Course Catalogue

Neurology and Neurosurgery: An overview of cellular and molecular neuroscience at the graduate level. Topics include: synthesis, processing and intracellular transport of macromolecules; development of the nervous system including neurogenesis, axonal pathfinding, synaptogenesis and myelination; neuronal survival and response to injury; generation and propagation of action potentials; neurotransmitters and synaptic transmission.

Offered by: Neurology and Neurosurgery

• Fall
• Prerequisites: BIOL 200 and BIOL 201 or equivalent; permission of instructor

• Terms
  • Fall 2020
• Instructors
  • Edward S Ruthazer, Peter Scott McPherson, Philippe Seguela, Wayne Steven Sossin, Jean-Francois Cloutier, Adrien F Peyrache, Austen Milnerwood, Gary A Armstrong, Aparna Suvrathan, Yang Zhou

Neurology and Neurosurgery: An overview of the structure, function and interaction of neuronal systems of vertebrates. Topics include basic neuroanatomy, coding and processing of sensory information (somatic sensory, visual and auditory systems), control of posture and voluntary movement, learning and memory, processing of language and speech, cerebral blood flow, the neuroendocrine system and neuroimmunology.

Offered by: Neurology and Neurosurgery

• Winter
• Prerequisite: A knowledge of basic mechanisms of biology, physiology, and anatomy as covered by respective undergraduate classes is expected and necessary to succeed in this course.
• Restriction: Students must be enrolled in a graduate program at McGill University. Students from other universities, as well as undergraduate students from McGill require special permission from the Instructor.

• Terms
  • Winter 2021
• Instructors
  • David S Ragsdale, Carl P Ernst, Daniel E Guitton, Joseph Rochford, Abbas Sadikot

Neurology and Neurosurgery: The role of inflammation in physiological function of the nervous system, as well as in a broad range of neurological diseases where inflammation can act as a contributing factor to the development of pathology or promote recovery, including fundamentals of neuroimmunology to molecular/cellular aspects of neuroinflammation underlying the pathology seen in clinical conditions.

Offered by: Neurology and Neurosurgery

• Prerequisites: (MIMM 214 or MIMM 314 or MIMM 414 or PHGY 313) and (NSCI 200 or NSCI 201 or ANAT 321 or ANAT 323 or PHGY 314) or permission of instructor.

• Terms
  • Winter 2021
• Instructors
  • Ji Zhang, Jack P Antel, Edith Hamel, Samantha Gruenheid, Nicolas Cermakian, Peter M Siegel, Roberta La Piana, Irah King, Guillaume Sébire, David Rudko

Neurology and Neurosurgery: A survey of computational methods commonly used to model brain function, including mathematical modeling to describe the relationship between neuronal activity and perception, action, and cognition. Mathematical basis for vision, motor control and attention. Data relevant to brain processes and models explaining these data, using engineering, statistics and artificial intelligence.

Offered by: Neurology and Neurosurgery

• Winter
• Basic neuroanatomy/neurophysiology, some mathematics (linear algebra calculus, probability/statistics) or consent of instructor.
• Restriction: Not open to students who have taken NEUR 603.

• Terms
  • Winter 2021
• Instructors
  • Christopher C Pack, Per Jesper Sjostrom, Curtis L Baker, Bratislav Misic, Erik P Cook, Maurice J Chacron, Stefanie Blain-Moraes, Adrien F Peyrache

Neurology and Neurosurgery: The course deals with neuroreceptor and oncologic imaging and imaging of cerebral bloodflow and metabolism. The role of radiochemistry and physics will be demonstrated in the context of clinical and research applications. Understanding how radiochemistry and physics intermingle with the medical aspects of radiotracer development will result in a deeper insight into the complex pathways of tracer design and the methods necessary to properly interpret the data obtained.

Offered by: Neurology and Neurosurgery

• Fall
• Restriction: Not open to students who have taken NEUR 607.

• Terms
  • Fall 2020
• Instructors
  • Alexey Kostikov, Pedro Rosa, Jean-Paul Soucy, Alexander Thiel

Neurology and Neurosurgery: An interdisciplinary course on the biochemistry and cellular/molecular biology of free radicals, transition metals, oxidative stress and antioxidants and their roles in health and disease.

Offered by: Neurology and Neurosurgery

• Winter
• Prerequisite: BIOL 200, BIOL 201, BIOC 311, BIOC 312, PHGY 209, PHGY 210 or permission of instructor.

