LSC-20061 - Neuropharmacology

Coordinator: Samaneh Maysami Room: HUX-304 Tel: 01782 733671

Lecture Time: See Timetable...

Level: Level 5

Credits: 15

Study Hours: 150

School Office: 01782 734414

Programme/Approved Electives for 2020/21

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2020/21

Medications that are aimed to treat neurological and mental disorders would usually apply their effects via binding to specific substrates. However, traditional efficacy trials (in models of disease) cannot always guarantee the effectiveness of an intervention in the clinic. This is due to the presence of various confounding factors that could alter drug absorption, metabolism, solubility, ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, and/or clearance (excretion and secretion) of the drug. In the first part of this module you will learn about drug-receptor interactions, dose-response (concentration response in models of disease), distribution, metabolism, and elimination of drugs systemically or within the nervous system. You will also learn basic principles of neuropharmacology, molecular mechanisms, and therapeutic index. In the second part of these lectures you will learn about disease-specific therapy and current approaches in the treatment and management of common neuropsychiatric conditions. Finally, in the third part of this module, you will learn about advances made in neuropharmacology towards precision therapy and personalised medicine.

Aims

Students will learn about the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of medications used to treat neuropsychiatric diseases and disorders. They will learn about the pathways involved in drug discovery and novel approaches in treatment and management of neuropsychiatric illnesses.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Describe the biochemical basis and molecular mechanisms by which drugs regulate the neurotransmission to treat neuropsychiatric disorders in the preclinical and clinical settings: 2
Compare and contrast the therapeutic values, adverse-effects and/or side-effects of drugs: 2
Critically evaluate how various classes of drugs can induce changes in the neuronal signalling to affect mood and behaviour and/or cause dependency or addiction: 2
Communicate findings from analyses of journal articles orally or in writing in their assessments in accordance with professional conventions in neuroscience: 1,2
Critically evaluate the pathways in drug discovery and development in neuroscience from research and development to clinical trials: 2

Study hours

- 20 hours of lecture
- 2 hours tutorial
- 128 hours of independent study and essay preparation

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Oral Presentation weighted 30%
Online Group Presentation
Students will work in groups of 5 and deliver a 10 minute presentation based on data presented in a peer-reviewed journal article. Each group presents a different research paper chosen by the academic team. All students must contribute to the presentation and students are awarded a group mark. The work of students who do not contribute in this teamwork would be considered as 'non-submission'.

2: Open Book Examination weighted 70%
Online open-book exam
The paper will be released on KLE as a Word document at 9am on the morning of the exam. Students will choose one from three different essay-based questions. Students should answer each question using Microsoft Word. They must submit their essay to Turnitin no later than 5pm on the day of release. International students will be asked to notify the School if they need an extension due to different time zones. Although students have been given significant time to complete this exam, we expect most students to spend no more than 2 hours to complete the essay. The essay should be as accurate and concise as possible. We recommend that students do not exceed 750 words per essay-based question as we will be assessing the quality of their answer, not the quantity.

LSC-20061 - Module Specification School of Life Sciences Faculty of Natural Sciences

LSC-20061 - Module Specification
School of Life Sciences
Faculty of Natural Sciences