Introduction to Behavioral Neuroscience Lecture 1 PDF

Introduction to Behavioral Neuroscience PSY:2701  Things to know about this course Go over the syllabus  Textbook You can buy a hard copy Or you can buy the electronic copy via BryteWave on ICON (this is significantly cheaper)  Things to know about this...

Introduction to Behavioral Neuroscience PSY:2701  Things to know about this course Go over the syllabus  Textbook You can buy a hard copy Or you can buy the electronic copy via BryteWave on ICON (this is significantly cheaper)  Things to know about this course 1. This course is difficult – it requires WORK and effort 2. You have to know information inside and out, backwards and forwards 3. Exams based on topics covered in lecture (Exams will not be based on topics that are in the textbook but are not touched upon in class)  How to do well in this course 1. Read the relevant textbook chapters BEFORE class – my lectures are structured based on the assumption that you have read the chapters 2. COME to class, listen, take notes 3. Read over chapter AGAIN after class, making sure you understand all difficult concepts 4. Study and COMMIT information to memory as you go through course (not just before exam) 5. Office hours, discussion sections  How to study 1. Massed vs. spaced training 2. Superficial vs. deep processing 3. Memory consolidation – What affects this?  ICON ICON will have everything posted on it Assignments and readings for Discussion sections are found at bottom of ICON site, under “Discussion section readings and assignments”  Research Opportunity LaLumiere Lab in Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences looking for Undergraduate Research Assistants – Research Focuses Neurobiology of Drug Addiction Neurobiology of Learning and Memory – Visit lab website to learn more about our research: https://lalumiere.lab.uiowa.edu/ Starting Fall 2024 – Sophomores/Juniors with 10 hours/week availability If interested, email [email protected] with resume/CV.  Developmental Psychopathology WE ARE OPEN Lab FOR APPLICATIONS! How to apply… To complete the online Are you interested in psychology? application, visit: Do you enjoy working with children https://uiowa.qualtrics. com/SE/?SID=SV_6foZ and families? RkaDKfsPf49 Are you organized and detail OR scan the QR code: oriented? Can you commit to at least 2 semesters working in our lab? Become an Undergraduate Research Assistant in our Lab!!! Website:  Any questions before getting into Chapter 1? Chapter 1 How can we study the relationship between brain and behavior? Appendix A  Basics of biology Proteins are the building blocks of cells -- they are the “do”ers of your cell Proteins are made of strings of amino acids You have all the same DNA in all your cells. So, what makes a brain cell different from a liver cell from a muscle cell?? It is the distribution, number, and types of proteins in a cell that determine what the cell is, what the cell does, etc. How are proteins made? Genes are codes for proteins  Molecular biology How do genes code for proteins? Genes are parts of your DNA To make proteins, we go: DNA  RNA  proteins Let’s talk about DNA and RNA first DNA and RNA are made up of strings of nucleotides DNA – two strands connected by “base pairs” A–T G–C C–G T–A These are the base pairs  Molecular biology It is the SEQUENCE of nucleotides along a stretch of DNA that is the code for the protein For example: ACCTGGAGAGAATCCT The base pairs on the opposite strand would be the “complementary” bases What would be the complementary DNA bases for this code? TGGACCTCTCTTAGGA Remember: To make a protein, DNA (specific gene)  RNA  protein  Molecular biology To make RNA copy of a gene, the double-helix of the DNA opens up Your cells have machinery that then match up RNA bases that are floating around with their complementary DNA bases Process is called: Transcription = DNA  RNA (This RNA is also called messenger RNA or mRNA)  Region of DNA (gene) is opened up Enzymes link RNA nucleobases together – form mRNA  Molecular biology With RNA, U (uracil) is substituted for T (thymine) So, if the DNA base is A, the RNA complementary base is U Here’s how they DNA RNA match up: A U G C C G T A  Molecular biology Next step: mRNA  proteins Process called “translation” Transcription: DNA  mRNA Translation: mRNA  proteins  Molecular biology How does translation work? Each trio of RNA nucleotides is called a codon Each codon encodes ONE of the amino acids So, every three nucleotides is a code for one amino acid Amino acids are linked together  protein  Summary so far DNA is the same in every cell, but proteins differ by the type of cell Proteins are made up of strings of amino acids. DNA has four different nucleotides (A, C, G, and T) whose sequence codes for amino acids Three nucleotides in a row is a codon and codes for a single amino acid DNA is first transcribed (copied over) into mRNA Then the mRNA is translated into the amino acid sequence to make the protein  Techniques of molecular biology Different techniques for examining DNA, mRNA, and proteins Techniques can do one or more of the following: 1) Whether a molecule is present 2) WHERE a molecule is present 3) HOW MUCH of a molecule is present Southern blots – identify WHETHER a particular gene (DNA) is present Northern blots – identify WHETHER and HOW MUCH a particular mRNA is present  Techniques of molecular biology For both Northern and Southern blots, you take tissue, grind it up, and then analyze it If you want to know WHERE mRNA is expressed, you can do in situ hybridization In situ hybridization: Take slice of tissue, expose tissue to complementary string of RNA This complementary string (or “probe”) is labeled, enabling us to visualize the tissue later Appendix Figure A.4 In Situ Hybridization  What about proteins? If you want to know HOW MUCH of a particular protein is being produced somewhere  Western blot Take tissue, grind it up, and conduct Western blot technique How does that work? Run the ground-up tissue through gel electrophoresis – uses electric current to separate proteins by size Then transfer proteins from gel to membrane (this is the “blotting”)  What about proteins? Expose membrane to antibodies antibodies are made to be specific to the protein of interest antibodies – are labelled to enable visualization Western blot – good for comparing levels of a specific protein between groups – not so good for localizing where the protein is expressed Example: Do a behavioral intervention and then compare protein level in hippocampus between control group and experimental group  More protein stuff What if you want a better idea of WHERE proteins are being expressed (like we can do with mRNA and in situ hybridization)? Immunocytochemistry Take tissue sections and expose sections to antibodies Antibodies are labeled, enabling visualization of WHERE the proteins are Box 2.1 Neuroanatomical Methods Provide Ways to Make Sense of the Brain (Part 2)  Techniques of molecular biology: Summary Southern blots – identify DNA/genes in tissue Northern blots – identify and determine how much mRNA in tissue In situ hybridization – localize mRNA in tissue sections – good for identifying WHERE the mRNA is expressed Western blots – provides relative quantification of amount of protein in tissue sample Immunocytochemistry – show localization of protein expression  Techniques of molecular biology: So, to summarize: Summary Southerns, Northerns, & Westerns – grind up tissue – so, they’re not very specific for WHERE molecules are located -- can only say based on which tissue is ground up -- good for identifying (Southerns) and quantifying (Northerns and Westerns) molecules In situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry – use tissue sections – good for WHERE molecules are located -- NOT so good for saying HOW MUCH of the molecule is there  Uses of these molecular techniques with behavioral neuroscience Behavioral intervention  measure mRNA levels/location or protein levels in a particular structure E.g. Train a rat to associate a tone with a footshock  then look to see what kinds of molecular changes occur as a result of that learning  Final notes Potential MC exam question: Which of the following techniques is good for identifying which cells, in a tissue section, are expressing a particular mRNA? A)Northern blot B)Western blot C)In situ hybridization D)Immunocytochemistry  Final notes Another potential MC exam question: Which of the following is the complementary mRNA base sequence for the DNA nucleobase sequence of A-A-T-C-G-G? A)U-U-A-G-C-C B)T-T-A-G-C-C C)C-C-G-A-T-T D)T-U-A-C-T-G