BM3502: NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROPHARMACOLOGY (2020-2021)

Last modified: 05 Aug 2021 13:04

Course Overview

during this course, you will start to appreciate why the diagnosis and treatment of various neurological and psychiatric disorders is both an art and a science;
students will use real-life examples from case studies to help develop and demonstrate their knowledge and understanding;
practical classes will enhance students understanding of why developing new neuropharmaceuticals is challenging and will improve their laboratory and analytical skills;
this course will help students understand why multidisciplinary teams are essential in improving our understanding and treatment of neurological and psychological disorders;
this course will improve your problem-solving, scientific writing, practical and data handling skills

Course Details

Study Type	Undergraduate	Level	3
Term	Second Term	Credit Points	15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits)
Campus	Aberdeen	Sustained Study	No
Co-ordinators	Dr Derek Scott

Qualification Prerequisites

Either Programme Level 3 or Programme Level 4

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

Either BI20B2 Physiology of Human Cells (Passed) or BI25B2 Physiology of Human Organ Systems (Passed)
Any Undergraduate Programme
Either Programme Level 3 or Programme Level 4

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

None.

Are there a limited number of places available?

Course Description

The course will include lectures on functional neuroanatomy, autonomic and neuromuscular pharmacology, neuropharmacology to include functional aspects of excitatory and inhibitory amino acids, monoamines, peptides and nitric oxide. It will explore pain, opioids and narcotic analgesics and drugs depressing CNS function (e.g. cannabinoids, antidepressants, anticonvulsants and antipsychotics), as well as discussing the issues/mechanisms of tolerance and addiction.

We will review applications of various drugs that affect the nervous system and explore how they were discovered and developed, how they are applied in everyday life, what the potential disadvantages of them might be, and also what the future holds for the development of novel drugs used to treat diseases/disorders of the nervous system. We will briefly also review the differences in how medical scientists and psychologists view what goes wrong during such diseases and disorders.

Finally, the course will explain various basic concepts in physiology and pharmacology and show how we statistically analyse data from experiments using novel drugs and what conclusions we can draw from such investigations.

Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers

Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 30 August 2024 for 1st term courses and 20 December 2024 for 2nd term courses.

Summative Assessments

Lab practical 10%

2x case studies 10% each

Exam 70%

Resit (AY20/21): resubmission of failed element

Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Course Learning Outcomes

Knowledge Level	Thinking Skill	Outcome

Factual	Remember	ILO’s for this course are available in the course guide.