Course Syllabus

Neuroplasticity: The Brain and Behavior

 

Semester & Location:	Fall 2020 - DIS Copenhagen
Type & Credits:	Elective Course - 3 credits
Major Disciplines:	Neuroscience, Pre-Medicine/Health Science, Psychology
Faculty Members:	Bettina Hornbøll Borch
Program Director:	Susana Dietrich
Time & Place:	Mondays and Thursdays 11.50 - 13.20. Room F24 - 306.

 

Faculty:

Bettina Hornbøll Borch Ph.D. (Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, 2017), M.Sc. (Neurobiology, University of Copenhagen, 2006), BA (Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2004). Has been conducting neuroscience research for approx. 10 years, investigating emotion processing in the brain using imaging. With DIS since 2012.

 

COVID-19 

We all have a collective responsibility to avoid the spread of COVID-19 at DIS. If you are sick or have symptoms of COVID-19 (Dry cough, high temperature, breathing difficulties, sore throat, headache, muscle pain), please stay at home and inform your faculty that you won’t be in class or at a field study – this will count as an excused absence. Keep up with the work and join activities via distance learning, if you are able to and if it is an option in your class (check with your faculty). If you are too sick to do work, reach out to the care team at care@dis.dk for medical support and coordinate with your faculty to make up missed class time. 

 

Course Information and Purpose 

Course Description

Prerequisites: One semester of neuroscience, physiological psychology, or biological psychology at university level.

This course will focus on neuroplasticity from a predominantly behavioral perspective. Emphasis will be on:

1. The neural development of the human brain and implications for psychological and social behavior
2. The adult brain and neuroplasticity with respect to both learning and aging
3. Brain repair with focus on rehabilitation of the adult brain after acquired brain injury
4. Neurodegenerative diseases

Course Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Identify the principles of neuroplasticity from a neurobiological perspective;
• Compare and contrast neuroplasticity across the lifespan;
• Evaluate the role of neuroplasticity in pathology;
• Evaluate brain plasticity embedded in the individual
• Understanding the underlying pathology of Neurodegenerative diseases

The following topics will be covered during the course:

• Neurons and neurotransmitters
• Principles of cerebral development
• Language acquisition
• Learning and memory
• Normal aging brain
• Drug abuse
• Chronic pain
• Neuroplasticity following traumatic brain injury
• On-site treatment of TBI
• Neuroplasticity following psychedelic treatment
• Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease
• Depression

Approach to Teaching

Lectures, class discussions, case studies, group presentations, critical analysis of research (individual/groups), field studies.

A big part of the class will be spent in small groups discussing the material. It is therefore crucial that students come prepared for class in order to be able to contribute to both group debates and class discussions. The students are expected to be engaged and participate in an interactive way by contributing with questions, opinions, and explanations both in groups and individually.

Course Components

Field Studies

This course will be accompanied with field studies. Field studies connect DIS courses to organizations, companies, sites, and/or persons that are relevant to the course topic. Detailed information about the date and content of field studies will be made available during the semester in class and in the canvas calendar. 

Assignments, evaluation and grading

Engagement & Participation	10%
Group presentation of research paper (Group grade)	15%
Research project: Written part	20%
Research project: Individual presentation	15%
Exams during the semester	40%
Total	100%

Engagement, Participation & Attendance (10%)

Since class participation is a major component of the course, you will need to be present and participating to receive full credit.

Class participation includes, but it is not limited to: 

• critically evaluating the model/hypotheses suggested in readings
• asking relevant questions that show understanding of the material – with tentative considerations/conclusions
• being prepared for class and be ready to answer questions when asked
• discussing implications as regards practical application and/or future research considerations
• contributing to class activities

 Negative behavior will affect class participation, and it includes, but it is not limited to: 

• Missing class
• Lateness to class
• Use of electronic devices in class (unless requested or explicitly allowed by the instructor)
  
• Disrespectful behavior toward classmates and/or instructor (both in direct, verbal interactions as well as in any written form). Negative behavior will affect the student´s participation grade.

Class attendance is mandatory. Students are expected to have done the reading prior to each class and to come with notes and questions for me and for the other students. This will give us material to generate conversation. It is also expected that during classes the students are able to discuss and to present topics and to respond questions providing references to our readings to support their points. Active participation during classes will constitute the majority of the final participation grade. Finally, it is expected that students hand in their assignments on time (late papers will not be accepted) and that they contribute significantly to planned group activities.

