Introduction to Neuroscience

• Credit value: 15 credits at Level 4
• Convenor: to be confirmed
• Assessment: a one-hour written examination (50%) and coursework of 1500 words (50%)

The course introduces the principles of operation and the outline organisation of the nervous system. Further topics covered in detail include language, hemisphere asymmetries, amnesia, emotion, stress, psychopathology, and sensory processes (mainly vision).

The module aims to:

• provide an introduction to the principles of neuronal and synaptic conduction in relation to information processing, and to the overall organisation of the brain and nervous system
• consider the distribution of behavioural functions within brain structures and pathways
• introduce the role of brain function in relation to psychological disorders
• describe the interplay of cognitive and physiological factors in the stress response.

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• describe methods of information transmission in the nervous system
• present, understand, and evaluate evidence on the organisation of such functions as language, memory and visuo-spatial ability in the brain
• understand the role of biological approaches such as neurotransmitters in explaining disorders such as schizophrenia
• describe the relative roles of cognition and physiological arousal in states of stress
• understand the basic principles of visual processing in the brain.