Neurobiology and Disease

Recommended Prerequisites

Basic knowledge in Cellular and Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, and Anatomophysiology is recommended.  Good skills in the English language are also convenient. 

Teaching Methods

Lectures supported by visual material (power pointpresentations and short scientific videos)covering the main concepts on the subjects under study. Whenever possible, it is done a call upon the experimental data that support the theory. Students are stimulated to intervene during the class. At the end, some classes are reserved for the presentation of original scientific articles by the students (the instructor assigns readings).

Learning Outcomes

In this curricular unit the students are expected to:

a) Develop perception on the cellular and molecular mechanisms of the nervous system functioning;

b) Understand the nervous system as a system highly organized and dynamic;

c) Develop perception on the molecular mechanisms of disease associated to various pathologies of the nervous system;

d) Understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the therapeutic strategies – in clinical use or in development – for some of the pathologies.

 

Other goals of this curricular unit include:

e) To educate the students in the acquisition of information on the molecular mechanisms of disease through the interpretation of scientific articles (original papers and reviews);

f) To educate the students in the oral presentation of scientific articles;

g) To encourage the students for the research in Neurosciences. 

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

1. General overview of the nervous system.

2. Sub-cellular organization of the neuron.

3. Axonal transport.

4. Synaptic transmission.

5. The GABAergic synapse.

6. The glutamatergic synapse.

7. Cerebral ischemia: physiopathological mechanisms and therapeutic strategies in cerebral ischemia.

8. Epilepsy: mechanisms of epileptogenesis and mechanisms of action of antiseizure drugs.

9. Alzheimer’s disease: clinical symptoms and molecular mechanisms involved in the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease; Therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer’s disease.

10. Oral presentation and discussion of scientific papers related to the molecular mechanisms implicated in the nervous system diseases focused previously in this curricular unit (student assignments). 

Head Lecturer(s)

Armanda Emanuela Castro Santos

Assessment Methods

Assessment
The students should present and discuss one scientific article (team work): 30.0%
Exam: 70.0%

Bibliography

    - Basic Neurochemistry: Principles of Molecular, Cellular, and Medical Neurobiology. Brady, Siegel, Albers and Price, 2012, 8^th ed., Academic Press, MA, USA.

- Fundamental Neuroscience, Squire, Berg, Bloom, du Lac, Ghosh and Spitzer, 2012, 4th ed., Academic Press, San Diego, USA.

- Neuroscience, Purves, Augustine, Fitzpatrick, Hall, LaMantia and White, 2012, 5^th ed., Sinauer Associates, Inc., MA, USA