PM3EAN: Experimental Approaches to Neuroscience

Module code: PM3EAN

Module provider: Pharmacy; School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy

Credits: 20

Level: Level 3 (Honours)

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr Francesco Tamagnini, email: f.tamagnini@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s): This module is only available to Associated Pharmacy students. (Open)

Co-requisite module(s): IN THE SAME YEAR AS TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST TAKE PM3RP AND TAKE PM3CSIP (Compulsory)

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

The best way to do science it is to use your hands and then formalize the understanding of your experience. In this “Experimental Approaches to Neuroscience” module we will start with an experiment involving the measurement of the electrical activity in brain slices, without any further knowledge. 

Throwing you directly into the laboratory environment to collect data and following this up with self-directed and lecture-aided support, to prepare your first formative report. 

The remainder of the course will be built over an experimental axis: 

1. Solvent-based extraction of neuroactive drugs from plants (for example from tea dry leaves). 
2. Testing the effect of the extracted drug on the electrical and synaptic responses in a preclinical model of neural activity. 
3. Testing the effect of the drug over brain electrical oscillations in a person, using electroencephalography. 

The lectures, online material, formative, and summative assessments will be built around this programme of work. 

The aim of this course is to provide the student with a systematic knowledge of the brain function, and drug-related alterations, paralleling different mind states using an experimental based approach enriched and complemented by lectures and on-line material.  

Aims: 

1. Acquire systematic knowledge of the central and peripheral nervous system using an experiment-centred approach. 
2. Learn and familiarize with electrophysiological techniques for the measurement of single channel, single cell, local network, and whole brain activity. 
3. Using neuropharmacology to understand the causal relationship between receptor modulation, single cell, network, and whole brain activity alteration. 
4. Investigating the conceptual relationship between neuronal function and the mind.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Explain the distinct roles and players that contribute to brain organisation from a molecular to network level
2. Critically evaluate the physiological meaning of the measurable outcomes produced during the experiments of drug extraction and pharmacological testing on brain samples
3. Critically evaluate the effects of drugs over multilevel brain activity
4. Critically discuss the conceptual problems associated with the relation between measurable brain activity and qualitatively defined mental functions (memory, fear, pain, perception, etc)
5. Complete data analysis and test specific hypotheses
6. Communicate experimental results from neuroscience and relate them to broader context

Module content

The content will develop over an experimental axis. 

Practical activities (20 hours) 

1. Measuring evoked potentials in hippocampal brain slices. 
2. Extraction of active principles from drugs. 
3. Effects of drugs on neurophysiological properties in a preclinical model (for example brain slices). 
4. Effects of drugs on brain neural oscillations. 

The practical activities described in 1-4 will involve the compiling of lab books for each student, which will be part of the summative assessment. 

Face to face lectures and online material (20 hours) 

These will also be provided to aid the understanding of the physiological meaning of the measured outcomes. 

1. Neurons and glia: friends and foes. Role of the neuron-glia interaction in physiology and pathology. 
2. Plasma membrane. Structure and function. 
3. Transmission of the signal. Synaptic transmission.  
4. Memory, learning and synaptic plasticity. 
5. Motor function. 
6. Endocrine and nervous system: continuity or separation? 

Workshop. Brain and Mind. Discussion on the relationship between measurable brain activity and qualitatively/philosophically defined mind functions. Structured, small group learning will be used as a formative exercise, resulting in a group power-point presentation. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module is built over the experimental axis described in the outline content section, while the  lectures will provide, additional, complementary material to reach the formative aims. 

The favoured practical approach will promote the deep learning of the content because the knowledge will arise from direct experience, aided by classical frontal lectures. The formative and summative assessment methods involve activities based on self-directed learning, building of mind maps and outcome driven tasks. For example, the preparation of a research paper-style report and the compiling of the lab-book as a portfolio. These tasks require active engaging with the teaching materials, which has been shown to result in more consolidated understanding of a subject. 

Finally, the workshop will allow to discuss the philosophical implications and potential limits of the quantitative study of the brain activity. 

Study hours

At least 50 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

1. Synaptic transmission and synaptic plasticity. An individual mind-map on the relationship between synaptic transmission, plasticity, and the measurement of field excitatory post-synaptic potentials in brain slices. 
2. Philosophy of mind. Workshop discussion on the problem of how neurophysiology experiments developed in the module relate to cognitive psychology. 

Reassessment

Additional costs