Neuroimmunology
| Module title | Neuroimmunology |
|---|---|
| Module code | NEU3030 |
| Academic year | 2024/5 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Talitha Kerrigan (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 40 |
|---|
Module description
The brain’s immune response differs to that of other organs, primarily due to the presence of the blood-brain barrier and brain cells called glia. These responses are fine-tuned by signals from peripheral immune cells and, more speculatively, influenced by the gut microbiome. Central immune responses are important for maintaining normal brain function, but may go awry in neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and depression. The immune responses also support the brain’s recovery from injuries such as those arising from trauma, oxygen deprivation and infection.
This module will explore the current understanding of how peripheral and central immune systems interact to affect operation of the nervous system, paying particular attention to pathogenic mechanisms. It will focus particularly on the diverse role played by glia.
NEU1006 Introduction to Neuroscience and/or CSC2012 Disease, Diagnostics and Therapeutics are pre-requisite for this module. NEU2018 Neural Circuits is recommended. This module is optional for students studying BSc Neuroscience and BSc Medical Sciences. Students in other disciplines may take the module if they meet the pre-requisites.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The overall aim of the module is to recognise the role of central immune responses in normal brain functioning, and in the development and progression of disease.
This module emphasizes student empowerment, cultivating critical thinking and prompting students to ponder global concerns such as health disparities, and the far-reaching implications of conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. By encompassing a variety of neurological and immunological responses that manifest differently across diverse geographical and cultural contexts, the course champions a holistic curriculum that values diversity.
Engaging hands-on experiences and collaborative problem-solving sessions immerse students in the significance of environmental factors, cultural heritage, and global system thinking in shaping brain health. They are encouraged to explore how different socio-economic backgrounds impact the prevalence and management of neuropsychiatric diseases, particularly emphasizing the interconnectedness of the gut-brain axis and its global health implications.
Inclusivity is foundational to this module. Through seminars and journal club sessions, students are propelled into an environment that promotes peer learning, encourages open dialogue, and nurtures a shared sense of community responsibility.
Central to the module is its alignment with sustainable development goals (SDGs) Good Health and Wellbeing (3), ensuring a detailed insight into neurological health and its global implications. Simultaneously, it offers insights that touch upon SDGs 1 (No Poverty), 2 (Zero Hunger), and 10 (Reduced Inequalities), making connections between health, environment, and societal structures.
Through lectures, journal clubs, and written assignments you will have opportunities to understand central immune responses to infections and trauma of the brain, and how these responses contribute to neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric diseases.
Overall, this module will enhance your transferrable skills by helping to develop your strengths in data analysis and interpretation, critical appraisal and applied research techniques.
You will become familiar with techniques widely used in neuroscience, neurology, and immunology to study brain inflammation. Specific examples will include immunohistochemistry, animal models, pharmacological manipulations of glia cells, electrophysiology and current methods of neuroimaging. You will also have the opportunity to apply some of these techniques directly through journal club sessions with leading research scientists in the field of Neuroimmunology. You will further develop the skills required to understand and interpret scientific data.
Through formative and summative assessments, you will develop your ability to identify, review and appraise scientific literature whilst working as part of the group.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Identify key components of the central immune system and outline their functional significance
- 2. Appreciate cellular and molecular differences between types of brain glial cells, outlining their role in normal and abnormal brain function
- 3. Describe some of the mechanisms through which peripheral immune cells and the gut microbiome can influence brain immune responses
- 4. Apply understanding of the main cellular and molecular processes that happen in the brains immune system after injury, and why the immune response is critical for brain repair
- 5. Evaluate the role of immune responses in the pathophysiology of neurodevelopmental, neurodegenerative, and neuropsychiatric diseasesEvaluate the role of immune responses in the pathophysiology of neurodevelopmental, neurodegenerative, and neuropsychiatric diseases
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. Critically evaluate the latest primary research in Neuroimmunology, demonstrating an appropriate knowledge of the underlying research methodology.
- 7. Describe some of the methods used to study central immune responses
- 8. Recognize the role of Neuroimmunology in contributing to the achievement of sustainable development goals
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 9. Carry out a targeted literature searches using bibliographic databases
- 10. Recognize and produce clear scientific writing while critically evaluating both primary and secondary information sources.
- 11. Interact effectively in a group
- 12. Apply skills of critical thinking, problem-formulation and problem-solving to clinical science practice.
Syllabus plan
The module’s precise content will vary from year to year, but the following information describes its typical structure.
Lectures
A total of ten lecture sessions will be delivered, incorporating different Neuroimmunology themes. Each week will consist of a one-hour lecture, followed by a 2-hour interactive journal club session.
Lectures may broadly cover the following subjects:
- Glial cells: cellular and molecular differences, regulation of neuronal communication, biology, techniques used to study them
- Central immune response to physical damage: traumatic brain injury and repair mechanisms
- Central immune response in brain development
- Central immune response in metabolic disease
- Gut-brain axis in health and disease
- CNS Autoimmunity
- Psychoneuroimmunology
- Central immune response in neurodegeneration
Central immune response to different types of pain and associated conditions. The introductory lecture will outline the broad aims of the module, its weekly structure, assessment processes and other practicalities. You will also have a workshop which will focus on the module’s assessment .
