Cognitive Neuroscience

Code:

OPT25

Acronym:

NC14

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Medicine

Instance: 2014/2015 - SP

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Departamento de Biologia Experimental
Course/CS Responsible:	Integrated Master in Medicine

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MIMED	22	Mestrado Integrado em Medicina- Plano oficial 2013 (Reforma Curricular)	2	-	3	20	81

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

The course aims to introduce students to the field of Cognitive Neuroscience: the body of knowledge that studies the neural basis of cognitive functions. The course aims to expand the knowledge acquired in the course Morphophysiology of the Nervous System (1st year of Medical School), integrating it into a functional perspective that will be useful as a foundation for the later study of clinical neurology and psychiatry.

The unit will have an important practical component directed to experimental research in Cognitive Neuroscience: apart from contacting with various techniques currently used in cognitive experimental research (functional imaging in humans, neurophysiology in humans and animal models, and behavioral assessment in animal models), each group of 4 students will be responsible for designing and conducting a small research project.

The course will have two main objectives: a) to provide students with a comprehensive overview of the physiology of cognitive functions that will enable them to have a thorough knowledge of the neurobiological mechanisms that underlie the neurological and psychiatric diseases with which they will get in contact in future academic courses and throughout the professional career; b) to provide students with a powerful introduction to the methodologies of scientific research in cognitive neuroscience that will allow them to consider pursuing a postgraduate research program in this area.

Learning outcomes and competences

The syllabus of the course deals with a simplified but comprehensive view that will address all the important concepts of Cognitive Neuroscience; the course will focus on the study of the neurobiological structures that are crucial for each cognitive function, and all lectures will use examples and parallelisms from the clinical framework. In the practical classes the students will have direct contact with the most important current technologies and discuss current scientific research.
The small number of students admitted to the course will allow intensive interaction and personal-based learning.

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

Previous approval at the U.C. Morfofisiologia do Sistema Nervoso (MIMED), or demonstration of adequate academic formation in Neuroscience.

Program

Syllabus:

Theoretical classes:

1 - Cognitive Neuroscience: topics of interest and scientific methodologies
2 - Neuronal plasticity: plasticity of synapses, neural populations and brain areas
3 - Sensory Processing: perceptual organization of auditory, visual, olfactory, gustatory and somatosensitive stimuli. Agnosias and neglect.
4 - Motor processing: cortical encoding of motion. Ataxia, apraxia and dyspraxia.
5 - Attention: neuronal systems of attentional control and resolution of sensory conflict. Attentional deficit and hyperactivity disorder.
6 - Memory: declarative memory and the role of the hippocampus. Amnesias.
7 – Memory: working memory and non-declarative memory – priming, skill learning and conditioning. Post-traumatic stress disorder.
8 - Emotion: emotional modulation of cognitive functions; neural basis of empathy, consciousness. Prosopagnosia and autism
9 - Executive Function: prefrontal, parietal and cingulate control systems; decision making and neuroeconomy of value. Schizophrenia, placebo and drug addiction.
10 - Symbolic representation: neurobiology of language, time, music and numbers. Aphasia, agraphia and acalculia.

Practical classes:

1 - Methods and techniques in cognitive neuroscience; introduction to the Project
2 - Imaging techniques in cognitive assessment of humans
3 - Cognitive behavioral evaluation of animal models
4 - Neurophysiological analysis of humans
5 - Neurophysiological analysis of animal models
6-9 - Scientific Project

Mandatory literature

Purves, Cabeza, Huettel, LaBar; Principles of Cognitive Neuroscience, 2013. ISBN: 0878936947

Complementary Bibliography

Banich, Compton; Cognitive Neuroscience, 2010. ISBN: 0840032986

Teaching methods and learning activities

The curricular unit will be based on lectures that address the main concepts of cognitive neuroscience, taught together with a strong practical component developing in the students the individual skills needed for conducting experimental work.

The evaluation of the course will be based on two components:
a. written test which will evaluate acquired knowledge (60 minutes duration; 10 questions for thorough response; 50% of final score)
b. final report of the developed project (50% of final score)

keywords

Health sciences > Neuroscience > Neuropsychology
Health sciences > Neuroscience

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Exame	50,00
Trabalho escrito	50,00
Total:	100,00

Calculation formula of final grade

Final Score = (Exam + Report) / 2