Launch of the neuroscience MOOC "From neuron to behavior"

On January 20, the "From neuron to behavior" MOOC, launched in 2016 under the leadership of Pierre-Marie Lledo, Director of the Institut Pasteur's Department of Neuroscience, and featuring almost 30 speakers, was opened up to all Institut Pasteur scientists, who can now register via the Institut Pasteur platform.

Understanding how the brain works is one of the greatest remaining mysteries that challenge mankind. Modern neuroscience is making remarkable progress in the understanding of the brain, which could constitute a full-fledged scientific revolution. Brain functions determine who we are by governing our thoughts and actions. The brain processes information through the concerted activity of many neurons, which communicate with each other through contacts we call synapses organized in highly dynamic networks. In this course, we are taking a bottom-up approach, starting from molecules to end with behaviors and mental disorders.  It will describe how the brain develops and then functions to both perceive the external world and learn from our experiences. Thus, this course aims for a causal and mechanistic explanation of brain functions that depend on two key players: the external world of course, but also our internal states, including microbiota.

This course is aimed at undergraduate students, PhD/MD students, teachers, or researchers. A good scientific background is recommended. Each week of the course consists of four video-lectures, each lasting from 10 to 15 minutes.

The course will explore the following topics:

• Structure and function of the fundamental building blocks of the mammalian brain.

• Neural stem cell and how they could give rise to organized brain circuits

• Interconnection between neural cells and how groups of neurons work together.

• Neuronal disorders as consequences of brain circuit dysfunctions.

• Embodied interaction with both the external world and the internal state.

To register