Undergraduate Course: Mechanisms of Developmental Neural Plasticity (PYBM10028)
Course Outline
| School | School of Biomedical Sciences |
College | College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 10 |
| Home subject area | Physiology (Biomedical Sciences) |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | This course will examine the mechanisms of nervous system development with special focus on the role of activity in shaping neural connectivity and physiology. It will examine the major advancements in the field of developmental plasticity since the Nobel Prize winning experiments of Hubel and Wiesel in the 1960s. It will examine how the various types of activity (i.e. spontaneous versus sensory-evoked) shape neural connectivity and physiology, drawing on studies using several sensory systems from a variety of mammalian species. We will examine the physiological basis of experience-dependent plasticity with special focus on the role of long-term potentiation and long-term depression on neural development. It will introduce students to recently evolving theories such as metaplasticity and spike-time dependent plasticity as possible mechanisms underlying synaptic information storage. Finally we will examine the molecular basis of activity-dependent plasticity with special focus on glutamate receptors and their downstream signaling pathways. The course will begin with broad introductory lectures covering the foundations of neural development, both embryonic and postnatal, to provide a firm understanding of the major issues confronting developmental neuroscientists. It will then move to seminar-based teaching where students will be expected to critically-evaluate and present recent papers in this rapidly growing field. |
Course Delivery Information
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| Delivery period: 2012/13 Semester 1, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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WebCT enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| Med And Vet | Lecture | | 1-11 | | 14:00 - 17:00 | | | |
| First Class |
First class information not currently available |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours:Minutes |
|
|
| Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | Mechanisms of Developmental Neural Plasticity | 1:30 | | |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
Increased understanding of biological processes.
Detailed learning outcomes will be provided later. |
Assessment Information
| December exam. Written exam 100%. Duration 1 hour 15 minutes. |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | PHYSMechdevneural |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Mike Ludwig
Tel: (0131 6)50 3275
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Victoria Farrar
Tel: (0131 6)50 3717
Email: |
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