Course unit details:
How to Make a Brain

Course unit fact file
Unit code BIOL21451
Credit rating 10
Unit level Level 2
Teaching period(s) Semester 1
Offered by School of Biological Sciences
Available as a free choice unit? No

Overview

Initial lectures will cover comparative anatomy of nervous systems in model organisms before focussing on the human. The ascending (spinothalamic) and descending (corticospinal) pathways will be explained before moving on to anatomy of the brain. This will lead on to lectures that provide a step-by-step explanation as to how these structures are constructed from neural induction through to the formation of functional circuits. Later lectures will cover the importance of plasticity in relation to early sensory experience and the role of stress in epigenetic shaping of post-natal brain.

 

Pre/co-requisites

Unit title Unit code Requirement type Description
Excitable Cells: the Foundations of Neuroscience BIOL10832 Pre-Requisite Compulsory
BIOL10832 Excitable Cells is mandatory pre-requisite for BIOL21451 How to Make a Brain

Aims

The unit aims to: teach students about basic neuroanatomy in model organisms and humans. The majority of lectures will focus on how the anatomy of the nervous system is established during development and will include the latest knowledge on neural stem cells and how they might be used to help fix the brain when it is broken. The unit will also explain the relationship between the central, peripheral and autonomic nervous systems and the many roles that astrocytes play in helping to maintain a healthy brain.

 

Learning outcomes

 

Category of outcome

Students should/will be able to:

Knowledge and understanding
  • Explain the main anatomical divisions of the brain.
  • Understand how different regions of the brain are formed.
  • Explain the main mechanisms that shape brain development.
  • Describe the main steps involved in generating a functional human brain from initial induction through to the generation of functional circuits.
  • Explain the role of glial cells in brain function and maintenance.
  • Appreciate the role of stem cells during brain development and in brain research and therapy.
  • Explain the role of perinatal environmental stimuli in shaping the developing brain.

 

 

Intellectual skills

The study of brain development led to the discovery of many of the basic cellular mechanisms known to operate throughout the body. This unit will therefore provide students with knowledge of key mechanisms that have wider application throughout biology and beyond. They should therefore be able to apply knowledge from this unit to other biological systems.

 

Practical skills

N/A

 

 

Transferable skills and personal qualities

 Components of this unit are designed to test the student’s ability to quickly locate information and participate in group discussions to formulate a consensus opinion. Students will therefore gain confidence in using evidence to support self-constructed arguments: skills that are essential in any job setting.

 

Teaching and learning methods

This unit will consist of online modules and blended live sessions after each learning block.

Knowledge and understanding

Students should be able to: 

-          Explain the main anatomical divisions of the brain.

-          Understand how the different regions of the brain develop.

-          Explain the main mechanisms that shape the brain.

-          Describe the main steps involved in generating a functional human brain from initial induction through to the        generation of functional circuits.

-          Explain the role of glial cells in brain function and maintenance.

-          Appreciate the role of stem cells during brain development and in brain research and therapy.

-          Explain the role of perinatal environmental stimuli in shaping the developing brain.

 

Intellectual skills

The study of brain development led to the discovery of many of the basic cellular mechanisms that are now known to operate throughout the body. This unit will therefore provide students with knowledge of mechanisms that have wider application throughout biology and beyond. They should therefore be able to apply knowledge from this unit to other biological systems.

Transferable skills and personal qualities

Components of this unit are designed to test a student’s ability to locate information and participate in group discussion to formulate a consensus opinion. Students will therefore gain confidence in using evidence to support self-directed learning.

 

Assessment methods

Method Weight
Other 25%
Written exam 75%

Coursework 25%

MCQs, test in teaching week 12.

Examination 75%

Section A 25%- fill-in-the blanks

Section B 50%- (1 essay). Feedback provided after exam results are released.

Feedback methods

Feedback for the online tests is automated and will be provided after each test closes. The blackboard online discussion board will be used for specific questions so that all students and staff can view and comment on these. Alternatively, students can e-mail staff directly and the question will be transferred to the discussion board, anonymously, along with the answer. There will be a feedback session after the exam. 

 

Recommended reading

1.    
Neuroscience Exploring the Brain - 3 edition (2007) Bear, Conners and Paradiso (Eds), Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia
2.    
Building Brains: An Introduction to Neural Development – 2nd edition (2017) Price, Jarman, Mason and Kind (Eds), Wiley-Blackwell, Chichester
 

For Information and advice on Link2Lists reading list software, see:

http://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/academicsupport/informationandadviceonlink2listsreadinglistsoftware/

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Lectures 22
Independent study hours
Independent study 78

Teaching staff

Staff member Role
Nicholas Glossop Unit coordinator

Fees and funding

Fees

Tuition fees for home students will be £10,050 for the 2027/28 academic year. In England and Wales, tuition fees for home undergraduate students are subject to the Government fee cap, which the Government has announced will be £10,050 for the 2027/28 academic year.

Government policy is to increase the fee cap on an annual basis to reflect inflation (i.e. increasing costs), and the tuition fee home students pay in subsequent academic years will reflect any increases in the Government fee cap (which we will communicate to you as soon as we can in advance of the relevant academic year).

Tuition fees for international students will be £38,000 for the 2027/28 academic year. For subsequent academic years, the University reserves the right to increase the tuition fee by up to 7% each year, including to reflect rising costs associated with delivering our education and wider student experience.

For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.

Additional expenses

 

Policy on additional costs

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

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