Brain Builders Academy
Supercharge Your Knowledge
Want to train your brain? On this page, you can find the lecture series of 'Brain Builders Academy'
Our goals for 2023
- 10+ Neuroscience Lectures
- 1000+ Amazed Customers
You can now register: "How Your Brain Communicates with Neural Signaling" lecture series!
Registration link for Part 1: Cell and Molecular Biology of Cells of the Nervous System” (su 29.10; 10.00–14.00)
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEucuurpjIvGNYGz9K2OhTSHRbbb-JuUpgJ
Registration link for Part 2: How Your Brain Communicates – Synaptic Transmission” (su 5.11; 10.00–14.00)
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0qde-uqz0jGdOtpLhQIG6qgQlzLUafqDxe
*The first part of the lecture series is free of charge, and the price for the second part is 69 € (including 24% VAT). The invoice will be sent to the email address you provided after the lecture.
*The number of participants is limited; we can accommodate a maximum of 50 people for each lecture.
*If you participate in Part 2, links to the recordings will be sent to you (for both lectures, part 1 & 2)
OVERVIEW OF THE "HOW THE BRAIN COMMUNICATES WITH NEURAL SIGNALING" LECTURE SERIES
When we genuinely want to understand how our brains – weighing just 1.5 kilograms – coordinate all our perceptions, attentiveness, decisions, and interaction with our environment, we must start somewhere.
The first step in understanding the ’biology of the mind’ is to grasp how individual neurons are organized into larger signaling pathways and how communication between neurons occurs through ’synaptic transmission.’
The ’Neural Signaling’ lecture series is designed to address this need. Parts 1 and 2 of the lecture series are intended for anyone seeking a comprehensive understanding of the neurobiological features of our brains.
During two 4-hour live training sessions (on the Zoom platform), you will learn the key principles of neuronal communication, just as they are taught in university-level neurobiology courses. You can explore the content of lecture series parts 1 and 2 in more detail below.
*Both parts include a three-hour lecture section and a one-hour optional small group work session
PART 1: Cell and Molecular Biology of Cells of the Nervous System
In all biological systems, from the most primitive to the most advanced, the basic building block is the cell. Cells are often organized into functional modules that are repeated in complex biological systems.
The vertebrate brain is the most complex example of a modular system. Thus, the construction of the brain and the cell biology, biophysics, and biochemistry of its component cells reflect its fundamental function, which is to mediate behavior.
In this first part of the ‘Neural Signaling’ lecture series, we shall be concerned with the distinctive cell biological properties that allow neurons and glia to fulfill their various specialized functions. A major emphasis will be on properties of ion channels that endow neurons with the ability to generate and propagate electrical signals in the form of action potentials.
We begin the discussion of neurons by considering general properties shared by ion channels—the ability to select and conduct ions, and to gate between open and closed conformations.
Neurons use four major classes of channels for signaling: (1) resting channels generate the resting potential and underlie the passive electrical properties of neurons that determine the time course of synaptic potentials, their spread along dendrites, and the threshold for firing an action potential; (2) sensory receptor channels respond to certain sensory stimuli to generate local receptor potentials; (3) ligand-gated channels open in response to neurotransmitters, generating local synaptic potentials; and (4) voltage-gated channels produce the currents that generate self-propagating action potentials.
The Content of the Part 1:
- Studying the Nervous System
- Electrical Signals of Nerve Cells
- Voltage-Dependent Membrane Permeability
- Ion Channels and Transporters
*This first part is free of charge.
PART 2: Synaptic Transmission
In part 2, we examine how electrical signals are initiated and propagated within an individual neuron. We now turn to synaptic transmission, the process by which one nerve cell communicates with another.
In this part of the lecture series, we consider synaptic transmission in its most elementary forms. We first compare, and contrast, the two major classes of synapses, chemical and electrical. We then focus on a model chemical synapse in the peripheral nervous system, the neuromuscular junction between a presynaptic motor neuron and a postsynaptic skeletal muscle fiber.
Next, we examine chemical synapses between neurons in the central nervous system, focusing on the postsynaptic cell and its integration of synaptic signals from multiple presynaptic inputs acting on both ionotropic receptors and metabotropic receptors.
We then turn to the presynaptic terminal and consider the mechanisms by which neurons release transmitter from their presynaptic terminals, how transmitter release can be regulated by neural activity, and the chemical nature of the neurotransmitters.
