Biologisk Psykologi II

Selectable PhD course within the subject of psychology, 7.5 credits

The course plan below in PDF Word, 35 kB.

Course Plan

Goal

After the course, the student will be able to:

• describe the biochemical principles of the nervous system, and how it relates to behavior
  - in detail describe the cellular and molecular biology of the brain and neural cells
  - describe electrochemical transmission within and between nerve cells and the regulation thereof
  - describe the neurobiological basis for perception, movement and autonomic regulation
• describe the development of the neuron and the nervous system
• relate basic biochemical processes to their own research field

Content

Knowledge of basic neuroscience is important for understanding the higher functions of the nervous system. The course will cover the basic building blocks of the nervous system, the neurons and glia cells, their biology, and how they develop and interact. The course will also link these basic components to behavior and psychological processes.

Teaching

The teaching consists of seminars, each covering a section of the course literature. A seminar starts with a brief introduction to the section and the presentation of suggested discussion items from one or two students after which a general discussion follows. Each student will be assigned to present discussion items at two or more seminars, suggest articles for in depth reading of at least two seminars and are expected to contribute to the discussion at all seminars.

Prerequisites

The student should be admitted to a PhD education. The course requires basic knowledge about neurobiology and behavior, comparable to Biological Psychology I. Before the course, the student should make sure that they are familiar with the concepts presented in chapter 1-2 and 15-20 of the course literature.

Examination

To pass the course, the student shall:

• partake actively in seminars
• present discussion topics of at least two seminars and suggest articles for future readings
• at a final seminar present a suggested study relating their own research to processes described in the course literature

Absence from a seminar is compensated through a written discussion of a chosen topic from the chapters. Participation at a final seminar is mandatory.

Grading

Pass or fail.

Literature

Kandel, E.R., Schwartz, J.H., Jessell, T.M., Siegelbaum, S.A., & Hudspeth, A.J. (2013). Principles of Neural Science, 5th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill. (Chapters eg 1 000 pages)

Scientific peer-reviewed articles that adhere to the next topic, provided at each seminar