Neuroscience in Relation to Medicine

Topics covered include Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, neuronal networks, psychopharmacology, the neural basis of cognitive behaviours such as emotion and many more. You will gain an understanding of these topics from a pharmacological, neuroanatomical, physiological and molecular biological viewpoint.

The course will:

• provide you with a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the major areas of neuroscience, with a detailed appreciation of some specialist areas
• provide you with knowledge of current neuroscience techniques and methodologies, with hands on practical experience of some of these
• require you to undertake an individual research project
• provide opportunities to develop competency in transferable skills, including the ability to analyse, interpret and evaluate data; acquire and integrate information, and use information to solve problems
• provide appropriate support and guidance
• provide high quality learning resources to support the objectives of the course.

Research Project

Students can only apply for neuroscience focused projects. Some titles of projects offered recently by members of the Neuroscience programme team undertaken by neuroscience students (intercalating or otherwise):

• "Mechanisms of respiratory rhythm generation"
• "Mechanisms of acute/chronic pain and analgesia"
• "Trigeminal system and chronic oro-facial pain"
• "The genetic basis of neurological disorders"
• "Does diet during early life influence brain development?"
• "Properties of neuronal circuits underlying control of heart rate and blood pressure"
• "Regulation of ion channels by G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) in sensory neurons"
• "Recording ion channel activity in Alzheimer’s disease brains"
• "Stem cell differentiation and development"
  

Course structure

These are typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our Terms and conditions.

Modules Year 1

Compulsory modules

• Advanced Scientific Skills 20 credits
• Advanced Topics in Neuroscience I 20 credits
• Advanced Topics in Neuroscience II 20 credits
• Research Project in Biomedical Sciences 40 credits

Optional modules

• Inherited Disorders 10 credits
• Cellular Cardiology 10 credits
• Systems Neurophysiology 10 credits
• Drug Development: Pre-Clinical to Practice 10 credits

For more information on typical modules, read Neuroscience in Relation to Medicine BSc in the course catalogue

Assessment

Teaching will be through lectures, practical classes, seminars, small group teaching, tutorials and a research project. Assessment is similarly varied, including in-course assessment (formative and summative) and written examinations. The in course assessment exercises include tests of practical skills, essay writing, data manipulation and problem solving. The research project will be assessed throughout the project and on the final written report. Degree classification will be based upon the marks obtained in each of the component modules, with the appropriate credit weighting applied.