Undergraduate Course: Stress and the Brain (MBBM10004)
Course Outline
| School | School of Biomedical Sciences |
College | College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | This course aims to give students an understanding of the nature, functions and control of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) stress axis, and its role in regulating brain function both in the normal state and during adaptation to changes in the internal and external environment.
The objectives are to understand (a) the components of the HPA axis and their interactions in regulating the stress response; (b) the regulation of neuronal and synaptic function in the brain by stress hormones, particularly glucocorticoids; and (c) the role of stress hormones, their receptors and related control elements in specific physiological conditions of adaptation in the brain. Resetting of activity of the stress response axis as a result of early experience, pregnancy and ageing will be discussed. The interactions between the immune system and the stress axis will be considered. Understanding the disorders that are attributable to chronic stress will be a focus for advanced discussion; these include anxiety, depression, impairment of cognitive ability, and altered metabolic regulation and its consequences.
Teaching Methods: The course will include seminars covering the core aspects of the subject. Students will write an essay and take part in 'journal club' type meetings to discuss relevant research papers. Students will be organised into small teams and presented with a number of current research problems in the field. They will be expected to gain an overview of an area, then investigate a specific aspect from the literature and give an argued presentation on published experimental research that addresses the problem. No practical elements. |
| Course description |
Not entered
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Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
Increased understanding of biological processes.
Detailed learning outcomes will be provided later.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | MEDBIOStress |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Martin Simmen
Tel: (0131 6)51 1773
Email: M.Simmen@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Lisa Ketchion
Tel: (0131 6)51 1629
Email: Lisa.Ketchion@ed.ac.uk |
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