Innate and adaptive immunity play central roles in nervous system development, as well as the pathogenesis of many neurological and psychiatric diseases. The pathways involved not only provide targets for novel therapeutics for diseases affecting the nervous system, but also new insights into fundamental mechanisms involved in normal brain development and function. Students taking this course will be given opportunities to study the  research into the diverse roles of neuroinflammatory processes in health and disease and gain a detailed understanding of their involvement in inflammatory, neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Normally, 1-4 sessions each week of 1 hour duration for 3 weeks.One tutorial

Students will select a topic covered by the lectures and write a review-type article in the style of the high impact factor journal, Trends in Neuroscience that provides a critical appraisal of the role of innate and/or adaptive immunity in disease. The indicative word count for the review is 1000-1500 words

The specific aims of this course are:

■ to enable students to evaluate critically research pertaining to the involvement of immune mechanisms in nervous system development, homeostasis and repair

■ to provide students with the opportunity to learn of how adaptive and innate immunity contribute to the pathogenesis of inflammatory, neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases

■ to provide students with the opportunity to learn how recent technical advances are used to investigate innate and adaptive immunity within the nervous system

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

■ summarise and critically evaluate research pertaining to the functional outcome of neuroinflammatory mechanisms in the developing and adult nervous system

■ critically evaluate how adaptive and innate immunity contribute to development and resolution of specific neurological diseases

■ critically appraise recent technical advances used to investigate innate and adaptive immunity within the nervous system

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