Paper 1112/BMSBoS/17
College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
School of Biomedical Sciences Board of Studies
9 May 2012
Requirements for Neuroscience Honours
Brief description of the paper
This paper details changes to the course requirements for entry into BSc Biological Sciences
(Neuroscience) and the addition of 2 new courses.
Action requested
For approval or information.
Resource implications
No additional resource implications.
Equality and Diversity
There are no equality and diversity implications.
Originator of the paper
Professor Richard Ribchester
1 May 2012
Freedom of information
This paper to be included in open business.
A. Changes to required courses for Neuroscience Honours
The Neuroscience teaching committee requests that the following requirements be made for
admission to Neuroscience Honours:
The present approved 3rd year requirements are
Pass (one at grade C) in either:
Brain and Behaviour 3 (BIME09007)
OR
Mechanisms of Brain Development 3 (BIME09005)
AND a pass in either
Pharmacology 3 (BIME09003)
OR Physiology 3 (BIME09004)
recommended
Practical Skills in Biomedical Sciences 3 (BIME09001)
OR Structure and Function of Proteins 3 (BILG09015)
The following requirements and recommendations for 3rd year courses are more appropriate and are
submitted herewith for Board of Studies approval, to take effect in academic year 2012/2013:
Required:
Pass (one at grade C) in either:
Brain and Behaviour 3 (BIME09007)
OR
Mechanisms of Brain Development 3 (BIME09005)
AND a pass in either
Pharmacology 3 (BIME09003)
OR Physiology 3 (BIME09004)
recommended
Practical Skills in Biomedical Sciences 3 (BIME09001)
Structure and Function of Proteins 3 (BILG09015)
Molecular Cell Biology 3 (BILG09001)
Genomes and Genomics 3 (BILG09005)
Molecular Genetics 3 (BILG09002)
2
B. New Course for Neuroscience Honours - Stem cells, neurodegenerative diseases and
models
Approval is requested for the creation of a new course, the details are as follows:
Course Name*:
Stem cells,
models
neurodegenerative
diseases
Course Proposer*:
David Hampton and Siddharthan Chandran
Have you confirmed that the appropriate resources are in
place (finance, teaching staff, IT)*:
Yes
Have you confirmed that the appropriate support
services are in place (library, computing services)*:
Yes
Normal Year Taken*:
4
Course Level*:
Honours (SCQF Level 10 – 4th yr undergraduate honours)
Available to Visiting
Students?*
NO
SCQF Credits*:
10
Credit Level*1:
10
Home Subject
Area*2:
Neuroscience
Other Subject Area:
Course Organiser:
Neuroscience Programme Manager – Richard Ribchester
Course Secretary:
Tina Harvey
% not taught by this
institution:
0
Collaboration
Information:
NA
Total Contact
Teaching Hours*:
22 hours
Any costs to be met
by students:
No
3
and
Pre-requisites
(course name &
code)*:
Recommended: mechanisms of brain development BIME
09005
Co-requisites (course
name & code)*:
NA
Prohibited
Combinations (course
name & code)*:
Visiting Students
Pre-requisites:
NA
Course Description*:
This course aims to provide students with a critical
understanding of dementias and neurodegenerative diseases
including:
 Multiple sclerosis
 Motor neurone disease
 Parkinsons
 Alzheimers and tauopathies
As well as including: symptoms of these neurodegenerative
disease, what cells and regions are affected and potential
mechanisms of disease progression. Importantly how these
diseases can be modelled in both cell cultures and animals will
be covered with an emphasis on the pros and cons of various
model techniques, with a view to developing students’ critical
understanding of these cutting edge technologies.
Throughout this course the generation, propagation and roles
of stem cells will be investigated and analysed with respect to
neurodegenerative diseases.
