ON THIS PAGE:
Course Requirements
Core Courses
NEUR 705
Elective Courses
Undergraduate Courses
Course Requirements
View our Course Requirements page
Core Courses
IPN M.Sc. students have the option to take either NEUR 630 or NEUR 631, or both.
Ph.D. students must take both.
Note that NEUR 630 and NEUR 631 are intended as accelerated survey courses in cellular & molecular neuroscience and systems neuroscience respectively. If you feel your background in neurobiology is weak, these courses are intended for you, to expose you to the critical foundations in neuroscience. If you already have a strong neuroscience background (e.g., undergraduate or MSc degree in Neuroscience) you may find these courses add very little to your training. In this case we strongly urge you to apply for an exemption from NEUR 630 and/or NEUR 631 so that you can take more specialized graduate seminar courses instead. Although they are listed as required core courses, we enthusiastically encourage you to seek the exemption if you are eligible
Note that our core courses are not open to non-McGill students.
NEUR 705 - Mandatory Course
Effective as of September 2010, all IPN students must complete the NEUR 705 course in order to graduate from the program.
NEUR 705 is a research course worth zero credits. The objectives of NEUR 705 are to teach and familiarize students on the responsible conduct of research, so that they are able to identify and assess ethical issues that may arise in research, and handle research integrity conflicts that may arise in their own work/studies.
More information on the course is available here.
Winter 2025: NEUR-705-001; Two (2) occurrences:
Feb 12, 2025 12:30 PM
Feb 19, 2025 12:30 PM
Location: Zoom.
NEUR 700 Doctoral Candidacy Examination
Register for NEUR700 in the semester you intend on taking the Ph.D. Candidacy Examination.
Elective Courses
Important Notes:
With very few exceptions, M.Sc. students cannot take 700 level courses, which are intended for Ph.D. students exclusively.
Students taking electives considered extra to their program will be charged additional tuition fees.
1) Contact the corresponding department's administrative coordinator to get approval.
2) E-mail the IPN office (ipn [at] mcgill.ca) with proof that your supervisor has approved this.
3) Please wait for approval from IPN office before you register.
If you wish to enrol in non-IPN elective courses (500 level +)
1) Contact the corresponding department's administrative coordinator to get approval.
2) E-mail the IPN office (ipn [at] mcgill.ca) with a copy of the syllabus and proof that your supervisor has approved this.
3) Please wait for approval from IPN Curriculum Committee before you register.
If you wish to enroll in courses at other Quebec universities (via the Quebec Inter-University Transfer method), you may only do so for one course throughout your degree.
1) Contact the corresponding department's administrative coordinator to get approval.
2) E-mail the IPN office (ipn [at] mcgill.ca) with proof that your supervisor has approved this.
3) Please wait for approval from IPN Curriculum Committee before you register.
Students cannot take undergraduate level courses for credit (500 level is an exception to this). If you wish to enroll in an undergraduate course:
1. E-mail the IPN office (ipn [at] mcgill.ca) with proof that your supervisor has given you approval to enroll in an undergraduate course;
2. Complete the 'Request for Registration/Course Changes' form
Please contact course instructors for latest version of syllabus.
Integrated Program in Neuroscience
Section 001: Neuropsychology of Aging and Dementia
Section leader: Maxime Montembeault, PhD
Section instructors: Maxime Montembeault, PhD
This seminar explores the cognitive changes associated with normal aging and neurodegenerative diseases, with a focus on impairments in memory, language, executive function, and visuospatial abilities. We will examine how these cognitive deficits manifest in conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, and primary progressive aphasia, and discuss their underlying neural and biological correlates. Emphasis will be placed on linking clinical features to cerebral changes to better understand disease mechanisms and diagnosis.
Section 002: Circadian rhythms, from clock genes to disease
Section leader: Florian Storch, PhD
Section instructors: Diane Boivin, MD PhD
The section provides an overview of the major areas in the field of circadian rhythms (with an emphasis on research performed in mammals, both humans and rodents). The main goal of this course is to familiarize students with many of the basic concepts and theories in this multidisciplinary area of research.