In the final week of the module there will be a one-hour session providing you with details on the exam and preparation support.
Along with the journal club sessions, these interactive workshop sessions will take place live, in person or online via a streaming platform e.g. Microsoft Teams
Journal club sessions
There will be ten journal club sessions where you will explore the latest research techniques used in the field of neuroimmunology by discussing a primary research paper relating to the topic covered by an academic specialist. These two-hour sessions will incorporate an introduction to the paper and methods used at the beginning of each session, followed by a Q&A discussion. You will interpret and analyse the expected outcome of key Neuroimmunology methods such as immunohistochemistry, morphology of glial cells and electrophysiological techniques. This will prepare you for your summative coursework and data interpretation exam.
Seminars
There will be three seminars, each an hour long, which will help you to prepare your assessed research proposal. You will be provided with suggested topics prior the first seminar and will be expected to prepare for the session. At the first seminar you will work in groups discussing material you found and further shaping your proposal. The suggested topics will be broad enough that you will be able to identify, in more detail, material of interest to you and at the same time, share your knowledge with others in the groups. In another seminar you will discuss study plan design and share your ideas with the group and progress on shaping your proposal.
During the final session, feedback will be provided by both the peer group and the tutor on your formative proposal. During this session you will also have the opportunity to clarify any questions relating to the summative assignment.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 36 | 114 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching | 2 | Introductory and wrap lecture (2 x 1hr) |
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching | 20 | Interactive journal club sessions (10 x 2hrs) |
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching | 3 | Research proposal seminars (3 x 1hr) |
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching | 1 | Research Proposal workshop (1 x1 hr) |
| Scheduled Learning & Teaching | 10 | Lectures (10 x 1hr) |
| Guided Independent Study | 10 | Lecture preparation |
| Guided Independent Study | 9 | Lecture review and reflection |
| Guided Independent Study | 20 | Write-up of 1 page proposal |
| Guided Independent Study | 20 | Seminar preparation |
| Guided Independent Study | 10 | Seminar sessions review and reflection |
| Guided Independent Study | 20 | Revision |
| Guided Independent Study | 25 | Wider reading & preparation of written assessment |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proposal write-up | 500 words | 1-12 | Written (Tutor & Peer) |
| Online multiple-choice questions progression test (MCQs) | 3-5 questions/lecture | 1-12 | Online model answers |
| Online practice short-answer (SAQs) questions and data handling questions | 5 SAQs and 1 data handling question online per theme | 1-12 | Online model answers |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | 60 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAQ and data interpretation exam | 60 | 2 hours | 1-12 | Written (on request) |
| Research proposal | 40 | 2000 words | 1-12 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAQs and data interpretation exam (60%), 2 hours | SAQs and data interpretation exam (2-hours) | 1-12 | Ref/Def period |
| Research proposal (40%), 2000 words | Research proposal (2,000) | 1-12 | Ref/Def period |
Re-assessment notes
Please also refer to the TQA section on Referral/Deferral: http://as.exeter.ac.uk/academic-policy-standards/tqa-manual/aph/consequenceoffailure/
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Basic reading
1. Human Physiology: From Cells to Systems, 7th edition, edited by Lauralee Sherwood. Cengage, 2009.
Chapter 5: The central Nervous system – most important parts are on Organisation and Cells of the Nervous system (5.1) and Protection and Nourishment of the brain (5.2)
2. Understanding immunology, 3d edition, edited by Peter Wood. Pearson Prentice Hall, 2011
Chapter 2: Innate Immunity and the inflammatory response
Module specific reading
1. Neuroglia, 3d edition, edited by Helmut Kettenmann and Bruce R. Ransom. Oxford Academic Press, 2013
Chapters related to astrocyte and microglia biology and function in health and disease (2, 5-6, 8, 11, 22-30, 33, 35-37, 39-41, 44-45, 47)
2. Neuroinflammation, 2nd edition, edited by Alireza Minagar. Academic Press, 2018
Chapters highlighting the role of glia cells in neuroinflammation (26), multiple sclerosis (1-3, 5, 25, 27), ischemic (18, 19) and traumatic brain injury (28), and Alzheimer’s disease (27), and modern treatment strategies of various neuroinflammatory conditions (20, 21).
3. The Oxford Handbook of Psychoneuroimmunology, edited by Suzanne C. Segerstrom, Oxford University Press, 2012. Chapters highlighting the following: Stress and Immunity in Pregnancy, Well-Being, Aging, and Immunity, Positive Emotions and Immunity and Seasonal Rhythms in Psychoneuroimmunology.
DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195394399.001.0001
All the recommended books are available as an e-resource at the University of Exeter Library. Other resources on specific topics might be recommended by the lecturers and will be added to ELE webpage and included as recommended reading material at the end of each lecture.
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | NEU1006 or CSC2012 |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 01/09/2019 |
| Last revision date | 29/02/2024 |
