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Main Menu Session Number 1309

Quantitative Neurophysiology: a Scientific Course for Graduate Students in BME

Dmitri E. Kourennyi and Dominique M. Durand

Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio

Abstract

Neural engineering, an emerging significant branch of Biomedical Engineering, uses approaches and tools of fundamental life sciences, such as neurosciences, to solve biomedical problems. However, the interaction between neural engineers and neuroscientists has not yet reached the level that researchers from both fields would like to see. Graduate students in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) are required to take the courses Physiological Processes I and II offered by the Department. In addition, students in neural engineering normally take several courses offered in the Departments of Neurosciences and Physiology & Biophysics. In contrast, students from other departments rarely register for biomedical engineering courses. In the fall of 2000 we ran a pilot course EBME 517 “Quantitative Neurophysiology” offered in the BME department. The idea behind this course is to use modeling tools to illustrate neurophysiological processes. The course differs from “typical” computational neuroscience courses by focusing on computer modeling using NEURON software with a number of models included or publicly available and which does not require special computational skills to create custom models. Thus such a course is well suited for students from the Departments of Neurosciences and Physiology & Biophysics. On the other hand, the course provides deep fundamental background for biomedical engineering students. In the pilot run of the course proved to be interesting and well evaluated by the students. The projects completed by students were related to their research and well interlaced with fundamentals learnt in the lectures The strategy in development of the course for the fall of 2002 will include more standard models available for students for practice and fundamental understanding as well as to advertise the course wider to attract neuroscience and biophysics students.

Introduction

Neural engineers – those who design functional electrical stimulation devices or develop novel brain imaging techniques or try to construct reliable nerve regeneration systems – all must have excellent background in fundamental processes governing the function and pathology of the nervous system. The EBME 517 “Quantitative Neurophysiology” course has been introduced into the graduate curriculum in the BME Department to provide detailed and deep understanding

Proceedings of the 2002 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2002, American Society for Engineering Education Main Menu

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Durand, D. M., & Kourennyi, D. (2002, June), Quantitative Neurophysiology: A Scientific Course For Graduate Students In Bme Paper presented at 2002 Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada. 10.18260/1-2--11038