Section 003: Neurogenomics of brain disorders
Section leader: Lan Xiong, MD/PhD
Section instructors: TBD
This section will focus on how the genome influences the development and function of human brain; and how genomic variations contribute to brain disorders at individual, family and population level; as well as through functional genomics and neurobiological pathways and mechanisms. Students will gain knowledge about genomic technologies and methodologies, and their applications in research of brain disorders.
Section 004: Psychology and neuroscience of attention
Section leader: Suresh Krishna, PhD
Section instructors: Suresh Krishna, PhD
This section aims to provide a fundamental, but broad treatment of attention from multiple perspectives. We will read papers using a variety of different techniques and theoretical frameworks, including those from psychophysics, cognitive science, and neuroscience. Links to related concepts like memory, decision-making, and categorization will also be touched upon. The goal is to collectively develop a deep and principled understanding of how to situate and think about this critical concept in neuroscience.
Section 005: Classic and Cutting-Edge Techniques in Neuroscience
Section leader: Brian Chen, PhD
Section instructors: Brian Chen, PhD., Wei-Hsiang Huang, PhD., Jean-François Poulin, PhD.
Most of the greatest discoveries in neuroscience have come from the development of novel techniques. This section will introduce students to a small sampling of the cutting-edge techniques that have been or are being developed to answer the intractable problems of neuroscience. Our goal is to demonstrate how novel techniques in neuroscience have not only advanced our fundamental understanding of how the brain works, but can also revolutionize biology research.
Section 006: Population Neuroscience and Mental Health
Section leader: Massimiliano Orri, PhD
Section instructors: Léa Perret, PhD
Mental disorders are among the most prevalent non-communicable diseases and account for a disproportionate amount of health-related burden in the population. This section aims to provide a broad understanding of the main mental disorders, and the study designs used to investigate their prevalence, risk factors, and consequences from a population-based perspective. We will focus on the integration of epidemiological methods with neuroscience to understand the distribution and determinants of mental health across the life course. We will explore how social, developmental, and environmental exposures interact with neurobiological processes to influence mental health. Topics will include neurodevelopmental and behavioral disorders, biomarkers, neuroimaging, genetic and environmental influences, and the use of large-scale population data (e.g., longitudinal cohorts, biobanks, administrative health records). The course will also address ethical and methodological challenges in population neuroscience, such as causality, data harmonization, and equity, and will discuss implications for prevention, policy, and public health.
Section 008: Neuroinformatics for Advancing Precision Medicine in Neurology
Section leader: Yasser Iturria-Medina, PhD
Section instructors : Sue-Jing Lin, Lazaro Rodriguez Sanchez, Robert Tobias Baumeister, Joon Hong
Progressive diseases (e.g., neurodegenerative conditions) often start with non-detectable clinical symptoms and may take years (or even decades) to develop. Predicting the distinctive individual course of a progressive disorder is of crucial importance for accurate diagnosis and personalized therapeutic intervention. However, in practice, there are multiple challenges associated with this problem, such as a high intersubject variability within the same disorder and the lack of robust disease biomarkers. A growing number of studies have attempted to overcome this gap by using Big-Data and sophisticated statistical and computational models, including novel Artificial Intelligence techniques. In this section, we are going to focus on state-of-the-art models using multiomics molecular, multi-modal brain imaging, and/or clinical data to characterize disease evolution and heterogeneity in neurology, as well as discuss implications.
Section 009: Neuronal growth and plasticity
Section leader: Yong Rao, PhD
Section instructors: Keith Murai, PhD., David Stellwagen, PhD
This unit covers the key issues relating to the establishment and remodeling of neuronal circuitry in the nervous system. The emphasis will be on the critical discussion of recent findings that address the fundamental questions at both cellular and molecular levels. The first half of the unit will discuss the mechanisms underlying the initial wiring of neural networks during development, including the topics of neuronal polarity, axon guidance, neuronal target recognition and axon pruning. The second half of the unit will explore mechanisms that regulate synapse formation and plasticity in vertebrate model systems. This portion will include such topics as mechanisms that govern pre- and postsynaptic development, regulation of physiological plasticity, morphological plasticity of dendritic spines, and glial modulation of synaptic function.
