Journal of undergraduate neuroscience education : JUNE : a publication of FUN, Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience最新文献

Neuroscience is inherently interdisciplinary. This interdisciplinarity can be lost due to the self-contained nature of each course in most undergraduate neuroscience programs, leaving students to draw these cross-course relationships on their own. We sought to address this by using short, creative research assignments on a topic of the student's choice ("Deep Dive" assignments) that provided students with the opportunity to explore common applications across two concurrently run core neuroscience courses housed in different departments. We tested whether unifying the available Deep Dive topics across the two courses improved student outcomes. Specifically, students were asked to select a topic of interest from a shortlist shared in the two courses. Our results show that harmonized, concurrent creative assignments across dissimilar neuroscience courses improved outcomes related to student interest in material, confidence in creative problem solving, content recall for the other course, and applicability to real life. To our surprise, there was no added benefit to be in the same topic for both courses. Instead, the addition of harmonized Deep Dive assignments themselves, even if assigned on different topics across the two courses, drove the outcome improvement.

Case studies are a valuable teaching tool to engage students in course content using real-world scenarios. As part of the High-throughput Discovery Science & Inquiry-based Case Studies for Today's Students (HITS) Research Coordination Network (RCN), our team has created the Sleepy Mice Case Study for students to engage with RStudio and the Allen Institute for Brain Science's open access high-throughput sleep dataset on mice. Sleep is important for health, a familiar concern to college students, and was a basis for this case study. In this case, students completed an initial homework assignment, in-class work, and a final take-home application assignment. The case study was implemented in synchronous and asynchronous Introductory Neuroscience courses, a Biopsychology course, and a Human Anatomy and Physiology course, reflecting its versatility. The case can be used to teach course-specific learning objectives such as sleep-related content and/or science data processing skills. The case study was successful as shown by gains in student scores and confidence in achieving learning objectives. Most students reported enjoying learning about sleep deprivation course content using the case study. Best practices based on instructor experiences in implementation are also included to facilitate future use so that the Sleepy Mice Case Study can be used to teach content and/or research-related skills in various courses and modalities.

The NEURON initiative (Neuroscience Education in Undergraduate Research, Outreach, and Networking) is a free program engaging first year students, including underrepresented minority (URM) students in Neuroscience and Cognitive Science (NSCS) at the University of Arizona (UA). The NEURON program builds on former Grass Foundation-sponsored workshops run by Dr. Ricoy (2010-2019) implementing hands-on and culturally responsive active learning curriculum with low-cost equipment from Backyard Brains to increase student retention of URM students in the sciences at Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI). We present the implementation of the NEURON program at the onset of the COVID pandemic. Combining best practices of distance learning and peer mentoring, we conducted three-week projects exploring principles of neuroscience and neurophysiology. Enrollment and demographic data from NSCS at the UA demonstrate historical disenfranchisement and program attrition primarily impacting URM students. As an extension on previous URM peer mentorship programs in Neuroscience (Ricoy, presentation at Northern New Mexico College Research Symposium, 2010, 2011; presentation at Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americas in Science, 2012), we leveraged low-cost equipment and remote sessions to advance the community of undergraduate mentors and pair with high school mentees on hands-on curriculum. Throughout the program, undergraduate mentors received guidance while crafting and delivering four laboratory lessons to mentees. By coordinating with a Title I school, we better connected with historically underserved students. Critical to this program was providing hands-on opportunities to students who were undergoing distance-based learning during the pandemic. Distribution of equipment allowed high school students to experiment remotely, guided by undergraduate mentors. The NEURON program met its objectives of fostering both mentors and mentees as burgeoning scientists.

