516-305 Structure & Function of the Brain

Any 200-level subject in anatomy, cell biology, biochemistry, physiology, zoology.

BBiomedSc students: 521-213 and 536-250.

Prerequisites may be waived by the Head of Department.

By the end of the subject the student should:

• comprehend the terminology of neuroscience, the principles and essential information regarding the macroscopic and microscopic structure of the nervous system and the functional components of the nervous system, including their organisation and major connections, the correlation of structure with function including behaviour, and the major effects of lesions to clinically important areas and pathways;

• develop observational and organisational skills to identify and interpret the macroscopic appearance of the brain and spinal cord, including cut sections, and the microscopic appearance of the nervous system; skills to analyse the structural and functional changes which may occur in disorders of the nervous system; and

• appreciate the extent and limitations of current knowledge of the organisation of the central nervous system, particularly in the context of recent profound advances in neuroscience; the implications of such limitations in our understanding of how the brain works.

The following topics will be considered: the structure and function of the nervous system with emphasis on the main sensory systems (including vision, hearing and touch) and the motor systems; structural and histological examination of human brains.

A 2-hour end-of-semester written examination and a 1-hour practical examination during the semester.

• Kandel Schwartz and Jessell, Principles of Neural Science.
• J Nolte, J B Angerine, The Human Brain in Photographs and Diagrams.