536-303 The Brain: From Perception to Behaviour

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Objectives:

Students completing this subject should:

Comprehend:

• the cellular mechanisms that control the excitability of neurons in both the peripheral and central nervous systems;

• the relationship between the structure of the nervous system and its ability to process information;

• the mechanisms by which networks of neurons act to produce normal behaviour;

• the cellular mechanisms responsible for memory and learned behaviours.

Develop:

• skills in communicating researched material with their peers;

• skills in the synthesis of information derived from original research to explain complex phenomena within the nervous system.

Appreciate:

• the differences between theoretical analyses and experimental analyses of the mechanisms which underlie behaviour;

• the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to the study of nervous mechanisms;

• the way individual neurons act together to produce our overall view of the world and its behaviour.

Content:

Membranes and transport. Principles of cell-cell signalling. Elements of brain function. Excitation and membrane channels. Neuronal structure and function. Modes of neuronal communication and response. Sensory receptor transduction. Organisation of the brain. Control of posture and movement by brainstem, cerebellum, cerebral cortex and forebrain. Structure-function relations and synaptic neurochemistry of the basal ganglia. Disorders of movement and behaviour resulting from dysfunction of cerebral cortex, basal ganglia and related structures. Brain mechanisms of directed attention, emotion and motivation. Chemical reception and appetitive behaviour. Speech, language and brain laterality. Cerebral organisation of memory processes. Structural and functional plasticity of the brain. Perspectives in functional recovery from brain damage, including brain tissue transplantation; neurophysiology of hearing, vision, proprioception, smell and taste; perceptual representation.

Assessment: