams

Ready to test your knowledge? Go to the Exams section.

Instructor

If you have questions or suggestions, feel free to contact Kernsters.

References and Resources

Topic: Neuroscience includes a wide variety of wikipedia and wikiversity topics
The Human Brain Book, by Rita Carter, contains many great overviews that are similar in complexity level to these lessons
Brain Facts, published by the Society for Neuroscience, is a very good free resource, covering a broad array of neuroscience topics at a comfortable depth
Neuroscience Online is a useful free-access and highly detailed textbook offered through the UTH Medical Center website.
Biology, by Campbell and Reece, has well-written but fairly short chapters on many relevant topics, plus offers a firm grounding for those struggling with the biology aspects of the course
Robert Sapolsky's Human Behavioral Biology lecture series, which can be found free online, is highly informative and entertaining, although hovers in difficulty level at an intermediate or slightly greater range
Neuroscience: Exploring the Brain, by Bear, Connors, and Paradiso is an excellent source of information at an advanced college level