PSYC3737: Neural Circuits Underlying Behaviour and Disease

• 60 credits from Level 2 Psychology

• None

• None

• In this module you will learn about core Circuit Neuroscience concepts, with a focus on brain circuits controlling affective behaviour. You will also learn about neural circuit changes that are associated with various psychiatric and neurodevelopmental conditions

• This module examines the neural basis of behaviour and psychiatric conditions.
• It begins with an introduction to core neurobiological concepts and to key neuroscience techniques to study neural circuits
• The module will deal with subjects such as the neural mechanisms of behaviour, including learning, reward and defensive behaviour
• The module also evaluates how changes to these neural mechanisms lead to psychiatric and neurodevelopmental conditions (for instance, anxiety, depression and schizophrenia)
• It will also include a critical discussion of modern approaches and techniques in animal models, and of their validity for studying emotional behaviour and psychiatric conditions.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• Detailed understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of behaviour and psychiatric conditions at multiple levels (single neurons, synapses, populations of neurons, brain areas)

Subject-specific Skills:

• Ability to review critically and consolidate understanding of a coherent body of psychological knowledge and apply it appropriately

Key Skills:

• Good written communication skills
• Good IT skills in word processing
• Ability to work independently in scholarship and research within broad guidelines
• Ability to research relevant literature
• Good written and oral communication skills including summarising findings, positions in debates and making arguments

• Students' acquisition of detailed knowledge will be facilitated by lectures, interactive problem-based-learning tasks, audio-visual materials, discussions and reading lists
• These modes of teaching provide students with detailed knowledge of the key theories and the skills needed to evaluate different theoretical positions in light of current evidence
• The examination will assess students' detailed subject knowledge via essays written in the examination
• An assessment of the range, recency and appropriateness of sources will be included in the overall assessment of the essay
• The use of group discussions and interactive problem-based-learning tasks will ensure that students are exposed to a range of different theoretical positions, and encouraged to understand their inter-relations
• Lectures, discussions, and interactive problem-based-learning tasks will also give students the opportunity to interpret and evaluate the significance of empirical work
• The summative essay assesses students' acquired knowledge of theoretical principles and empirical studies and their ability to organise and synthesise them coherently and critically in written form in response to a set question
• The essay will also assess students' written communication skills enter text as appropriate for the module

If you have a question about Durham's modular degree programmes, please visit our FAQ webpages, Help page or our glossary of terms. If you have a question about modular programmes that is not covered by the FAQ, or a query about the on-line Undergraduate Module Handbook, please contact us.

Prospective Students: If you have a query about a specific module or degree programme, please Ask Us.

Current Students: Please contact your department.