about/

These lesson plans introduce students to neuron morphology and transcriptomics through 3D reconstructions of real cortical neurons. Students will explore the Cell Types and Mouse Patch Seq open datasets. Note: this resource was originally published in 2021. It has been updated for OER use and to reflect tool updates.

learning outcomes/

Lesson 1: Morphology

• Compare and contrast how actual neurons differ from the models commonly shown in textbook diagrams ‍
• Define the parts of a neuron and describe the morphological differences between axons and dendrites ‍
• Interpret representations of neuron morphology including neuron reconstructions and histograms ‍
• Use the Allen Cell Types Database to compare excitatory versus inhibitory neuron morphologies

Lesson 2: Cell Types

• Explain what brain cell types are and why they are important
• Describe different ways that cell types can be defined
• Evaluate the usefulness of multimodal data to define cell types
• Compare and contrast the morphology of inhibitory neurons across layers of visualcortex and transcriptomic types

foundational knowledge/

This module is aligned with the Society for Neuroscience's Core Competencies in Undergraduate Neuroscience Training:

• Basic understanding of the development, structure, and function of the nervous system
• Basic understanding of the cellular and molecular biology of the nervous system
• Basic understanding of systems and behavioral approaches to neuroscience
• Broad-based and integrated knowledge acquisition in fields that intersect with neuroscience
• Abilities in scientific inquiry, such as hypothesis development, experimental design, and data analysis and interpretation
• Basic understanding of scientifically rigorous experimental design and execution, as well as data analysis and interpretation