Models of Neural Systems (The topology of excitability)

This course deals with nervous tissue: From excitable membranes, energetic constraints, small pattern generating networks to larger ensembles of neurons. The idea here is to approach questions like "What are nerve impulses for?", "How are they generated mechanistically?", "Why did they evolve?" or "Are there different classes of excitability?" from a mathematical and a biophysical angle. The aim is to bridge the biophysical implementation and the functional consequences such that evolutionary question on the evolution of nervous systems could be tackled.