The course «Sleep and Visual Neuroscience” covers two major areas of cognitive neuroscience: In the first part of the course, students acquire profound knowledge in the research area of vision and face processing. Basic principles and neural mechanisms of visual processing are presented and discussed, focusing mainly on research in the human brain using functional brain imaging, electroencephalography and eye-tracking. A special focus lies on cultural and face processing differences across humans.

In the second part of the course, students will learn the basics and current findings in the research area of sleep, cognition and health. Sleep regulation and the underlying neuronal mechanisms are presented, and theories und findings  on the relation between sleep and cognition are discussed. A special focus lies on the role of sleep for memory consolidation.

The weekly course is validated by a multiple choice exam. Validation of the course is mandatory for starting a master thesis in the option “cognitive neuroscience”.