The action potential is fundamental to information processing in the brain. Neurons fire action potentials in response to a variety of inputs and action potentials exist in many different shapes, sizes and frequencies. In this course we will begin with a study of ion channels, the membrane bound biochemical switches that give the action potential its shape. Then we will explore the numerous factors that influence the nature of an individual action potential: neuronal morphology, ion channel composition, and intracellular signaling cascades. We will conclude by considering how circuits of diverse neuronal phenotypes integrate synaptic signals, which give rise to sophisticated information processing, learning and memory, and psychiatric disease. Student projects will explore how ion channel abnormalities, so-called "channelopathies," influence cognition and behavior.
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