Traditional course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) are common approaches to expose students to authentic laboratory practices. Traditional CUREs typically take up most of or an entire semester, require a laboratory section or may be a standalone lab course, and require significant financial and time commitments by the institution and instructors. As such, CUREs are harder to implement at institutions with fewer resources. Here, we developed a mini-CURE, which are typically shorter in duration, called the COVID-19 and Taste Lab (CT-LAB). The CT-LAB requires significantly fewer resources ($0.05/student) and time commitment (two class periods) than traditional CUREs. CT-LAB centers around the biological relationship between COVID-19 susceptibility and taste status (non-taster, taster, and supertaster) as well as potential implications for public policy behavior. Students participated in a class-wide study where they examined if taste status was related to COVID-19 susceptibility. They found that non-tasters had a higher likelihood of testing positive previously for COVID-19 compared to tasters and supertasters. To assess student outcomes of this CURE, students completed a pre- and post-test assessment including a content test, STEM identity survey, taste test, COVID-19 history test, and a modified CURE survey. Content test scores improved while STEM identity and attitudes about science were unchanged. A direct comparison to a repository of traditional CUREs shows that the CT-LAB produced comparable benefits to traditional CUREs primarily in skills that were particularly relevant for the CT-LAB. This work suggests that mini-CUREs, even as brief as two class periods, could be a way to improve student outcomes.

Remyelination is a key repair process that ensures neurons remain protected following injury. This process is mediated by remyelinating oligodendrocytes in vertebrates, however, similarly to other neurobiological processes, the rate and efficiency of remyelination decreases across age and under pathological conditions. This has largely been attributed to two main contributors: 1) decreased exogenous signals supporting remyelination; and 2) aging of precursor cells that no longer differentiate into remyelinating oligodendrocytes. Here we discuss a key paper by Ruckh et al. (2012) who presented novel evidence that exposure to soluble bloodstream factors of young mice significantly rescues remyelination in old mice following a demyelinating insult. In this paper, a parabiosis approach was used where young and old mice were surgically joined for three weeks before and then left as a pair throughout the experiment. Ruckh and colleagues also offer novel insight into the role played by immune system cells, specifically macrophages, in clearance of myelin debris, a further contributor to remyelination. This paper is a good tool to expose undergraduate neuroscience students to basic molecular processes underlying conduction and transmission, helping them link cellular and network components. It also offers a platform for introducing the practicalities of in vivo research and debating ethical controversies that arise in animal research.

"Everyday Neuroscience" is an academically based community service (ABCS) course in which college students teach basic neuroscience lab activities to high school students in an under-funded school district, working in small groups on hands-on science activities for 10 weekly sessions. The present study examined the possible psychological and social effects of this experience on the college students, in comparison with peers not enrolled in such a course, by observing and surveying the high school and college students across the 10-week course period. First, the teaching-learning sessions in the course successfully promoted science-focused discussion between the high school and college students for 45 to 60 minutes each week. Second, college students in "Everyday Neuroscience" reported higher positive affect and less intergroup anxiety at the end of the semester compared with the control group of college students who were not in the course. Finally, surveys of the high school students revealed that they found the sessions to be positive social experiences. These findings reveal that a neuroscience-based community engagement course can be both a positive experience for the community partner and a benefit for college students by promoting psychological and social wellness.

Electroencephalograms (EEGs) are the gold standard test used in the medical field to diagnose epilepsy and aid in the diagnosis of many other neurological and mental disorders. Growing in popularity in terms of nonmedical applications, the EEG is also used in research, neurofeedback, and brain-computer interface, making it increasingly relevant to student learning. Recent innovations have made EEG setups more accessible and affordable, thus allowing their integration into neuroscience educational settings. Introducing students to EEGs, however, can be daunting due to intricate setup protocols, individual variation, and potentially expensive equipment. This paper aims to provide guidance for introducing students and educators to fundamental beginning and advanced level EEG concepts. Specifically, this paper tested the potential of three different setups, with varying channel number and wired or wireless connectivity, for introducing students to qualitative and quantitative exploration of alpha enhancement when eyes are closed, and observation of the alpha/beta anterior to posterior gradient. The setups were compared to determine their relative advantages and their robustness in detecting these well-established parameters. The basic 1- or 2-channel setups are sufficient for observing alpha and beta waves, while more advanced systems containing 8 or 16 channels are required for consistent observation of an anterior-posterior gradient. In terms of localization, the 16-channel setup, in principle, was more adept. The 8-channel setup, however, was more effective than the 16-channel setup with regards to displaying the anterior to posterior gradient. Thus, an 8-channel setup is sufficient in an education setting to display these known trends. Modification of the 16-channel setup may provide a better observation of the anterior to posterior gradient.