Fundamental to applying neurolaw is first establishing a solid understanding of what the brain is, how it works, and how generally it influences our behavior. The Introduction to Neuroscience micro-credential collection accomplishes this by covering a wide range of essential topics, divided up into the following courses: Brain Anatomy, Famous Brains, Memory, Emotion, and Adolescent Brains; descriptions for which can be found on the Introduction to Neuroscience Eventbrite site.

Register

Registration is ongoing, year round. Visit our EventBright page to register for the self-paced courses. Courses may be taken individually, or bundled together as a microcredential. Prices are listed on eventbrite; discounts may be offered for students and professionals.

Content is designed for persons with diverse educational backgrounds; there are no prerequisites necessary.

Please contact the Director of the Microcredential Program, Kathryn Irish, at irishkat@msu.edu, if you require accessibility accommodations.

Review our Microcredential Policies including requesting certificates and requesting a refund or cancellation. 

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Objectives

Upon completion of the Introduction to Neuroscience micro-credential collection, participants will be able to: 

• Describe the structure, function, and location of cortical brain areas and subcortical structures 
• Differentiate between functional localisation and functional connectivity 
• Describe the process of neural transmission 
• Differentiate between voluntary and reflexive behaviours 
• Describe behavioral disorders caused by impairments of memories and emotions 
• Explain what Phineas Gage and Patient Tan taught us about neural plasticity 
• Explain the contributions of Wilder Penfield to the fields of neurology and neuroscience 
• Differentiate between memory enhancement, dampening, and distortion 
• Describe the seven imperfections of memory 
• Explain false memories and ways by which to improve the reliability of eyewitness memory 
• Describe the context-dependent effects of emotion on behaviour, physiology and psychology 
• Explain the impact of emotional decision-making on defendants, jurors, judges and legislators 
• Explain the fallacy of using research findings based on group data to explain individual behaviour 
• Explain why adolescents are more likely to misbehave than adults 
• Explain why juvenile sentencing should take adolescent brain development into consideration 
• Describe the benefits and limitations of science in the courtroom 

Individual Lectures

Brain Anatomy

Famous Brains

Memory

Emotion

Adolescent Brains

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Instructor

Michael Koval graduated with a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Western Ontario where he studied the role of the prefrontal cortex in the cognitive control of behaviour. He was then a Postdoc at Duke University where he began by investigating the neurophysiology of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) with Dr. Marc Sommer, then switched gears by transferring to the Psychiatry Department where he managed the Brain Stimulation Division under the supervision of Drs. Andrew Krystal, Shawn McClintock and Sarah Lisanby. Having acquired clinical experience with the Duke TMS Clinic he then ran the Brain Stimulation Clinic at the Central Health Medical Practice in Hong Kong, before ending up at Michigan State University as an Assistant Professor in Neuroscience and Director of the Neuroscience and Law Program.