| Unit name | Synaptic plasticity |
|---|---|
| Unit code | PHPH30010 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Ashby |
| 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 | School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience |
| Faculty | Faculty of Life Sciences |
Why is this unit important?
Our brains are constantly changing; forming memories, learning new skills and adjusting to our experiences to help us adapt to the world around us. The foundation for these changes is Synaptic Plasticity, which is the ability of the synapses to adapt their properties and change the way their neurons communicate. When synaptic plasticity functions properly it endows the brain with great adaptability, but when it goes wrong, it can result in neurological and psychiatric disorders such as autism and schizophrenia.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit builds on the principles of neuroscience that you have learnt in the first two years of your programme. It will give you greater knowledge of our understanding of synaptic function at the cutting edge of research. You will also increase your skill in critical analysis and data interpretation, which will support your learning in other units including your research project.
An overview of the content
In this unit, we will explore how synapses change and how that alters neuronal function. We will explore the molecular and cellular mechanisms of how synapses undergo and maintain plasticity, as well as investigating its consequences and what happens when those mechanisms fail. Specifically, you will learn about how synapses get stronger, how they get weaker and how those processes intertwine across the lifetime of neuronal connections. We will also focus on the early development of the brain when synaptic connections are changing faster than at any other time in life. In these seminars, we will learn how synaptic plasticity builds the function of the brain when we are children and how that can go wrong when the interaction between childhood experience and synaptic plasticity mechanisms are disrupted.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
You will have a greater understanding of advanced aspects of synaptic plasticity and how it fits within the discipline through engaging with cutting edge research in the primary scientific literature. You will gain insight into how specific techniques are used to answer scientific questions, how to analyse and critically appraise data.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this unit you will be able to demonstrate:
You will learn through a series of seminars and interactive tutorials from world leaders in synaptic plasticity research. You will be encouraged to engage with the primary scientific literature and time will be given to discussion of the content of the literature and how it fits within the field of study. This will ensure that you have a good grounding in the subject and that you develop your critical analysis skills, which will support your research in other areas of the discipline and in your research project. You will also have workshops that will support development of your skills through practice in essay writing, data handling and interpretation and experimental design.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Units will include an essay and a data interpretation workshop where you will have the opportunity to produce a formative piece of work to be assessed within the workshop. The workshops will enable you to become familiar with the marking criteria and how they are applied. For the data interpretation and experimental design assessment, you will have the opportunity to write your answer under ‘exam conditions’. This will help you to gain experience of the timing of the exam. In the workshops you will discuss possible answers so that you can self-assess or peer assess your work, with an opportunity to discuss alternative approaches to answering the questions. As well as providing you with feedback on your work, this will support the development of your critical appraisal skills. A selection of peer assessed answers will be moderated by an academic staff member.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
The unit will be assessed through a timed assessment and an exam in the summer assessment period, which contributes 100% of the unit mark.
For the timed assessment (30%), you will be expected to answer one essay question from a choice of three, which will assess your knowledge and critical understanding of the field, and your ability to gather information from the primary scientific literature.
In the exam (70%), you will be expected to answer one multi-part compulsory question assessing data handling/data interpretation and experimental design skills.
When assessment does not go to plan:
The reassessment task will be in the same format as the main assessment, that is a timed assessment (30%) and an exam (70%). This will take place in the reassessment period.
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. PHPH30010).
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.