• Terms
  • This course is not scheduled for the 2020 academic year
• Instructors
  • There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020 academic year

Neurology and Neurosurgery: A historical survey of neuroscience, from antiquity to the major discoveries of the 20th century. Conceptual and technical advances having led to our current understanding of brain function and dysfunctions will be discussed. Particular attention will be given to sensory systems and cognitive processes.

Offered by: Neurology and Neurosurgery

• Fall
• Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.

• Terms
  • Winter 2021
• Instructors
  • Naguib Mechawar, Joseph Rochford, Stuart Trenholm

Neurology and Neurosurgery: Current methods that are used to investigate human brain structure and function will be discussed with an emphasis on Magnetic Resonance-based techniques including functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, and Diffusion Tensor Imaging.

Offered by: Neurology and Neurosurgery

• Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.
• Restriction: Students must be enrolled in the Integrated Program in Neuroscience (IPN) graduate program at McGill University. McGill students enrolled in other graduate programs as well as undergraduate students and students from other universities are encouraged to apply and should contact the course instructors.
• Contact hours: by appointment - please contact any of the responsible instructors by email

• Terms
  • This course is not scheduled for the 2020 academic year
• Instructors
  • There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020 academic year

Neurology and Neurosurgery: Current topics in Neuroscience.

Offered by: Neurology and Neurosurgery

• Fall
• Prerequisite: Permission of unit instructor

• Terms
  • Fall 2020
• Instructors
  • Sylvia Villeneuve, Megha M Chakravarty, Tie Yuan Zhang, Yong Rao, Keith Murai, David Stellwagen, Kai-Florian Storch, Nicolas Cermakian, Yasser Iturria Medina, Xiaoqian Chai, Boris Bernhardt, Maiya R Geddes, Mark Brandon, Sylvain Williams, Adrien F Peyrache

Neurology and Neurosurgery: Advanced seminars in neurobiology emphasizing current concepts of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying disease of the nervous system and muscle and how the study of disease has contributed to our understanding of cell biology. Topics: genetic mutations responsible for diseases, mechanisms of selective vulnerability of cell populations, and environmental influences.

Offered by: Neurology and Neurosurgery

• Winter
• Prerequisites: NEUR 630, NEUR 631 or NEUR 610; and permission of instructor
• Enrolment limited to 12

• Terms
  • This course is not scheduled for the 2020 academic year
• Instructors
  • There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020 academic year

Neurology and Neurosurgery: This course focuses on neuronal development and maturation from a molecular aspect. We introduce various model organisms and systems that are used to study molecular aspects of development, explore their particular advantages and explore the cellular and molecular events that contribute to the development of the nervous system.

Offered by: Neurology and Neurosurgery

• Winter
• Offered alternate years - odd numbered years

• Terms
  • Winter 2021
• Instructors
  • Michel Cayouette, Artur Kania, Timothy E Kennedy, Jean-Francois Cloutier, Edward S Ruthazer, Stuart Trenholm

Neurology and Neurosurgery: An introduction to the design and analysis of neuroimaging experiments in humans.

Offered by: Neurology and Neurosurgery

• Fall
• Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

• Terms
  • Winter 2021
• Instructors
  • Robert Nathan Spreng

Neurology and Neurosurgery: Cutting-edge analytics as applied to complex and multimodal neuroimaging datasets. Topics include statistics, associative techniques, graph theoretical analysis, causal models, nonparametric inference, and meta-analytical synthesis.

Offered by: Neuroscience, Integrated Pgm

• Restrictions: Only open to students enrolled in the M.Sc. in Neuroscience or the Ph.D. in Neuroscience. Students from other units may also enrol with permission of the instructor.

• Terms
  • Fall 2020
• Instructors
  • Boris Bernhardt, Bratislav Misic

Neurology and Neurosurgery: This course will examine current topics in the functional anatomy of the human brain. The emphasis will be on how anatomical organization determines function. The course will comprise classroom sessions and dissection of human brains.

Offered by: Neurology and Neurosurgery

• Winter
• Enrolment in IPN or consent of instructor.

• Terms
  • Winter 2021
• Instructors
  • Edith Hamel, David S Ragsdale

Neurology and Neurosurgery: Conceptual and hands-on training in connectional research, with an emphasis on lab-to-world impact and academic entrepreneurship. Concepts in ideation, idea refinement and definition, stakeholder identification, market analysis and ethnographic studies, and structure of impactful proposals.

