Neuroscience is one of the most promising scientific fields of the moment, and its close relationship with psychology makes both sciences mutually intelligible. However, studying and learning it can be complicated if you do not know how to start.
This selection of free online neuroscience courses They are the best option for those people who want to discover this world without compromising their financial stability and without having to leave home.
This selection of online neuroscience courses covers many of the areas of study that may be of interest to university students from different majors or, simply, to curious people.
All of them offer the possibility of obtaining a certificate upon completion , but normally that step does require a disbursement. Furthermore, many of them have been designed by some of the most prestigious universities in the world. To register you just have to click on the name. Let’s get started!
1. Biology of consciousness
The topic of consciousness has been the source of many of the main questions addressed in the philosophy of mind, but biology and neuroscience also have a lot to say about it. Not in vain all the processes that allow the appearance of the “self” have to do with the way in which neurons, glial cells and other parts of our body interact with each other.
This free World Science University course led by neuroscientist Christof Kocho offers a pleasant introduction to the way in which consciousness appears from the functioning of an organism. It will be of special interest to students of Psychology and Biology , but also for all types of curious people in general. Ultimately, consciousness is something that directly affects us all.
2. Introduction to Consumer Neuroscience
Neuromarketing has burst into the world of organizations with force and more and more importance is given to an approach that understands the way of thinking and feeling of the consumer by going to the details of what happens in his brain when he sees an advertisement, when he hesitates between two products or when he judges whether a price is too high or not.
In this Neuromarketing course, Professor Thomas Zoëga Ramsøy reviews the foundations of this interesting branch of neuroscience and how it can be used to understand the human mind.
3. The brain and space
Much of the conscious and unconscious mental processes carried out by the brain have to do with our way of perceiving and imagining the space that surrounds us and the way we move through it
Furthermore, the way our brain (working together with the rest of the nervous system) recreates spaces and movements has an effect on how we think and what our mental abilities are. From dancing to knowing how to play a musical instrument, to the way we recognize people, are processes that have to do with this type of brain activity. In fact, imagined space even influences how we remember things.
This course led by scientist Jennifer Groh and Duke University has been recognized for studying complex ideas and concepts in a didactic, simple and accessible way.
This course allows learn an overview of the basic functioning of the brain and the location and structure of the different structures that form it, as well as the way in which some diseases degrade nervous tissues. It is especially recommended for people with a basic knowledge of biology, and consists of a second part that serves to complete the training.
5. Introduction to the Philosophy of Cognitive Sciences
Philosophy is the basis of all sciences and neuroscience is no exception to this rule. This free online course introduces us to the main philosophical questions related to the science of the nervous system and the mental processes, and the currents of thought that allow us to give an explanation to what happens inside our head.
6. Medical Neuroscience
Organization: Duke University
Offers certificate: Yes
Another of the free Neuroscience courses organized by Duke University. In this case, the training program It is designed to meet the needs of students of medical and health sciences
Through its syllabus it is possible to learn the fundamentals of Clinical Neuroanatomy, the physiological processes that keep us alive and are regulated by the brain, and the way in which the brain works in basic mental functions such as movement planning, perception of sounds and visual stimuli, etc.
7. Fundamentals of Neuroscience: electrical properties of the neuron
Organization: Harvard University
Offers certificate: Yes
Neuroscience is not all about knowing the different parts of the brain; It is also necessary to understand how our nervous system works on a microscopic scale. How is information transmitted between neurons through synaptic spaces? What is depolarization?
This free neuroscience course It focuses on the functioning of those electrical currents that run through our nervous system and that are considered the basis of all our mental and physiological activity
Organization: National Research University Higher School of Economics
Offers certificate: Yes
The decision-making that makes economic dynamics go in one direction or another depends on mental processes studied by psychology and neuroscience. This free course to understand how the union between neurosciences and economic studies works.
9. Drugs and the Brain
Organization: California Institute of Technology
Offers certificate: Yes
Drugs interfere with the functioning of the nervous system and therefore affect the way we think and feel (or even cause us not to feel or think at all). This neuroscience course applied to the study of drugs It is perfect for understanding these mechanisms.
10. Brain Analysis: Everyday Neurobiology
Organization: University of Chicago
Offers certificate: Yes
A free neurobiology course designed to be accessible to as many people as possible with a focus more focused on the practical consequences of the neural processes that govern our behavior.
11. The Neuroscience of Vision
Organization: MIT
Offers certificate: Yes
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, one of the most famous and recognized universities in the world, organizes this very interesting course on neuroscience applied to the visual processing system. A good part of what we feel and think is related to how we see the world (literally), and this training option gives you all the tools to train yourself in the fascinating world of images as your brain understands them.
12. Computational Neuroscience
Organization: University of Washington
Offers certificate: Yes
Computer science and the use of algorithms They can also be very useful for understanding how our nervous system in general and the human brain in particular works. This is an applied course well stocked with exercises to gain experience in this fascinating discipline.
