Neural Circuits
| Module title | Neural Circuits |
|---|---|
| Module code | CSC2018 |
| Academic year | 2019/0 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Professor Talitha Kerrigan () Andrew Randall (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 12 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 90 |
|---|
Module description
Neural networks are formed from massively interconnected ensembles of neurons; these connections are extensive yet remarkably selective. Deciphering the mechanistic basis of these networks holds a key to understanding the operation of nervous systems, and aids in linking neurophysiology of the single neuron to an animal’s behaviour.
This module therefore examines in detail our current understanding of neural circuits, placing in a clear contemporary context many of the cell-types and basic principles that you have already encountered. Specifically, you will consider how circuits become connected, can be studied, and may malfunction in disease.
Foundations in Neuroscience is a pre-requisite for this module. This module is mandatory for students studying BSc Neuroscience, and optional for other BSc Medical Sciences pathways. Students in other disciplines may take the module if they meet the pre-requisites.
Module aims - intentions of the module
Learning will be framed around three main themes:
1. Anatomy and physiology of neural circuits
a. Inhibitory and excitatory cells: the under-appreciated diversity
b. Neuromodulators: an anatomical perspective
c. Cellular basis of the EEG: the balance between excitation and inhibition, and their role in distinctive patterns of oscillation.
d. Long-range synchrony: how do different brain regions co-ordinate their activity?
2. Development of neural circuits
a. The embryonic origin of inhibitory and excitatory neurons
b. Circuit assembly: synaptogenesis, maturation, and the role of glia.
3. Neurological and psychiatric disorders: a role for circuit defects?
a. Developmental perturbations in circuit formation: autism and schizophrenia
b. Neurodegeneration and epilepsy: dynamic failures of circuit function
c. How knowledge of neural circuits can lead to improved treatments
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Describe the functional significance of differences between specific subtypes of inhibitory and excitatory neurons
- 2. Outline the anatomy of the main neuromodulatory projections in the human brain
- 3. Discuss the specificity of neuromodulatory projections for different neuron subtypes
- 4. Explain the cellular basis of neural synchrony in local circuits
- 5. Explain how neural synchrony differs between brain regions
- 6. Compare the embryonic origin of different classes of neuron
- 7. Describe the physiological changes that occur in neurons and synapses during circuit maturation
- 8. Explain how excitatory and inhibitory synapses form during development
- 9. Evaluate the role in psychiatric diseases of perturbations in neural circuit formation.
- 10. Evaluate evidence that different neurological diseases are manifest through specific deficits in circuit function
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 11. Describe the different methods and tools used to study neural circuit function
- 12. Analyse histological and electrophysiological data
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 13. Carry out a targeted literature search using bibliographic databases
- 14. Clearly communicate scientific concepts through written reports and oral presentations
- 15. Apply appropriate statistical analyses to different types of numerical data
Syllabus plan
The module’s precise content will vary from year to year, but the following information gives a detailed description of the typical overall structure.
Lectures
A series of sixteen one-hour lectures will each introduce key concepts in the development, anatomy and neurophysiology of neural circuits, encompassing both health and disease. Lectures will be split into four blocks, each covering different themes of neural circuitry. You will be required to write a 500 word summary of the key points covered in each block of lectures, which will be subject to peer-marking and group discussion. At the end of the module, you can submit your best summary for summative assessment, which will be worth 10% of the module’s final grade.
You will also choose one topic from the lecture material to expand upon and develop into a 2000-word literature review, which will be submitted for summative assessment and worth 40% of the module’s total grade. You will be expected to find your own sources of information for this assessment, but will have free choice on the topic of the review, allowing you to tailor the assessment to suit your own individual interests.
Practical sessions
There will be three laboratory sessions, each lasting three hours:
1. Electrophysiology practical: network activity in brain slices.
2. Microscopy lab, identifying different projection pathways within the mouse brain.
3. Quantifying and analysing immunofluorescence images of brain sections from mouse models of neurological or psychiatric disease.
The third practical will use real, unquantified data from one of the ongoing research projects within the Medical School. Data gathered during the laboratory sessions will form the basis of the data interpretation section of the final module exam.
Data analysis workshop
There will be a computer-based workshop, lasting three hours, focusing on the key scientific skills required to complete the write-up of the practical session. The session will focus on analysing and graphing scientific data of different types, and recap on the structure of a scientific report, and creating and embedding figures. The session will have a short lecture / demonstration component, followed by individual computer work. In addition to the lecturer, postdoctoral researchers and PhD students will be available to help.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 35 | 115 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching | 17 | Lectures |
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching | 4 | Consolidation workshop |
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching | 2 | Literature review small group discussion |
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching | 12 | Laboratory practical sessions and data analysis workshop |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Practice SAQ and data interpretation questions (in-class and online) | Past exam paper | 1-12 | Verbal feedback (in-class) and online model answers |
| Peer marking of four commentaries | Carried out during consolidation workshops | 1-12 | Written |
| Brain projection quiz | Carried out during practical laboratory 2 | 1-9 | Oral |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | 50 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Submission of best comment | 10 | 500 words | 1-9, 11, 12 | n/a |
| Literature review | 40 | 2000 words | 1-15 | Written |
| Exam: short answers, essay and data interpretation | 50 | 2 hours | 1-15 | Written |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Submission of best commentary based on lecture material | Submission of best commentary based on lecture material | 1-9,11, 12 | Ref/Def period |
| Literature review | Literature review | 1-15 | Ref/Def period |
| Exam: short answers, essay and data interpretation | Exam: short answers, essay and data interpretation | 1-9, 12,15 | Ref/Def period |
Re-assessment notes
DEFERRAL: Students who are granted a deferral by the Board of Examiners, as recommended by the UEMS Mitigation Committee, will be permitted to sit any missed piece of assessment or its equivalent (see ref/def table, above) in the referral/deferral period as an uncapped first attempt.
REFERRAL: Students who fail the module overall, either by failing a piece of assessment that is a pass requirement or by achieving an overall module mark of less than 40%, will be permitted a second attempt at the assessment or its equivalent (see ref/def table, above) in the referral/deferral period as a capped (40%) second and final attempt.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Basic reading:
- Principles of Neural Science, 5th Edition. Kandel, Schwartz, Jessel, Siegelbaum& Hudspeth.
- Pelkey, Chittajallu, Craig, Tricoire, Wester & McBain (2017). Hippocampal GABAergic Inhibitory Interneurons. Physiological Reviews 97(4):1619-1747.
- Marin (2012). Interneuron dysfunction in psychiatric disorders. Nature Reviews Neuroscience 13(2): 107-20
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | CSC1006 |
| Module co-requisites | N/A |
| NQF level (module) | 5 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 01/02/2018 |
| Last revision date | 06/03/2019 |