Offered by: Neuroscience, Integrated Pgm

• Restriction: Students must have completed 1 year of graduate studies in the Faculties of Medicine, Engineering, or Science.
• Students must have completed 1st year of PhD work. Students must bring laptop for classes.

• Terms
  • Fall 2020
• Instructors
  • Reza Farivar-Mohseni

Biology (Sci): Exploration of the neurobiological basis of learning, from molecules to circuits, focusing on the synaptic, cellular and circuit-level processes that support learning, in the context of different brain regions and forms of learning.

Offered by: Biology

• Prerequisite(s): BIOL 306 or NEUR 310 or NSCI 200 and NSCI 201 or PHGY 311 or PHGY 314 or permission of instructor

• Terms
  • Fall 2020
• Instructors
  • Aparna Suvrathan, Per Jesper Sjostrom, Wayne Steven Sossin, Edward S Ruthazer, Shelton M Hendricks

Biology (Sci): Discussions of all aspects of nervous system development including pattern formation, cell lineage, pathfinding and targeting by growing axons, and neural regeneration. The basis for these discussions will be recent research papers and other assigned readings.

Offered by: Biology

• Winter
• 1 hour lecture, 2 hours seminar
• Prerequisites: BIOL 303 or BIOL 306 or permission of instructor

• Terms
  • Winter 2021
• Instructors
  • Donald Van Meyel, Artur Kania, Alyson Elise Fournier, Jean-Francois Cloutier, Edward S Ruthazer

Biology (Sci): Topics in the genetics and molecular genetics of unicellular, plant, invertebrate and vertebrate models systems.

Offered by: Biology

• Prerequisites: BIOL 202 and BIOL 300; BIOL 303 recommended
• Fall course given every second year, alternating with BIOL 544; enrollment limited to 15 students

• Terms
  • This course is not scheduled for the 2020 academic year
• Instructors
  • There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020 academic year

Biology (Sci): This course will focus on recent research employing genetic-based methods to examine the functional and structural properties of the nervous system. The focus will be on approaches for studying neural circuits and behavior in a range of model organisms. Topics will include recent technological advances, such as optogenetics for modifying and controlling neuronal activity, and animal models of neurological diseases. Students will critically analyze the application of these methods to current research through in-class discussion of primary literature, student presentations, and written assignments.

Offered by: Biology

• Prerequisite(s): BIOL 306 or permission of the instructors.

• Terms
  • Fall 2020
• Instructors
  • Shelton M Hendricks, Alanna J Watt

Biology (Sci): Discussion of fundamental molecular mechanisms underlying the general features of cellular neurobiology. An advanced course based on lectures and on a critical review of primary research papers.

Offered by: Biology

• Fall
• 1.5 hours lecture, 1.5 hours seminar
• Prerequisite: BIOL 300 and BIOL 306 or permission

• Terms
  • Fall 2020
• Instructors
  • Kenneth E M Hastings, Arjun Krishnaswamy, Peter Scott McPherson, Jean-Francois Poulin, Yang Zhou

Biomedical Engineering: An overview of how techniques from engineering and the physical sciences are applied to the study of selected physiological systems and biological signals. Using specific biological examples, systems will be studied using: signal or finite-element analysis, system and identification, modelling and simulation, computer control of experiments and data acquisition.

Offered by: Biomedical Engineering

• (3-0-6)

• Terms
  • Fall 2020
• Instructors
  • W Robert J Funnell

Biomedical Engineering: This course requires students to regularly attend the departmental seminar series and to present a seminar related to their research.

Offered by: Biomedical Engineering

• Students must register for both BMDE 600D1 and BMDE 600D2.
• No credit will be given for this course unless both BMDE 600D1 and BMDE 600D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms
• Students must register for BMDE 600D1 before BMDE 600D2.
• Restriction(s): This course is open only to students registered in the second term or later of the M.Eng. in Biomedical Engineering (Thesis) and M.Eng. in Biomedical Engineering; (Thesis) Bioinformatics programs.
• Not open to students who have taken BMDE 500D1/D2.

• Terms
  • This course is not scheduled for the 2020 academic year
• Instructors
  • There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020 academic year

Biomedical Engineering: This course requires students to regularly attend the departmental seminar series and to present a seminar related to their research.

