The course content reflects the highly diverse and interdisciplinary nature of Neuroscience with a series of seminars and laboratory demonstrations that cover cellular neurophysiology, neurochemistry and molecular neuroscience, as well as an overview of the structure, function and dysfunction of the central nervous system.

The student will gain necessary intellectual tools to understand and appreciate the complexities of the nervous system at the molecular and cellular level.

This course is designed as an introductory course at the Master's level, with the expectation that the student has a Bachelor's degree in the biological or physical sciences, but previous knowledge of neuroscience is not a prerequisite. Topics include: neurons as excitable cells, synaptic transmission, neurotransmitter systems, molecular and cellular basis for behavior, emotion, memory and sleep, sensory systems and functional anatomy and imaging of the nervous system.

Upon completion of the course, the student can:

Knowledge

• Display in-depth knowledge of the structure and function of the nervous system at a cellular and systems level
• Identify and describe the molecular and cellular properties of neurons that give rise to their ability to communicate via electrical and chemical signals
• Understand the most important neurotransmitter systems and receptors in the nervous system
• Critically evaluate commonly used methods in neuroscience and understand the theory behind these techniques

Skills

Develop hypotheses and critically analyze methods and results in Neuroscience

Competencies:

• Interpret and discuss findings related to scientific experiments and literature in the field of neuroscience
• Discuss the integration of molecular, cellular and biophysical processes that contribute to the function of neurons and neural systems responsible for behavior
• Apply theories of molecular and cellular neuroscience to experimental investigations

Students accepted to the Master's program in Biomedicine at the University of Bergen have full access to the course. Other Masters students at the University of Bergen or exchange students who fulfil the pre-requirements have access to the course after obtaining permission from the course supervisor.

The minimum amount of students on the course is 4 and the maximum amount of students is 15. If more than 15 students sign up for the course, the biomedicine students will have priority.

Approximately 32 hours of seminars over an approximate 8-10 week period

Four laboratory demonstrations (4 hours each)

Department of Biomedicine
studie.biomed@uib.no

Course coordinator:
Meg Veruki, https://www.uib.no/en/persons/Meg.Veruki