Neuroscience MSci

This module has been designed to provide final year undergraduate students a detailed overview of the sensory systems, in addition to the most up-to-date information regarding recent developments in sensory neuroscience research.  The topics covered in the module are wide-ranging and will include experimental methods used to study the anatomy and physiology of the special senses. Particular attention will be given to Pain research and related areas of sensory neuroscience. Topics will also cover the molecular and cellular mechanisms that drive dysfunctions in sensory neural networks and their relevance to the development and persistence of sensory disorders of the nervous systems.

This module enables students to experience contemporary research methods. Students will perform a laboratory based research project and produce a dissertation explaining what work was performed and a discussion of the results obtained. The background (literature review), research methodology, presentation and analysis of results, and discussion are assessed in a written dissertation. The project work will be presented and defended in an oral presentation.

This module builds upon the training provided in modules taken in previous years.   Students will attend three series of small group  workshops/seminars where they 1) develop a public engagement project as a group, 2) develop data analysis and interpretation skills, and 3)  get experience of research presentations by current neuroscientists.

The module will allow students to learn about the current research that is happening in the field of neuroscience. The most up to date in vivo, genetic, cellular and molecular research will be covered. They will learn how to write a grant application and will be able to develop their own ideas for research areas.  

The module will provide students with the knowledge and understanding of genetics, epigenetics and gene expression control in nervous system health and disease throughout the lifespan. The module aims to make students aware of how environmental interventions can have long term effects on gene expression in the nervous system that ultimately underlies behaviour, and will examine environmental-genotype interactions.   
The module will provide students with understanding of the skills and research methods required for studying genetic and epigenetic modifications, with emphasis on data analysis and interpretation 

Considers ion channels at the molecular level, with topics including the structure and function of different ion channel groups and their modulation by drugs, pesticides and natural toxins. You will also consider the synthesis and transport of neurotransmitters and the formation and release of synaptic vesicles. This module involves one three hour session per week incorporating eight lectures and two practical sessions.

This module will enable students to study a topic of particular historical interest in the field of life sciences. Each contributing member of staff will propose a particular topic.  Students will then select an appropriate topic and the staff member will provide sufficient guidance and materials for the student to produce a 3,000 word essay

Typical topics covered may include: 
 
1.   Glia to neurones ratio 
2.   CRISPR 
3.   Hidden figures in Neuroscience 
4.   Electrophysiology 
5.   Neurogenesiss 
6.   Opiods 
7.   Vivisection

This module will cover a range of contemporary research material relevant to the gut microbiome-brain axis and mental health.  This includes the types of microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract and how they are quantified, as well as the routes of gut microbiome-brain communication.  Students will develop a critical understanding of scientific literature (from both animal and human studies) showing that the gut microbiome influences behaviour and/or mental health.  They will also consider the impact of mental health on the gut, and potential of the microbiome as a target for treating mental illness.  The module will involve a dedicated workshop on media coverage of relevant research, and enable students to understand the science behind the headlines.

Lecture topics will include discussions of the latest research in the following areas of Psychopharmacology and Mental Health.  Topics may include:

• Early-life stressors (physical, pathophysiological and emotional) and their effects on brain development
  
• Psychological stress in adolescence and brain maturation
  
• Risky behaviours, substance misuse and addiction in early adulthood 
  
• Addiction, Reward and Synaptic Plasticity
  
• Psychosocial stress, Sleep disorders and Depression in adulthood
  
• Cannabis, alcohol and mood disorders
  
• Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) versus current pharmacological approaches to treating depression 
  
• Pharmacology and chemistry of psychedelics and their effects on treatment-resistant depression
  
• Talking therapies, Psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and the effects of exercise on mood
  
• Genetics, Precision Medicine and new avenues for treatment-resistant depression.
  

This module considers:

• The prevalence and different timescales of biological rhythmicity across all life forms

• The mechanistic basis of circadian and circannual rhythmicity in vertebrates

• The neural and endocrine pathways underlying synchronisation of rhythmicity by the environmental light dark cycle 

• The formal properties of biological rhythms and synchrony with environmental cues

• The significance of circadian rhythmicity for human wellbeing, including sleep, physiology, nutrition, metabolism, pharmacokinetics and therapeutics, and neurological disease and mental health

The objective of this module is to give students a thorough grounding in the systems neuroscience (interpreted somewhat broadly) of audition.  
 
There are two lectures that describe in detail the form and function of the cochlear and then the ascending system up to Auditory Cortex three lectures on experimental methods at differing levels of scientific explanation and what one can do with them two case studies of what neuroscience has told us about perception and behaviour and three lectures on hearing-impairment, tinnitus, and cochlear implants.  
 
Students therefore will receive a true appreciation of the neurobiological basis of audition and the clinical relevance of this to the population.