MOLECULAR NEUROBIOLOGY AND NEUROCHEMISTRY – MCB 165
Department of Molecular and Cell Biology - University of California, Berkeley
Winter/Spring Semester 2008
Required textbooks:
• Course Reader from Copy Central - 2560 Bancroft Way
• The Double Helix by James Watson
• Norton Critical Edition, edited by Gunther Stent (1980)
Lecture times:Tuesday and Thursday at 5:00 – 6:30 pm – 2060 VLSB
Instructor:David Presti249 Life Sciences Addition (LSA)
phone and voicemail: 643 2111<>
Office hours:Tuesday 12:30-1 pm, Wednesday 1:30-2 pm, Thursday 3-3:30 pm
I will also generally be available after each lecture.
Weekly discussion sections:Wednesday4-5109 Morgan
Wednesday6-7106 Moffitt
Graduate Student Instructor (GSI): Adeen Flinker <>
Website:
Probable topics to be covered – in approximate order of appearance:
reading #
• levels of description, evolution and tinkering6
• pharmacology, membranes, blood-brain barrier7
• neuron, synapse, receptors, reuptake, affinity, nervous systems10,11,12,13
• glutamate, glia, excitotoxicity14,15,16
• GABA, glycine, sedative-hypnotics, general anesthetics17,18,19
• controlled substances20
• absinthe, thujone, competitive and noncompetitive antagonists21
• acetylcholine, anticholinergics, tobacco, nicotine, curare, arecoline22,23
• acetylcholinesterase, AChE inhibition, organophosphates24,25
• monoamine neurotransmitters26
• amphetamine, ephedrine, cocaine, DAT k/o27,28
• Parkinson’s disease, dopaminergic neurotoxicity29,30
• serotonin, histamine, trace amines31,32,33
• psychosis, schizophrenia34,35,36
• mood disorders, GPCR functional selectivity37,38,39,40,41,42
• opioid neurochemistry, neuropeptides43,44,45
• salvinorin, kappa-opioid receptor46
• psychedelic / hallucinogenic drugs47,48,49,50,51
• methylenedioxymethamphetamine52,53
• cannabinoid receptor, endocannabinoids54,55
• retrograde signaling, synaptic plasticity56
• capsaicin, menthol, thermoreceptors57
• adenosine, caffeine, xanthine pharmacology58,59
• chemistry of cacao60,61,62
• addiction neurobiology, reward circuitry63,64
• nitrous oxide, mind-body problem65
Course grade will be based on two midterm exams (26% each), one final exam (36%), and one term paper / homework (12%). Exams will consist of a combination of different types of questions: multiple-choice, short-answer, and essay. Each midterm exam covers the preceding portion of the course and draws from materials in the lectures and readings. The final exam is comprehensive and covers material from the entire semester. Preparatory review sessions will be held prior to each of the exams. There will be no make-up exams. If you miss an exam, you will receive zero points for that exam. If you miss a midterm exam with a credible excuse (e.g., well-documented medical problem), then your other exams will count proportionally more in determining your course grade. If you miss the final exam with a credible excuse, you will receive an incomplete (I) grade (provided you have passing status in the class prior to the exam, otherwise grade = F); it may be necessary to wait until the next time the class is given to resolve the incomplete grade.
Turning in an acceptable term paper is required to pass the course. That is, not turning in an acceptable term paper will result in a failing grade, irrespective of how well you do on the exams. If you are taking the course P/NP, you must turn in an acceptable term paper in order to receive a passing grade.
Your letter grade in the course will be determined according to absolute standards of performance, which hopefully relate to your acquisition of knowledge and understanding of the material. You will not be competing against fellow students in the sense that we do not force letter grades to conform to a predetermined distribution. If everyone does extremely well, everyone could receive an “A” grade. If everyone does poorly (highly unlikely), then everyone could get a low grade. Rather than devoting energy to worrying about where grade cut-offs are, if you are truly interested in this subject and in getting the most from this class, we urge you to take the material seriously from the beginning, do the readings, and really make an effort to learn the material. Your efforts will be rewarded with deep knowledge and understanding of some truly fascinating topics. Good grades will be a side effect.
• dates for the two midterm exams, final exam, homework, and term paper
• exams will take place in 2060 VLSB at 5 pm, the usual class time
• mark your calendars now; the days and times of these exams will not be changed
• Thursday Feb 28 – 5:00 – 6:30 pm - Midterm exam I
• this exam will cover course material from lectures Jan 22 through Feb 26,
and corresponding material from the reader
• this exam will also cover material from The Double Helix (edited by
Gunther Stent), from the very beginning of the book through page 158
• Thursday April 17 – 5:00 – 6:30 pm - Midterm exam II
• lecture and reader material, March 4 through April 15
• Thursday May 8 – 5:00 – 6:30 pm - FINAL exam
• lecture and reader material for the entire semester
• detailed instructions for the homework and the term paper are in the MCB 165 Course Reader
• homework assignment 1 is due by 3 pm on Wednesday Feb 20
• homework assignment 2 is due by 3 pm on Wednesday April 2
• homework assignment 3 is due by 3 pm on Wednesday April 9
• the term paper (paper copy) is due by 3 pm on Wednesday April 30
• electronic upload of the term paper to is due midnight on May 1
• Note that each of these assignments is due on a Wednesday afternoon. It would be convenient to turn them at the class meeting of the Tuesday the day before. Otherwise, use the box at my office in 249 LSA.
• The quality of your term paper is likely to be greatly enhanced by working on it slowly over time, rather than frantically throwing something together at the last minute.
• All assignments must be turned in as paper copy. E-mailed assignments will not be accepted.
• Late assignments will not receive full credit.
• important astronomical dates and days of ancient ritual:
New Moons:January 8, February 6, March 7, April 5, May 5, June 3
Full Moons:January 22, February 20, March 21, April 20, May 19, June 18
Spring Equinox:March 20 Beltane: May 1 Summer Solstice: June 20
Total Lunar Eclipse:February 21
• reference for lunar and solar information:
• <aa.usno.navy.mil> Astronomical Applications Department of the US Naval Observatory
• <sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/OH/OH2008.html>
NASA Eclipse Information for 2008
• awesome websites!
MCB 165 – UC Berkeley – Winter/Spring 2008 - 1