Brains, Minds, and Computers

This course addresses several fundamental Neuroscience issues from an Engineering viewpoint:

• How the brain works from both a bioelectrical and a computational point of view
• How to use computers to simulate and explore neural function (Computational Neuroscience)
• How signal processing in the brain compares to that in artificial neural networks
• How memories are inscribed in the brain and why that is so different from the way computers do it
• How sensory perception (particularly vision and hearing) compares in brains and computers.
• Neuroimaging and Brain-Computer Interfaces:
  • Recording and Processing Neural signals From Human Brains
  • The Electroencephalogram and the Magnetoencephalogram
  • Metabolic Signals from the Brain - Basis of the FMRI
  • Brain-Computer Interfaces in Treating Brain Malfunctions

The initial portion of the course will explore the nervous system from a "neural nanotechnology" standpoint. The course thus first approaches brain function at the molecular and cellular level, then builds to the neural network, sensory information processing and memory inscription levels. Realistic neural simulations are featured, with a brief treatment of more abstract approaches, such as artificial neural networks.

Note to ECE students pursuing the Bioengineering option

This course satisfies the requirements of the ECE Bioengineering Option whereby ECE technical elective credit can be earned for courses in Biology and Chemistry. (For details of this option consult the catalog and/or the ECE Dept. Biomedical Engineering Advisor.)