There will be a series of seminars (1-2 hour per week) relating
to the topics to be studied. Each session will also contain a
tutorial session where group presentations or exam questions
will be addressed. Each topic is expected to be supplemented
by self-learning in the library. Students will give presentations
in the form of talks and poster presentations and will prepare
handouts to accompany their presentations, as well as critical
analysis of scientific manuscripts. To further supplement the
lectures/tutorials there will be a ‘scientific practical’ where
students will be challenged on experimental design as well as
being presented with animal and human tissue from various
diseases and multiple methods for tissue processing and
analysis
Keywords3:
Neuroscience, Neurodegenerative diseases, animal models,
stem cells, nervous system
4
Default Course Mode
of Study*4:
Class and Assessment
examinations
Default Delivery
Period*5:
Semester 1
Course Type*6:
Standard
Class sessions
7
Summary of Intended
Learning Outcomes*:
including





State, illustrate and compare multiple
neurodegenerative diseases and their various models
Recognise and list multiple stem cell types and their
functions and roles
Critically compare the various models and cells with
an ability to discuss strengths and weaknesses of them
Summerise the roles of different scientific equipment
and methodology required for disease modelling and
stem cell generation
Evaluate and criticise the literature around this topic
Review their own knowledge generated throughout
this course and present their findings in a cohesive
manner
Special
Arrangements:
Components of
Assessment (inc. %
weightings)*:
100% exam
Exam Information*8
A single 2 hour exam
Choice of 5-6 questions- 2 to be answered
Syllabus/Lecture List:
Karen Horsborough
Details of any
supporting
documentation 9
Comments (including
Honours Elective
Course Leader
details)
arranged
Thursday afternoon

Convenor of Board of
Examiners:
centrally
David Hampton / Siddharthan Chandran
5
C. New Course for Neuroscience Honours - Critical thinking – a tour through the science of
science
Approval is requested for the creation of a new course, the details are as follows:
Course Name*:
Critical thinking – a tour through the science of science
Course Proposer*:
Malcolm Macleod
Have you confirmed that the appropriate resources are in
place (finance, teaching staff, IT)*:
Have you confirmed that the appropriate support
services are in place (library, computing services)*:
Normal Year Taken*:
4
Course Level*:
Honours
Available to Visiting
Students?*
No
SCQF Credits*:
10
Credit Level*1:
10
Home Subject
Area*2:
Neuroscience
Other Subject Area:
Medical Sciences; Pharmacology
Course Organiser:
Richard Ribchester
Course Secretary:
Tina Harvey
% not taught by this
institution:
0
Collaboration
Information:
none
Total Contact
Teaching Hours*:
20
Any costs to be met
by students:
none
Pre-requisites
(course name &
code)*:
No specific requirements
6
Only resource is
me and my
team
yes
Co-requisites (course
name & code)*:
No specific requirements
No specific requirements
Prohibited
Combinations (course
name & code)*:
Visiting Students
Pre-requisites:
No specific requirements
Course Description*:
Not all research is conducted, or reported, to the same quality.
Understanding what makes for good research, and being able
to apply this understanding both in your own research and in
assessing the work of others, is a crucial skill for the scientist.
Where previously what made for “good science” and “bad
science” were largely a matter of opinion and/or prejudice – a
largely subjective judgement – there are now more objective
approaches which can provide a firmer foundation for
analysis. This is the emerging field of evidence based
translational medicine.
The course will teach you how to assess the internal validity
of a piece of work (are the conclusions reached justified by
the methodology and the data analysis?); and the external
validity (how much might the findings described generalise to
other experiments, other situations). The course will largely
(but not exclusively) draw on examples from the
neurosciences, but the principles are common to all
experiments seeking to model human health and disease.
The course will also provide an introduction to the tools of
systematic review and meta-analysis; and include 2 classroom
exercises, one on the critical appraisal of a piece of work and
one on the design of an experiment.
Keywords3:
Study design; validity; critical appraisal
Default Course Mode
of Study*4:
Class and Assessment excluding centrally arranged
examinations
Default Delivery
Period*5:
Semester 2
Course Type*6:
Standard
Class sessions
Lectures: 2 hours twice a week for 5 weeks. This is the first
time the course is run, so it may be prudent to allow 2 hours
for each session, although I think it unlikely we will take up
all that time.***
7
Classes: Monday and Thursday am
7
Summary of Intended By the end of the course the student will
Learning Outcomes*:
1. Understand the importance of internal and external
validity in science, and the measures which can be
taken to improve the validity of research.
2. Critically appraise the extent to which a publication
describes measures to avoid bias.
3. Design a simple experiment including the conduct of a
sample size calculation and description of measures to
avoid bias.
4. Understand the principles
translational medicine
of
evidence
based
Special
Arrangements:
none
Components of
Assessment (inc. %
weightings)*:
Part 1: critical appraisal: 3 short answers against quality
checklist (3 x 8%); 1 detailed review of a publication (26%)
(50%)
Part 2: Essay (50%)
Exam Information*8
Syllabus/Lecture List: 1: Introduction to the course: principles of systematic review
and meta-analysis
2: Different types of publications, experiments
3: Internal validity: randomisation, blinding and the like
4: Exercise: critical appraisal of selected publications: report
back
5: External validity: is this a typical mouse?
6: Publication bias
7: Sample size and statistical power
8: Exercise: Power calculations – report back
9: What does a negative result mean?
10: Using information: evidence based clinical trial design
Convenor of Board of
Examiners:
Karen Horsburgh
Details of any
supporting
documentation 9
www.camarades.info
Comments (including
Honours Elective
Course Leader)
Course Leader Malcolm Macleod, CCBS
8