Offered by: Biomedical Engineering

• Students must register for both BMDE 600D1 and BMDE 600D2.
• No credit will be given for this course unless both BMDE 600D1 and BMDE 600D2 are successfully completed in consecutive terms.
• Students must register for BMDE 600D1 before BMDE 600D2.
• Restriction(s): This course is open only to students registered in the second term or later of the M.Eng. in Biomedical Engineering (Thesis) and M.Eng. in Biomedical Engineering; (Thesis) Bioinformatics programs.
• Not open to students who have taken BMDE 500D1/D2.

• Terms
  • This course is not scheduled for the 2020 academic year
• Instructors
  • There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020 academic year

Biomedical Engineering: Biomedical engineering: Multimodal data fusion of electrophysiology and functional neuroimaging data, including: detailed description of source localization methods for Electro- and MagnetoEncephaloGraphy data, analysis of brain hemodynamic activity through simultaneous recordings with electrophysiology, analysis and reconstruction of Near Infra-Red Spectroscopy data, modeling of the neurovascular coupling,validation methodology.

Offered by: Biomedical Engineering

• Prerequisites: ECSE 305, MATH 223 or equivalent

• Terms
  • Winter 2021
• Instructors
  • Christophe Grova

Biomedical Engineering: Review of advanced techniques in medical imaging including: fast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), functional MRI, MR angiography and quantitative flow measurement, spiral and dynamic x-ray computed tomography, 2D/3D positron emission tomography (PET), basic PET physiology, tracer kinetics, surgical planning and guidance, functional and anatomical brain mapping, 2D and 3D ultrasound imaging, and medical image processing.

Offered by: Biomedical Engineering

• Terms
  • Winter 2021
• Instructors
  • Louis Collins

Computer Science (Sci): Topics in computer science.

Offered by: Computer Science

• 3 hours
• Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

• Terms
  • Fall 2020
  • Winter 2021
• Instructors
  • Derek Ruths, Jin Guo, Elizabeth Patitsas, Robert Robere, David Rolnick
  • Xue Liu

Dentistry: Presentation of the neurobiology of pain and analgesia, clinical pain conditions, basic and applied research methods in the study of pain, and the theory and practice of pain management. The course is designed for graduate students interested in pain mechanisms and clinical residents interested in pain management.

Offered by: Dentistry

• Restriction: Open to all health professionals

• Terms
  • Fall 2020
• Instructors
  • Ana Miriam Velly, Marc O Martel

Experimental Surgery: A study of signal transduction.

Offered by: Surgery

• 2 hours/week
• Restriction: Open to graduate students with prerequisites and U3 undergraduates with special permission

• Terms
  • Fall 2020
• Instructors
  • Anie Philip, Kenneth Walter Finnson, Cristian Marcel O'Flaherty

Marketing: Decision neuroscience may be utilized to offer information about expected investor behaviour and provide a due diligence tool for measuring asset managers' potential abilities. Experimental directions covered will include neuroscience studies of decision-making at the individual level, including the brain mechanisms behind risk, reward and punishment learning, valuation, motivation, and self control.

Offered by: Management

• Terms
  • This course is not scheduled for the 2020 academic year
• Instructors
  • There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020 academic year

Mathematics & Statistics (Sci): Conditional probability and Bayes’ Theorem, discrete and continuous univariate and multivariate distributions, conditional distributions, moments, independence of random variables. Modes of convergence, weak law of large numbers, central limit theorem. Point and interval estimation. Likelihood inference. Bayesian estimation and inference. Hypothesis testing.

Offered by: Mathematics and Statistics

• Prerequisite: MATH 141 or equivalent
• Restrictions: Not open to students who have taken MATH 324, MATH 357, MATH 557. Intended for graduate students working on quantitative research questions related to life sciences who have had differential and integral calculus.

• Terms
  • Fall 2020
• Instructors
  • James H McVittie

Medical Physics: This course is concerned with the principles of medical imaging as applied to conventional diagnostic radiography, X-ray computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The course emphasizes a linear system approach to the formation, processing, and display of medical images.

Offered by: Medical Physics Unit

• Restriction: Open only to students registered in Medical Physics or Biological & Biomedical Engineering programs; permission of instructor for other students.

