Course Catalogue

View Specification Document | Reading List

This taught course will build upon the knowledge gained in BIOL5283 Fundamentals of Neuroscience and introduce students to the use of animal models in contemporary neuroscience. This course will cover the ethics and legislation surrounding the use of animals in research, as well as the use of animal models to research specific diseases including neurodegeneration and schizophrenia. Students will be introduced to both the neurobiology of different neurological and psychiatric diseases, as well as the uses and limitations of animal models and the principles of good experimental design.

Normally, 1-5 sessions each week of 1 hour duration for 6 weeks.

Four full days for the PIL ABC modular training.

None

None.

None.

Students will:

- sit PIL AB exams as part of Home Office Personal Licence modular training (40%);

- identify a gap in the literature for understanding the neurobiology of one of the brain diseases covered in the lecture material, and write a research proposal describing an experiment that would address this gap (60%).

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

The specific aims of this taught course are:

■ to provide students with an overview of the ethics and legal requirements surrounding research using animals;

■ to give students the knowledge and intellectual skills to critically evaluate neuroscience research using animal models;

■ to provide students with a detailed knowledge of recent advances in neuroscience research using animal models.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

1. Describe the legal framework surrounding animal research in the UK and explain the ethical considerations of good experimental design for research involving animals.

2. Summarise and critically evaluate research findings using animal models relevant to neuroscience.

3. Evaluate, providing detailed examples from the peer-reviewed literature, how neuroscience research using animals can inform studies of human brain function and brain disorders.

4. Identify a gap in our understanding of a brain disease and, after critical evaluation of the relevant literature, design an experiment using animals that would be able to fill this gap.

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.