B.Sc in Neuroscience and Mental Health

B.Sc in Neuroscience
and Mental Health
Course Directors:
Professor Jackie de Belleroche and
Dr James Stone

Neuroscience &
Mental Health B.Sc
Neuroscience is a topic that crosses many
disciplines. You need a broad background to
understand many of the important issues of
synaptic plasticity, cognition, neurological
and psychiatric disorders. Neuroscience is a
major theme in the Medical School and
Academic Health Sciences Centre.
The course is made up of:
Three Modules (15 weeks)
Research Project (10 weeks).

Neuroscience &
Mental Health B.Sc
Introductory Course (2 weeks)
•Development of the CNS (5 weeks)
•Neurological and Psychiatric disorders
of the CNS (5 weeks)
•Interventions and treatments for mental
and neurological disorders (5 weeks)
Research Project (10 weeks)

INTRODUCTORY COURSE
Cells, pathways, signalling in the nervous system
Mind-body integration
Health psychology

Experimental design and methodology
•Signalling in the nervous system: from
visualisation to functional analysis
•Experimental models and ethical issues
•Clinical Methodology: Neuroimaging,
Neuropathology and Neurosurgery
Generic skills in context:
Critical appraisal,
Essay writing,
Data interpretation
Presentation

MODULE 1: Development of the CNS in
Health and Disease
Signals involved in inducing cells to become neurones,
finding their correct position and making appropriate
connections. Potential of stem cell therapeutics.
•Neurodevelopment
•Neural plasticity
•Developmental defects,
psychopathologies and
childhood autism
Developing oligodendrocytes in culture
Module Leader: Prof Richard Reynolds

Module 1
• Embryonic and neonatal brain
development
• Specification of neurons and glia
• Neuronal migration
• Formation of synapses and circuits
• Cell death in the nervous system
• Stem cells
• Imaging the developing human brain
• Disorders of the developing CNS

MODULE 2: Neurological and
Psychiatric disorders of the central
nervous system
Integrating clinical
presentation with
aetiology and
pathology
Alzheimer’s Disease:
amyloid deposits
Module Leaders:
Dr Steve Gentleman and
Professor Jackie de Belleroche

Neurological & Psychiatric disorders
Clinical presentation, underlying pathology,
genetics, experimental models, aetiology
and treatment of:
•Stroke
•MS
•Parkinson’s disease,
•Motor Neurone disease
•Alzheimer’s disease
•Frontotemporal dementia
•CNS tumours

Graft treatment in Parkinson’s disease
Add photo of PD pt or similar check with Steve Gentleman

MODULE 3: Aetiology and
treatments of mental disorders
• Introduction to psychosis, drug
misuse, dementia and personality
disorder
• Can schizophrenia be cured?
• Introduction to psychotherapy
• Latest developments in drug
treatment of dementia
• Treating psychopathy
• Visit to Broadmoor
Module Leader: Dr James Stone

A broad
approach to
managing
mental disorders
•Theoretical basis for a range of
pharmacological and psychosocial interventions.
•How new treatments are developed and
evaluated, and applied in clinical practice.
•Latest developments in our understanding of
the of the biological basis of addition.
•Forensic mental health and risk assessment
and be able to see how these used to treat
people at Broadmoor Hospital

Stroke, Parkinson’s disease
& Multiple sclerosis
Cell biology,
development and
stem cell therapy
Addiction
The Research Project
Neuropathology
Tumours
Motor Neurone Disease
Mental health of children
and adolescents
Imaging and
sensory motor
integration
Interventions &
treatments for mental
disorders

Stroke, Parkinson’s disease (PD),
Multiple sclerosis, Motor Neurone
Disease and neuropathology
•Stroke susceptibility genes
•Grey matter changes in multiple sclerosis
•Neuroprotection in Parkinson’s disease
•New genes for motor neurone disease:
pathogenic mechanisms.
•Neuroprotective protein chaperones
•Markers of meningiomas
•Microglial activation in the ageing brain

Imaging and sensory motor integration
•Vulnerability of specific nuclei to perinatal
hypoxic-ischaemic injury using MRI
•Music effects on memory function
•MR quantification of brain development in
fetuses with enlarged ventricles
•Effects of chronic subthalamic nucleus deep
brain stimulation in PD
•Is the nausea which accompanies
vestibular disease Motion Sickness?
•Learning without seeing

Mental health
• Mental health of adolescent asylum seekers
• The mental health impact of critical illness
• Arts therapies for people with severe mental illness
• Self expression among people with psychosis
• Detecting Alzheimer’s Disease
• Incidence of post operative cognitive dysfunction
and dementia following surgery
• Personality and risk assessment
• Co-morbidity and pharmacological treatment in
high security hospital personality disorder services
• Early intervention in psychosis

Aetiology and treatment of addiction
• Role of opioid and GABA in addiction
•Dopaminergic pathways in reward systems
and addictive behaviours
•Neuroinflammation and alcohol misuse
• Does smoking cannabis cause
schizophrenia
• Peer Advocacy in drug and alcohol
treatment services
• Public attitudes to reducing alcohol

B.Sc in Neuroscience
and Mental Health
• An integrated approach to understanding the CNS
• A wide range of teaching methods (e.g. lectures,
seminars, tutorials, practicals, neuropathology,
demonstrations, timed essays, Journal
presentations, Visit to Broadmoor)
• Enormous variety of projects available