Neuroscience

The subject will provide students with a general introduction to the study of the nervous system. It will allow students to gain an understanding of brain and nerve structure, the cellular elements that make up the nervous system and how these work together to receive, process and transmit information.

Students will learn about human neuroanatomy and take an in-depth look the different types of nerve cells and how they communicate. Students will explore how the firing properties of nerve cells can change and how this influences the function of other tissues to elicit different physiological functions to maintain homeostasis. This subject will provide foundational knowledge for those wishing to develop a greater understanding of neuroscience and related fields.

View detailed information in the Handbook

This subject is an introduction to the field of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, building on 1st year chemical principles relating molecular structure to biological function. The content includes a detailed introduction to the structure of biological building blocks (amino acids, nucleic acids, carbohydrates and lipids). The subject covers the structure and function of proteins, including the properties of enzymes, their regulation and kinetic behaviour. How nucleic acids replicate information, are maintained and repaired and serve as a template for the synthesis of RNAs and proteins (i.e. molecular biology) is addressed. The structure of lipids is examined to show their major biological roles, particularly as components of cell membranes. Metabolic pathways (glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, glycogen metabolism, TCA cycle and oxidative phosphorylation) will complete this core coverage of essential biochemistry. The subject is designed to stand alone, but it complements the laboratory experiences in the subject BCMB20005 “Techniques in Molecular Science”, Each of these level-2 subjects can be taken independently, concurrently or in either order.

View detailed information in the Handbook

Each cell in our body and, indeed, in all multicellular organisms has a particular structure and many important functions. This subject explores the complex cellular structure and molecular functions of general and specialised human, animal and plant cells. It also explores the internal and external signals that can lead to changes in cell behaviour, gene expression, protein synthesis and cell replication in both healthy and disrupted or diseased states.

In this subject students will build on foundational knowledge and skills obtained in first year biology. Learning activities will prepare students for further study within cell and developmental biology and future study and career pathways in many other relevant areas of biological and biomedical sciences.

View detailed information in the Handbook

Pharmacology is an exciting discipline that provides insight into the mechanisms of action and beneficial and unwanted effects of drugs in the body. This is achieved by integrating knowledge from a range of biosciences including how the body works in health and disease. This subject uses specific examples of instantly recognizable and newly developed drugs to demonstrate how pharmacologists identify drug targets, design new drugs and test their therapeutic effectiveness.

View detailed information in the Handbook

Physiology is an integrative study of the control of normal body function. The specialised organ systems to be studied include the nervous, cardiovascular, muscular, respiratory, kidney and digestive systems. During this subject students will learn that physiology is an experimental science with many key concepts arising from qualitative and quantitative observation and analysis of living organisms. The lectures will incorporate active interaction between students and lecturers using live polling software to answer questions during lectures.

View detailed information in the Handbook

The human brain is, arguably, the most complex structure on earth. This subject examines how a simple sheet of cells in the early embryo is fashioned into a functioning brain -. You will learn how cells within the primordial nervous system are assigned different fates, how neural stem cells are stimulated to divide to produce the billions of cells that comprise the nervous system and how these cells differentiate into mature neurons. The subject will examine how neural circuits are established as newly-born neurons send out axons,making functional synaptic connections with specific target cells.

View detailed information in the Handbook

The analysis of real neural networks and the construction of artificial neural networks afford mutually synergistic technologies with broad application within and beyond neuroscience. Artificial neural networks, and other machine learning methods, have found numerous applications in analysis and modelling, and have produced insights into numerous complex phenomena (and generated huge economic value). Such technologies can also be used to gain insights into the biological systems that inspired their creation: we will explore how learning is instantiated in artificial and biological neural networks.

The subject aims to provide foundation skills for those who may wish to peruse neuroscience - or any research or work environment that involves the creation or capture, and analysis, of complex data. Students will gain experience with digital signals and digital signal processing (whether those signals are related to images, molecular data, connectomes, or electrophysiological recordings), and will learn how to conceptualise and implement approaches to modelling data by constructing an artificial neural network using the Python programming language.

