The purpose of this minor is to acquaint the student with the different fields of Neuroscience. The student will gain insight into the latest knowledge of how the brain works and also how this knowledge can be used to understand cognitive processes, social interactions between individuals, anti-social behavior as well as different brain diseases, such as depression, addictions, attention, or eating disorders. The nature-nurture debate will be discussed as well as recent updates in human genome research. In addition, the minor provides an introduction into the fields of neuro-economics (decision making) and gaming behavior as well as into recent scientific technological advances in brain-machine interfaces, deep brain stimulation, and robotics. The integration between disciplines, such as biology, psychology, sociology and genetics plays a central role in this minor. Students learn to think critically about how know-
ledge of the brain and the human genome can be applied to deal with societal issues.

This minor is organized in collaboration with investigators from leading centers both in the Netherlands and abroad, including the Erasmus University Rotterdam, the University Medical Center Utrecht, the Radboud University Nijmegen, The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, US and Emory University in Atlanta.
In each course several keynote speakers provide lectures about current state of the art in their field. Our keynote speakers include Prof. dr. Steven Kushner, Prof. dr. Frans de Waal, Prof. dr. Damiaan Denys, Prof. dr. Marjo van der Knaap, Prof. dr. Witte Hoogendijk, Prof. dr. Claudia Bagni, Prof. dr. Patrick Sullivan, Prof. dr. Cynthia Bulik, Prof. dr. Rutger Engels, and Prof. dr. Peter Desain.

Academic Skills:
Writing a summary / abstract
Debating and discussing
How to convey your message; public presentations
Search databases for relevant scientific literature based on general symptoms of disease and write scientific reports
Search, sort and review literature.
Perform experiments with human subjects.
Relate ideas and concepts (film) to reality (science).
Think out of the box: imagination may push basic science into applications and
create business opportunities.
Present and defend data and opinions (poster and PowerPoint).

Frans de Waal (Keynote lecture in ‘Nature versus Nurture’)
Frans B.M. de Waal is an internationally renowned Dutch primatologist and ethologist. He is professor of Primate Behavior in the Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, director of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, US and author of numerous books including ‘Chimpanzee Politics’ and ‘Our Inner Ape’. His research centers on primate social behavior, including conflict resolution, cooperation, inequity aversion, and food-sharing. He is a Member of the (US) National Academy of Sciences and the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences, and has received numerous awards and honours, including a listing in the 2007 Time Magazine 100 World’s Most Influential People Today.

Cynthia M. Bulik (Key note lecture in ‘The Developing Brain’)
Cynthia M. Bulik, PhD is the William R. and Jeanne H. Jordan Distinguished Professor of Eating Disorders in the Department of Psychiatry where she is also the Professor of Nutrition in the School of Public Health and the Director of the UNC Eating Disorders Program. A clinical psychologist by training, Dr. Bulik has been conducting research and treating individuals with eating disorders for the past 27 years. Her current research includes genetic epidemiology of eating disorders (family and twin studies), molecular genetic studies of eating disorders and body weight regulation, and the development of novel treatments for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. She is studying the impact of maternal disordered eating on fetal growth and child development in a cohort of 100,000 new births in Norway. She has ongoing collaborations around the world. In addition, she is involved with developing novel technology-assisted interventions for child overweight and adult obesity, binge-eating disorder, and eating disorders. She is the author of ‘Eating Disorders: Detection and Treatment’ (Dunmore Press), ‘Runaway Eating’ (Rodale), and ‘Crave: Why You Binge Eat and How to Stop’ (Walker). She has published over 350 papers and chapters on topics related to eating disorders. She holds the first endowed professorship in eating disorders in the United States. She is a past president of the Academy for Eating Disorders, past Vice-President of the Eating Disorders Coalition, and Associate Editor of the International Journal of Eating Disorders.

Steven Kushner (keynote lecture in Cognitive Neuroscience course)
Professor Steven Kushner’s is the youngest Professor in medicine in the Netherlands. His training as Doctor of Medicine, medical scientist, and psychiatrist provided an optimal preparation for work in which science and medicine are combined. His studies in mice on the changing brain, and mechanisms underlying human disease, are exemplary in the field of translational research. Using novel genetic technologies, he works on fundamental questions like: how many brain cells do we need to learn something? How does the brain store memories that can last a lifetime? And how is an individual brain cell that is part of a memory network different from its neighbours? Put shortly: what are the precise cellular and molecular mechanisms that the brain uses to record memories? Kushner is convinced that these studies will not only expand our understanding of the biology of memory, but could in the future provide opportunities for clinical translation into cognitive neuropsychiatric disorders.