Does anyone have suggestions for a review of Neuroscience research techniques? I'm looking for something to give new lab students. Webinar, video, podcast, article, book, website ? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Really a vast and ever growing field of research is neuroscience with its multidisciplinary aims and different approaches.
If they are high school students you can be more general and less specific, and let them explore the big picture freely for now.
I would recommend behavioral studies and techniques that can be used to assess explicit or implicit memory or emotions in animal models for instance. This is less technical compared to electrophysiology or cellular and molecular techniques.
Examples are: shuttle box for passive avoidance learning, elevated plus maze for fear or anxiety, and Morris water maze for spatial learning, etc.
These can be fascinating and more accessible for new students, and would help them to become attracted in neurosciences or to pursue brain sciences in future.
A useful source that I can recommend now is:
1. "Guide to Research Techniques in Neuroscience" by Matt Carter, Jennifer C. Shieh
True. The multidisciplinary aspect of neuroscience is what makes it fun yet hard for beginners. I'm not talking about at the high school level - I'm thinking upper level undergrads or even beginning grad students trying to read articles and write lit reviews. I've noticed they often get bogged down trying to understand the techniques.
Here's one book I've found. 2014, so potentially missing some of the newer things. But it seems to be a good starting point.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780123748492/guide-to-research-techniques-in-neuroscience
EDIT - I just saw the last part of your post. Thanks! Yes, the behavioral techniques are much easier to grasp. But it's the circuitry, cellular, molecular stuff that they are needing.
Thanks, Deranda.
That is the book that I also mentioned in previous post.
I think that it is a good start for beginners such as undergrads to get the idea to how to perform tasks, write and report though it may not be that comprehensive. It also have chapters about molecular and cellular protocols and even imaging techniques in general.
I suggest that you also search among articles published by Nature protocols or Nature Neuroscience Reviews.
There are also comprehensive web based databases and a simpler one that contain mostly videos about different protocols that have been done in published studies is JOVE.
JOVE is a very useful protocol website similar to Youtube with videos that can be also fascinating and more understandable for undergrad students with no or less research experience.
Please check:
www.jove.com
I agree that https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780123748492/guide-to-research-techniques-in-neuroscience as a good place to start. Also, thanks for sharing JOVE. I had no clue such existed. Checking that out now.
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