580.651 Introduction to Nonlinear Dynamics in Physiology 
Fall / even years 

Studies the application of nonlinear dynamics ("chaos theory") to physiological systems. Examples are drawn from the fields of cardiology, brain function, and the oculomotor system. Topics include fractals, strange attractors, bifurcations, state-space attractor reconstruction, Poincaré sections, dimension calculations, Lyapunov exponents, entropy, tests for determinism, nonlinear forecasting. Especially useful for students interested in applying the computational and analytical techniques of nonlinear dynamics to their own data sets. 

Controls laboratory: computer simulations of simple control systems. Effects of feedback, freqency response, step response. 

Several lectures on the vestibular and oculomotor systems in a course that covers the overall physiological mechanisms of hearing and balance. Topics include the different types of eye movements, vestibular reflexes and adaptation, and vestibular problems related to space flight.