Neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field that examines the interrelations between the nervous system and environment and includes perspectives from the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities.
From Synapse to Circuits to Self to Society
The field of neuroscience examines bidirectional relationships between the nervous system and behavior and includes perspectives from the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. As an inherently interdisciplinary field, neuroscience applies various methodologies to study the molecular, cellular, developmental, structural, functional, computational, and pathophysiological aspects of the nervous system, while bearing in mind that nervous systems are embodied and are situated in complex, dynamic environments.
The neuroscience curriculum at Bates is structured so that students can appreciate how multiple levels of analysis and multiple scholarly frameworks are needed to understand the complexities of human and non-human animal behavior. At the cellular and molecular level, students engage with invertebrate animal models and cell cultures to learn how individual neurons process and produce electrochemical signals to support intercellular communication. Using rodent models at a systems level, students learn how neurons interact to form circuits through which animals take in sensory information and produce motoric and other output that is adaptive for the animal in its environment. At the cognitive level, students study human perception, thought, and emotion by looking at the structure and function of human brains in neurotypical and atypical states. At the computational level, students synthesize top-down and bottom-up strategies in an effort to explain how the brain works, using multidisciplinary techniques to develop, simulate, and analyze multi-scale models of neural function. At a cultural level, students consider how parameters of the human brain are shaped by social norms and institutions and how the brain, in turn, influences the formation, acquisition, and preservation of culture.
The neuroscience program fosters an active, learning-by-doing approach, as students conduct meaningful and innovative research at several points in their academic career, beginning in laboratory sections as supplementation to classroom learning and culminating with rigorous, independent research during the senior capstone experience. Another key goal of the neuroscience curriculum at Bates is to deepen capacity for a critical examination of the historical, political, and ethical contexts in which neuroscience operates such that students probe what it means to be a responsible consumer and producer of neuroscientific knowledge. By interrogating how neuroscience is done, for whom, by whom, for what purpose, and with what consequences, students come to reflect upon their own habits of mind, value systems, and politics of participation.
Campus scenes from Oct. 11, 2024. Students pass by Dana Chemistry on Alumni Walk.
Laura Ligouri, teaching Neuroscience, Ethics, and Society in Pettengill G21 NRSC S20 – Neuroscience, Ethics, and Society As our ability to measure, predict, and manipulate brain function progresses, so too does our need to grapple with the societal consequences of neuroscientific discovery. This course invites critical examination of the ethics surrounding real-world neuroscience applications in private and public sectors. With topics that include psychopharmacology and cognitive liberty, neuroimaging for lie detection, weaponization of neurotechnology, and neuroprivacy in an era of data mining, students engage two overarching questions: How does the practice of neuroscience simultaneously mirror and mold social attitudes and policy-making agendas? What does it mean to be a responsible consumer and/or producer of neuroscientific knowledge? Prerequisite(s): NRSC 130, NS/PH 117, NS/PY 160, or PSYC 215. Not open to students who have received credit for NRSC 208. “A neuroscience course that looks at how we conceive of the ethics and societal implications of neurobiological research. There’s lots of different ways of taking a look at that from neuro technology and whether something’s safe to apply or not to neuroscience in the criminal justice system. So this week was all about looking at neuroscience in kind of an international context, specifically clinical, around trauma and PTSD. There’s so much neurobiological research around trauma and PTSD, we know a lot about the brain and trauma, and so how can we conceive of that research in cross-cultural context where it’s really tough to translate. It’s really tough to apply, it’s really tough to ethically interact. So how can we think about this with a broader lens when most of the research has been done with western communities? So we had three speakers – and she goes to get their names – Decca Deluc, a clinician from Somalia, treasurer of the Somali Community Center of Maine, and co-founder of Cr
Zain Ali ‘27 of Lebanon, Ohio, left, Tim Johnson ‘27 of Brewster, Mass., center, and Cate Fleming ‘27 of Brookline, Mass.,during Lab-Based Biological Inquiry Cellular Neuroscience taught by Martin Kruse, associate professor of biology and neuroscience, in Bonney Science Center Room 370 on January 25, 2024. (Theophil Syslo | Bates College)
Moments from Lab-Based Biological Inquiry Cellular Neuroscience taught by Martin Kruse, associate professor of biology and neuroscience, in Bonney Science Center Room 370 on January 25, 2024. (Theophil Syslo | Bates College)
Associate Professor of Neuroscience Jason Castro meets with two of his thesis students in Bonney 283. John Loftus ’22 of Palo Alto, Calif., a double major in neuroscience and art and visual culture (studio art), and Juliet Bockhorst ’22 of Westwood, Mass., a neuroscience major.