View detailed information in the Handbook

The subject is structured to build upon students’ understanding of the basic principles behind the development and function of the nervous system, developed in the prerequisite neuroscience subject/s. It will extend upon students’ understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the peripheral and central auditory systems, including aspects of balance function, speech production and development of the inner ear. Following these core lectures, students’ will be exposed to the applications of this knowledge to addressing pathologies of the auditory system, including relevant lectures from international leaders in cochlear implant research, emerging gene- and cell-based therapies, drug delivery platforms, auditory cortical plasticity and artificial hearing and voice.

View detailed information in the Handbook

The subject builds on students’ understanding of the basic principles behind the functioning of the nervous system, developed in the prerequisite neuroscience subject/s. It develops students’ understanding of the structure, function and development underlying the processing of visual information from the eyes to the further reaches of the brain. The subject provides a thorough understanding of the various levels of the visual pathway and the neural mechanisms that enable visual functions such as perceiving form, colour, depth and movement and how visually-guided action is executed. It will also explore the basis of higher brain functions, such as visual attention and reading and also how eye movements are controlled and vision is related to other senses such as balance, hearing and touch. The subject will provide a number of examples of how disorders of the neural processing lead to specific clinical syndromes.

View detailed information in the Handbook

The human brain is, arguably, the most complex structure on earth. This subject examines how a simple sheet of cells in the early embryo is fashioned into a functioning brain -. You will learn how cells within the primordial nervous system are assigned different fates, how neural stem cells are stimulated to divide to produce the billions of cells that comprise the nervous system and how these cells differentiate into mature neurons. The subject will examine how neural circuits are established as newly-born neurons send out axons,making functional synaptic connections with specific target cells.

View detailed information in the Handbook

The analysis of real neural networks and the construction of artificial neural networks afford mutually synergistic technologies with broad application within and beyond neuroscience. Artificial neural networks, and other machine learning methods, have found numerous applications in analysis and modelling, and have produced insights into numerous complex phenomena (and generated huge economic value). Such technologies can also be used to gain insights into the biological systems that inspired their creation: we will explore how learning is instantiated in artificial and biological neural networks.

The subject aims to provide foundation skills for those who may wish to peruse neuroscience - or any research or work environment that involves the creation or capture, and analysis, of complex data. Students will gain experience with digital signals and digital signal processing (whether those signals are related to images, molecular data, connectomes, or electrophysiological recordings), and will learn how to conceptualise and implement approaches to modelling data by constructing an artificial neural network using the Python programming language.

View detailed information in the Handbook

The subject is structured to build upon students’ understanding of the basic principles behind the development and function of the nervous system, developed in the prerequisite neuroscience subject/s. It will extend upon students’ understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the peripheral and central auditory systems, including aspects of balance function, speech production and development of the inner ear. Following these core lectures, students’ will be exposed to the applications of this knowledge to addressing pathologies of the auditory system, including relevant lectures from international leaders in cochlear implant research, emerging gene- and cell-based therapies, drug delivery platforms, auditory cortical plasticity and artificial hearing and voice.

View detailed information in the Handbook

The subject builds on students’ understanding of the basic principles behind the functioning of the nervous system, developed in the prerequisite neuroscience subject/s. It develops students’ understanding of the structure, function and development underlying the processing of visual information from the eyes to the further reaches of the brain. The subject provides a thorough understanding of the various levels of the visual pathway and the neural mechanisms that enable visual functions such as perceiving form, colour, depth and movement and how visually-guided action is executed. It will also explore the basis of higher brain functions, such as visual attention and reading and also how eye movements are controlled and vision is related to other senses such as balance, hearing and touch. The subject will provide a number of examples of how disorders of the neural processing lead to specific clinical syndromes.

View detailed information in the Handbook