- Course Code
- BM 3502
- Credit Points
- 15
- Course Coordinator
- Dr D Scott
Pre-requisites
BI 20B2 and BI25B2 (other relevant courses may also be considered by the course coordinator)
Overview
The course will include lectures on functional neuroanatomy, autonomic and neuromuscular pharmacology, neuropharmacology to include functional aspects of excitatory and inhibitory amino acids, monoamines, peptides and nitric oxide. It will explore pain, opioids and narcotic analgesics and drugs depressing CNS function (e.g. cannabinoids, antidepressants, anticonvulsants and antipsychotics), as well as discussing the issues/mechanisms of tolerance and addiction.
We will review applications of various drugs that affect the nervous system and explore how they were discovered and developed, how they are applied in everyday life, what the potential disadvantages of them might be, and also what the future holds for the development of novel drugs used to treat diseases/disorders of the nervous system. We will briefly also review the differences in how medical scientists and psychologists view what goes wrong during such diseases and disorders.
Finally, the course will explain various basic concepts in physiology and pharmacology and show how we statistically analyse data from experiments using novel drugs and what conclusions we can draw from such investigations.
Structure
4 one-hour lectures per week, 2 three-hour data-handling practicals over 6 weeks.
Assessment
1st Attempt: 1 one and a half hour essay examination (70%) and in-course assessment (30%).
Continuous assessment comprises: 1 data handling/statistical analysis exercise , one 1500 word essay, 2 case studies.
Resit: 1 one and a half hour essay examination (70%) and previous continuous assessment (30%).
Formative Assessment
- Practice exam essay allows students to write under exam conditions and receive feedback on their performance.
- Case-study exercise with feedback in preparation for summative assessments.
- PRS-based revision sessions allow students to practice for MCQ tests and receive feedback on their performance.
- Problem-solving sessions using real pharmacological data will provide feedback as to whether the students are understanding the topics covered within the lecture elements of the course and also if they understand how and why the data are analysed in specific ways. Feedback is given gradually during these sessions, ensuring that all students understand what is covered in that session before we move on to the next.
Feedback
- Practical reports, case studies and essays will be marked with written comments. Model answers are also supplied via MyAberdeen.
- Case study questions will be discussed during a lecture/feedback session.
- Written comments will be provided on the mock exam question.
- Students are given general feedback on performance during PRS revision sessions.