• Terms
  • Fall 2020
• Instructors
  • Ives Levesque

Physiology: Topics of current interest in systems neurophysiology and behavioural neuroscience including: the neural representation of sensory information and motor behaviours, models of sensory motor integration, and the computational analysis of problems in motor control and perception. Students will be expected to present and critically discuss journal articles in class.

Offered by: Physiology

• Winter
• Restriction: Permission of the instructor required.
• Restriction: Not open to students who have taken PHGY 456

• Terms
  • Winter 2021
• Instructors
  • Daniel E Guitton, Erik P Cook, Christopher C Pack, Stephen Lomber, Adrien F Peyrache, Suresh Krishna

Psychology: We examine in detail the structure of the visual system, and its function as reflected in the perceptual abilities and behaviour of the organism. Parallels are also drawn with other sensory systems to demonstrate general principles of sensory coding.

Offered by: Psychology

• Winter
• 2 lectures

• Terms
  • Fall 2020
• Instructors
  • Frederick A A Kingdom, Kathleen T Mullen

Psychology: Advanced area seminar on a topic in comparative and physiological psychology.

Offered by: Psychology

• Terms
  • This course is not scheduled for the 2020 academic year
• Instructors
  • There are no professors associated with this course for the 2020 academic year

Psychology: Advanced area seminar on a topic in perception and cognition.

Offered by: Psychology

• Terms
  • Winter 2021
• Instructors
  • Mathieu Roy

Psychiatry: Current theories on the neurobiological basis of most well known mental disorders (e.g. schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, dementia). Methods and strategies in research on genetic, physiological and biochemical factors in mental illness will be discussed. Discussion will also focus on the rationale for present treatment approaches and on promising new approaches.

Offered by: Psychiatry

• Winter
• 3 hours
• Prerequisite (Undergraduate): BIOC 212 and BIOC 311, or BIOC 312, or BIOL 200 and BIOL 201, or PHGY 311, or PSYC 308 and an upper-level biological science course with permission of the instructors, or equivalent. Basic knowledge of cellular and molecular biology is required.
• Restriction: Open to U3 and graduate students only.
• Restriction: Graduate Studies: strongly recommended for M.Sc. students in Psychiatry.

• Terms
  • Winter 2021
• Instructors
  • Tak Pan Wong, Corina Nagy, Megha M Chakravarty, Tie Yuan Zhang, Serge Beaulieu, Sylvain Williams, Alain Brunet, Kathryn Gill, Lalit K Srivastava, Marco Leyton

Psychiatry: Critical assessment of research tools, reported data, and theoretical perspectives on drug addiction, with an emphasis on multi-factorial and inter-disciplinary approaches.

Offered by: Psychiatry

• Winter
• Prerequisite: PSYT 301 or permission from one of the instructors.
• Restrictions: Priority will be given to graduate students registered in Psychiatry, Psychology or Neuroscience graduate programs. Open to undergraduates who have completed PSYT 301 or an equivalent course. Undergraduates must obtain permission of the instructors before registration. Not open to students who have taken PSYT 615.

• Terms
  • Winter 2021
• Instructors
  • Marco Leyton, Kathryn Gill

Psychiatry: A broad perspective on mental illness, from diagnostic approaches to mental health policies. Examination of symptoms and diagnostic criteria of mood disorders, psychoses, and addictions and impulsivity disorders. Medication- and therapy-based treatments and recent developments in mind-body approaches. Epidemiology and social determinants of mental illness, and mental health prevention, services and policy.

Offered by: Psychiatry

• Terms
  • Fall 2020
• Instructors
  • Joseph Rochford

Psychiatry: Statistics needed for analysing the types of data generated in a laboratory setting, with emphasis on the neurosciences, will be covered. Hypothesis testing, parametric and non-parametric statistics will be studied with a practical approach, using data generated by the students. Computer analysis will be introduced.

Offered by: Psychiatry

• Terms
  • Fall 2020
  • Winter 2021
• Instructors
  • Joseph Rochford
  • Joseph Rochford

Phys & Occ Therapy: Overview of how movement is controlled by the nervous system and how motor skills are learned.

Offered by: Phys and Occ Therapy

• Restriction: Open only to students registered in the following programs: MSc. (Applied) in Occupational Therapy, MSc. (Applied) in Physical Therapy and MSc. in Rehabilitation Science. Open to other students by permission of instructor only.

• Terms
  • Fall 2020
• Instructors
  • Mindy Levin