Section 012: Seeing with two eyes: the binocular visual system
Section leader: Alex Baldwin, PhD
Section instructors: Alexandre Reynaud, PhD., Janine Mendola, PhD
Typically, the human brain receives two visual inputs: one from each eye. This section will explore how the visual system combines information from the two eyes into a unified percept. We will compare and contrast evidence from various approaches. These will include psychophysics, electrophysiology, mathematical/computer models, and brain imaging. Through studying their applications to the problem of binocular vision, students will gain familiarity with how these methods can be used to study the visual system. Amblyopia, a neurodevelopmental disorder involving a disruption in binocular vision, will also be investigated. This section will be suitable for all interested students; no prior experience in vision science will be assumed.
Section 016: Cognitive Neuroscience of Learning and Memory in Human Development and in Disease
Section Leader: Xiaoqian Chai, PhD
Co-Instructors: Sam Audrain, Alexander Barnett
The goal of the course is to introduce topics in cognitive neuroscience of learning and memory across the human lifespan, in both healthy development and in neurological conditions. Topics include: Multimodal imaging methods of brain organization; Development of functional networks in the brain; From perception to memory in child development; Functional MRI of memory network pathology; Sleep and Cognition.
Course syllabus
Note for Winter 2021: The lab sessions for NEUR 610 are approved as 'Tier 2' activities by McGill. Hence, they will be in-person as long as health directives allow.
Biology
Biomedical Engineering
Computer Science
Convergence I & II: Arts + Neuroscience + Society
Overview: This interdisciplinary course invites students to creatively explore the intersection of arts, neuroscience, and society, and how these domains shape the understandings of ourselves and others. IPN Ph.D. students and RI-MUHC BRaIN students, in collaboration with Concordia University's Fine Arts students, create self-directed, collaborative projects which converge artistic and scientific research. The course combines lectures, debates, site visits, and independent study to encourage all participants to understand and discover territories outside their artistic or scientific comfort zones. The course encourages both intimate and large group discussions, as well as expressing arts and science knowledge through production, representations, and artistic as well as communicative outcomes.
Requirements:
- Must be a Ph.D. student. If you are a Master's student, obtain a letter of recommendation and special permission from your P.I. and the Graduate Program Director;
- Submit a letter of intent to info [at] convergenceinitiative.org ;
- Once your request is approved by the Convergence administrative team, you may register for the course via the 'Inter-University transfer Authorization' application portal at BCI.
Dentistry
Experimental Surgery
Marketing (Desautels Faculty of Management)
MRKT 7098 RESTRICTED TO IPN PH.D. STUDENTS
Mathematics
Medical Physics
Physiology
Psychology
Psychiatry
School of Physical and Occupational Therapy
Others
Other approved electives as of 2024. Please note that these courses are not always offered. Please check in Minerva to see if they are active, or contact the unit.
|
EDPE 688
|
Machine learning: theory and applications
|
|
HGEN 675
|
Biology of Stem Cells
|
|
BINF 531
|
Statistical Bioinformatics
|
|
EXMD 610
|
Molecular methods in Medical Reseach
|
|
EXMD 603
|
Seminars in Endocrinology
|
|
QLSC 612
|
Fundamentals for Neuro Data Science
|
|
FSCI 500
|
Science communication and outreach
|
|
PHAR 712
|
Statistics for Pharmachologists
|
| BTEC 501 | Biotechnology |
| EPIB 507, 632 | Epidemiology |
| LING 645 | Linguistics |
| HGEN 677, 678, 695 | Human Genetics |
| QLSC 600, QLSC 612 | Quantitative Sciences |
Undergraduate Courses
With the exception of 500-level courses, all other undergraduate courses are considered extra courses, and you will be required to pay additional tuition and ancillary fee charges. If your supervisor requests that you enrol in an undergraduate course because it may be beneficial to your graduate research, you must do the following:
- E-mail the IPN office (ipn [at] mcgill.ca) with proof that your supervisor has given you approval to enrol in an undergraduate course;
- Complete the 'Request for Registration/Course Changes' form.
- Important: On page 3 of the form, when asked what the 'reason for requesting the UG course' is, you must select 'extra course' if you do not want this course to affect your graduate cGPA. Otherwise, selecting the option 'additional coursework only' will cause your grade in this course to affect your graduate cGPA.