One key theme running throughout part 2, and indeed throughout the lecture series, is the concept of plasticity. At all synapses, the strength of a synaptic connection is not fixed but can be modified in various ways by behavioral context or experience, through a variety of mechanisms referred to as synaptic plasticity.
The Content of the Part 2:
- Synaptic Transmission
- Neurotransmitters and Their Receptors
- Molecular Signaling within Neurons
- Synaptic Plasticity
*The price for this lecture is only 69 € (including 24% VAT)
*Participants will receive a link to the recordings for both Part 1 and Part 2
WHAT IS BRAIN BUILDERS ACADEMY?
Brain Builders Academy, in collaboration with the students of the Master’s Program in Neuroscience, is an educational consortium comprised of trained neuroscientists and students majoring in neuroscience. We offer several live online training sessions annually on various topics in neuroscience.
The Academy’s purpose is to provide not only researched facts but also in-depth knowledge about the fundamental principles of the human brain’s structure, function, and intricate computational machinery.
The Academy’s goal is to help people understand how 80 billion individual neurons and an infinite number of molecules come together to create a unique beauty – ’Darwinian elegance’ – which translates into individual thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
WHY NEUROSCIENCE?
The 21st century is the golden age of brain research.
Understanding the emergence of life from complexity is key to making the right choices. To take care of life, we need to understand how it works. Also understanding the brain is key as it is the most central player in the physiology of the whole body.
Neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field that studies the brain and the entire nervous system at different levels of organisation, from genes and molecules to nerve cells and networks; and beyond.
Take your learning to the next level, and understand the diverse functions of the brain and the nervous system, and the complexity of life from molecules to functional organisms.
UPCOMING ZOOM-LECTURES
Below you will find our upcoming training sessions. We will provide more specific timing details later. If you would like to receive advance notifications about these upcoming training sessions, please feel free to contact us using the form below.
In the message field, please specify the name of the training session you are interested in receiving updates about. You may write your message in either Finnish or English
TOPICS
- Neurobiology of Learning and Memory
- Synaptic Signaling and Plasticity in the Dopaminergic System
- Empathy & Emotional Intelligence in Teams
- Movement and its central control
- Neurobiology of sleep
- The Neuroscience of Attention, Thinking, Planning, and Decision-Making
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE LECTURES?
We offer you the opportunity to explore the exciting world that lies behind our brains and nervous system. Whether you have prior experience in neurobiology or not, our courses are designed to provide understandable information about our biology for everyone.
Here’s what you can expect from our courses:
Understandable Information: We discuss neurobiology in a clear and easily understandable language. You don’t need any biological background to comprehend our lectures.
Foundations and Practical Applications: You’ll learn the basics of neurobiology, but we won’t leave you with just theory. We also consider how this knowledge can be applied in your everyday life.
Interaction: Our courses aren’t one-way lectures. We encourage questions and discussions so that you can deepen your understanding and get answers to the questions that intrigue you.
Inspiring Environment: We create a relaxed and inspiring learning environment (including small group work) where you can feel comfortable and encouraged to participate.
Continuous Learning: Neurobiology is a broad and diverse subject, and our lectures are just the beginning. We offer opportunities for ongoing learning and in-depth exploration through numerous in-depth lectures.
Latest Research: We discuss neurobiology with the latest research findings, providing access to the newest information and discoveries about brain function and nervous system dynamics.
Collaboration with the Neuroscience Program: We take pride in our close collaboration with the Neuroscience Program at the University of Helsinki. This partnership provides access to experts and resources that support your learning.
Join us on a journey into the world of neurobiology, whether your interest lies in understanding the growing activity of your brain, managing stress, or enhancing mental well-being!
BIG QUESTIONS IN NEUROSCIENCE
- How does the brain conceive of the infinite, discover new knowledge, and produce the remarkable individuality of human thoughts, feelings, and actions?
- How are these extraordinary mental capabilities distributed within the brain?
- What rules relate the anatomical organization and the cellular physiology of a region to its specific role in mentation?
- What do genes contribute to behavior, and how is gene expression in nerve cells regulated by developmental and learning processes?
- How does experience alter the way the brain processes subsequent events, and to what degree is that processing unconscious?
- What are the neural bases of neurological and psychiatric disorders?
Ready to Supercharge Your Wisdom ?
Feel free to message if you’d like advance information about upcoming training sessions!
