| Unit name | Mental Health and Disease |
|---|---|
| Unit code | BRMSM0084 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Professor. Hans Reul |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Bristol Medical School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Health Sciences |
Why is this unit important?
Mental health is major area of study in neuroscience because of the high prevalence of mental health disease globally and the lack of adequate treatment. This unit will focus on the various molecular neuroscience aspects of mental health and disease. After some introduction to the topic, you will learn more about the role of epigenetics and genomics. You will deepen your knowledge of the role of neurocircuitry changes and the interactions between different levels of biological organisation, including the important function of the stress hormone response. You will think about the research that is crucial to make the much-needed steps forward in understanding the mechanisms underpinning mental health and disease. You will discuss strategies for the development of new therapies for mental health disease. Importantly, this unit will not only be about disease, but also explore the neuroscience underlying good mental health and the prevention of disease.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit will build upon and bring together topics of the previous taught units. You will apply your knowledge of cell signalling and omics of the brain and use your understanding of research methods in neuroscience to propose new research and therapy strategies in mental health and disease. Topics from the 'Next generation methodologies and therapies' unit will further support your learning on this unit. At this stage of the programme, we want you to be able to integrate information to critically discuss the various aspects of mental health research.
An overview of content
You will be introduced to clinical aspects and epidemiology of mental health disease, and the role of molecular mechanisms and brain neurocircuitry. You will learn about the intricate interplay of epigenetics, neurogenesis and glucocorticoid hormones and the molecular basis of sex differences in the brain. The teaching will comprise of lectures interspersed with workshops that will help you generate ideas for the development of new therapeutic strategies. You will apply your learning to the presentation and critical discussion of a recent research paper by creating and presenting a scientific poster.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
Mental health and disease is a topic which is of personal significance to many people. You will gain a thorough understanding of the neuroscientific mechanisms leading to disease and what could be done to improve the treatment and prevention of mental health disease. Your presentation and discussion capabilities will be developed ahead of the start of the Research Project unit (MEDIM7100).
Learning Outcomes
After this unit, you should be able to:
You will primarily learn through lectures, where core information is presented. Importantly, these sessions are interactive, where you will be given opportunities to ask questions, and to discuss the concepts presented. You will also learn through workshops, where working in groups, you will discuss your ideas and understanding with others and work together to generate roadmaps for innovative research into the aetiology and treatment of mental health disease and its prevention. These ways of learning will prepare you for the summative assessment, which involves synthesising the information you have learnt in the unit and applying it to the presentation and discussion of a scientific poster.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
You are supported in the completion of the summative assessment of this unit via your participation in the workshops. The workshops will give you the opportunity to develop and test your ideas with your fellow students and to gain feedback from the lecturer during the workshops. A Q&A session with the Unit Head will be scheduled to address any issues students may have during the preparation of their poster. The formative assessment for this unit will be a practice run of your poster presentation which will be peer-reviewed and marked by your fellow students. For the peer review, students will be provided with the marking sheets which will be used during the summative assessment.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
The summative assessment (100%) for the unit comprises the creation of a scientific poster from a recent multi-facetted research paper on the topic of mental health and disease, which you will present to your fellow students, and to the programme staff, who will mark your assessment. Your presentation will include a critical appraisal of the paper and you will discuss the impact the paper may have on people and on future research. The presentation will be followed by a Question-and-Answer session where you are expected to be able to clarify and discuss the research and to provide insight into how the research could be developed further.
When assessment does not go to plan
If you do not pass the unit, you will normally be given the opportunity to take a reassessment as per the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes. Decisions on the award of reassessment will normally be taken after all taught units of the year have been completed. Reassessment will normally be in a similar format to the original assessment that has been failed.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. BRMSM0084).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
