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

For academic year: 2021/22 Last Updated: 16 February 2022

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 2021/22

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

Introduction to neuroscience

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2021/22

By the end of this module, you will be able to discuss how medications that are aimed to treat neurological and mental disorders would usually apply their effects (e.g., binding to specific substrates).
You will be able to critically appraise preclinical trials (in models of disease) and evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention in the clinic (clinical trials).
You will be able to explain absorption, metabolism, solubility, ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, clearance (excretion and secretion), and toxicity (ADMET) of a drug of choice in neuroscience.
You will be able to discuss about drug-receptor interactions, dose-response (concentration response in models of disease) and how presence of confounding factors could alter distribution, metabolism, and elimination of drugs systemically or within the nervous system.
You will also be able to link basic principles of neuropharmacology, molecular mechanisms, and therapeutic index with wider disciplines such as population health, health economics, and neuroanatomy.
Finally, you will be able to critically evaluate advances made in neuropharmacology towards precision therapy and personalised medicine in recent years.

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.

Talis Aspire Reading List
Any reading lists will be provided by the start of the course.
http://lists.lib.keele.ac.uk/modules/lsc-20061/lists

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: 1,2
Compare and contrast the therapeutic values, adverse-effects and/or side-effects of drugs: 1,2
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: 1,2
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: 1,2

Study hours

- 10x 5 hours of engagement with asynchronous topics
- 10x 1 hour tutorial to consolidate the lecture materials
- 40 hours Journal comprehension oral presentations
- 48 hours of independent study
- 2 hours exam

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Oral Presentation weighted 50%
Journal Comprehension Oral Presentation
Each student is given a research paper to critically review. They will need to concisely summarise the main aims and methods, situate main findings in the wider literature and identify key strengths and weaknesses of the paper. Students then work in small groups (6-10 students) to produce a conference style series of flash talks (5-10 minutes per student) presenting their findings. The final product should be a pre-recorded presentation no longer than 1.5 hrs per group. 10% of the overall marks will be a group mark awarded on the basis of overall coherency, flow and production. The remaining 90% of marks will be awarded to individual students based on their presentation and demonstrable understanding of their research paper.

2: Open Book Examination weighted 50%
Open book exam essay (unseen)
The paper will be released on KLE as a Word document at 9am on the morning of the exam. The paper consists 1 essay selected from 3. Students should address each topic using Word, clearly labelling each chosen topic as they provide their answers. Work will be submitted 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 script, we expect most students to spend no more than 2 hours on completion of this assessment. Answers should be as accurate and concise as possible. Typical answers would be in the range of 500-750 words per topic. We recommend that students do not exceed 750 words per essay-based question as we will be assessing the quality of your answer, not the quantity.

Please note that for the 2021/22 Academic Year all programmes will be adapted to operate in accordance with a flexible, digital approach. This means that there will be some changes made to how modules are delivered and assessed. The latest information will be provided to you by your School in module handbooks. We endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes and details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/student-terms-and-conditions/

Last Updated: 16 February 2022