Biochemistry Learning Research Articles

Problem-based learning of biochemistry in a medical curriculum

Problem-based learning of biochemistry in a medical curriculum

Learning biochemistry at the mastery level — introductory biochemistry at the University of Michigan

Introduction Two introductory Biochemistry courses are offered at The University of Michigan, one by the Department of Biology, College of Literature, Science and the Arts, and another by the Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine. The course in the Department of Biology (Biology 411), with emphasis on metabolic pathways and their control, was first offered by the author in the fall of 1965 as an alternative to the other course which emphasized the structural aspects of biochemistry. As are most undergraduate courses, Biology 411 was originally taught by the lecture method in which information considered important is presented verbally in a 50 minute lecture thrice weekly. In 1971, a group of University of Michigan undergraduate students interested in alternative teaching methods introduced the author to the Keller Plan, 1 a self-paced, personalized system of instruction (PSI). Shortly after attending a meeting on the PSI at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and learning of their experiences using PSI at that institution, I decided that this was exactly the kind of learning experience that I wished I could have had as an undergraduate and began to transform the Biology Department's Introductory Biochemistry course to the PSI format. What follows is a description of the many benefits, and some of the pitfalls, which we have experienced whlie employing the Keller Plan to teach Introductory Biochemistry at the mastery level.

Difficulties in learning and teaching of biochemistry

Difficulties in learning and teaching of biochemistry

Glycoprotein synthesis and postsynaptic remodelling in long-term memory

This paper describes the background in experiment and theory on which present-day studies of the biochemistry of learning and memory are based. It then reviews specifically the use of passive avoidance training in the day-old chick as a model for the analysis of the cellular events associated with memory-formation. It shows how training chicks on this simple one-trial task can produce a coordinated series of short and long-term changes in specific regions of the chick forebrain, notably the left intermediate hyperstriatum ventrale (IMHV). In this region, shortly after training there are transient changes in the phosphorylation of a presynaptic 52 kDa protein, a protein kinase C substrate believed to be identical with B50. Longer-term changes include enhanced synthesis of protein, and in particular, synaptic membrane fucoglycoproteins. Experiments are described which demonstrate that the synthesis of these fucoglycoproteins is directly associated with memory storage and that inhibitors of synthesis prevent long-term memory formation. Other, morphological experiments show that following training and in association with memory formation there is an increase in the numbers of dendritic spines and an enlargement of spine head diameter in projection neurons of the IMHV. It is proposed that the increased fucoglycoprotein synthesis is part of the biochemical housekeeping process involved in the increased spine production and associated synaptic remodelling which represents the cerebral memory trace.

Application of experimental audio-visual units to the practical learning of biochemistry by medical students

Application of experimental audio-visual units to the practical learning of biochemistry by medical students

What should a biochemistry of learning and memory be about?

What should a biochemistry of learning and memory be about?

Neurochemical correlates of individual differences in animal learning capacity

The present article reviews the research that has reported correlations between some aspects of brain chemistry and some measurements of learning behavior in animals. It considers the rationale for such studies, takes up complications and limitations that confront such research, and assesses the potentials of the main approaches being employed in this field. Many experiments have shown significant correlations between aspects of brain biochemistry and measures of learning or problem-solving behavior. It appears that significant results are likely to be restricted to precise behavioral tasks and rather delimited brain regions. It is, however, difficult to generalize as yet, perhaps because different laboratories have used different tasks and species and have analyzed different substances in different brain areas. The most studied system has been the cholinergic transmitter system, and here a fair amount of concordance has been found. It is suggested that certain anomalies in the psychopharmacology of learning can be explained in terms of individual differences in brain biochemistry. In order to increase the comparability of the results of such experiments, it will be necessary to focus that kind of research on species, strains, or individuals whose behavior is known in more than one single learning task; however, in order to increase the generality of the conclusions it will be valuable to extend the research to species other than laboratory rodents.

The biochemistry of learning: an evaluation of the role of RNA and protein.

The biochemistry of learning: an evaluation of the role of RNA and protein.

Effect of inanition during the neonatal period on discrimination learning and brain biochemistry in the albino rat.

Journal of NeurochemistryVolume 14, Issue 1 p. 29-34 EFFECT OF INANITION DURING THE NEONATAL PERIOD ON DISCRIMINATION LEARNING AND BRAIN BIOCHEMISTRY IN THE ALBINO RAT R. Rajalakshmi, R. Rajalakshmi Departments of Foods and Nutrition and Biochemistry Baroda University, Baroda, IndiaSearch for more papers by this authorS. Z. Ali, S. Z. Ali Departments of Foods and Nutrition and Biochemistry Baroda University, Baroda, IndiaSearch for more papers by this authorC. V. Ramakrishnan, C. V. Ramakrishnan Departments of Foods and Nutrition and Biochemistry Baroda University, Baroda, IndiaSearch for more papers by this author R. Rajalakshmi, R. Rajalakshmi Departments of Foods and Nutrition and Biochemistry Baroda University, Baroda, IndiaSearch for more papers by this authorS. Z. Ali, S. Z. Ali Departments of Foods and Nutrition and Biochemistry Baroda University, Baroda, IndiaSearch for more papers by this authorC. V. Ramakrishnan, C. V. Ramakrishnan Departments of Foods and Nutrition and Biochemistry Baroda University, Baroda, IndiaSearch for more papers by this author First published: January 1967 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-4159.1967.tb09490.xCitations: 18AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume14, Issue1January 1967Pages 29-34 RelatedInformation

EFFECT OF DIETARY PROTEIN CONTENT ON VISUAL DISCRIMINATION LEARNING AND BRAIN BIOCHEMISTRY IN THE ALBINO RAT.

Journal of NeurochemistryVolume 12, Issue 4 p. 261-271 EFFECT OF DIETARY PROTEIN CONTENT ON VISUAL DISCRIMINATION LEARNING and BRAIN BIOCHEMISTRY IN THE ALBINO RAT R. RAJALAKSHMI, R. RAJALAKSHMI Department of Biochemistry, Baroda University, Baroda, IndiaSearch for more papers by this authorK. R. GOVINDARAJAN, K. R. GOVINDARAJAN Department of Biochemistry, Baroda University, Baroda, IndiaSearch for more papers by this authorC. V. RAMAKRISHNAN, C. V. RAMAKRISHNAN Department of Biochemistry, Baroda University, Baroda, IndiaSearch for more papers by this author R. RAJALAKSHMI, R. RAJALAKSHMI Department of Biochemistry, Baroda University, Baroda, IndiaSearch for more papers by this authorK. R. GOVINDARAJAN, K. R. GOVINDARAJAN Department of Biochemistry, Baroda University, Baroda, IndiaSearch for more papers by this authorC. V. RAMAKRISHNAN, C. V. RAMAKRISHNAN Department of Biochemistry, Baroda University, Baroda, IndiaSearch for more papers by this author First published: April 1965 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-4159.1965.tb06763.xCitations: 32AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume12, Issue4April 1965Pages 261-271 RelatedInformation