Reading Journal

You will be handed out a reading journal in the beginning of the semester. This journal is ment as a tool to help with reading and understand the material for each class. The journal will also be an active part of class discussion, so please bring it for each class, prepared to share ideas, concerns or questions. Your reading journal will also be part of the final engagement and participation grade.

You will need to be present and actively participating to receive full credit (see “Approach to teaching”). 

Group presentation and discussion in class (15%)

The presentations should have a logical and clear structure, provide relevant background information, explain the methods used, present the original data in a clear and interesting way, briefly discuss the findings in relation to previous research, and state the conclusions and perspectives of the results. The background information should include a short introduction to fear in general and an overview of the research topic in question.

Presentation (group grade)

Only to be made by the ONE group presenting

Structure

• Presentation in class
• Followed by a scientific discussion with the class after your presentation, where you will answer questions from the class related to your research paper

Content

• Present scientific article (see ‘course schedule’ to find the article you are presenting): Introduction, Background, Method, Main Findings/Points of paper, Conclusion.
• Implement your answers to questions from other groups into the presentation.
• Why is this article important for this area of research?
• Relate the findings to the theme
• Why is this an important/interesting field of science?
• Manage scientific discussion.

Questions for presenting group (part of Presentation grade)

Each member of the group responsible for asking questions to the presenting group will upload a minimum of one question, ONE WEEK in advance of the group presentation.

The questions should relate to the material presented by the group.

Debate group for group presentation (part of Presentation grade)

The debate group will be prepared to ask the presenting group questions about the presentation itself, about the paper being presented, or questions in general relating to the material being presented. It is important that the debate group is as prepared when they show up for class as the presenting group in order for a good discussion to be carried out.  

Research Project

The purpose of the research project is to give you experience and practice in doing research on a scientific concept/mechanism/disorder (mental/neurological) related to “Neuroscience of Fear” and communicating the information to a general audience (like yourselves). You have to find the appropriate literature and make scientific conclusions based on results of research projects. In a field of research, it is important to not only being able to find valuable information, but also to communicate the findings. Therefore this project will combine these two challenges by consisting of a written and an oral part.  

Written part:

Each student is to make a review paper, based on scientific articles on a topic, drawn from the primary literature (i.e., not review articles, Wikipedia, etc.).

Individual presentation:

Based on the experience from group presentations in class during the semester, each student will present the main finding of their own research project in class.

Exams (midterm 15%, final 25%) :

The exams will consist of multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions based on class readings and discussions. Both exams will be electronic.

To be eligible for a passing grade in this class, the students must complete all of the assigned work.

 

Course Readings

Anderson, V., Northam, E., Hendy, J., & Wrennal, J. (2006) Developmental Neuropsychology – A clinical approach - Chapter 2 “Cerebral Development”, pp. 39-68

Cole JH, Marioni RE, Harris SE, Deary IJ. (2019) Brain age and other bodily ’ages’: implications for neuropsychiatry. Molecular psychiatry, 24:266-281.

Gould TJ. (2010). Addiction and Cognition. Addiction Sci Clin Pract. 5(2): 4-14.

Hornboll 2017: PhD thesis: Functional brain imaging under serotonergic challenges_Summary

Kalia LV, Lang AE. (2015). Parkinson’s Disease. Lancet. Volume 386: 896-912.

Kandel. The Molecular Biology of Memory Storage: A Dialogue Between Genes and Synapses. Review Neuroscience, Science, 2001, 2 November, Vol 293, 8 pp.1030-1038

Kolb, B., Whishaw, I.Q. (2003). Fundamentals of human neuropsychology. Worth Publishers (Chapter 4)

Kuhl, PK (2010). Brain Mechanisms in Early Language Acquisition. Neuron. September 9. 67(5): 713-727.

Levy et al 2018_ Neurotrophic factors and neuroplasticity pathways in the pathophysiology and treatment of depression. Psychopharmacology 235:2195–2220 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-018-4950-4

Martin et al 2000. Synaptic plasticity and memory: an evaluation of the hypothesis. Annu Rev Neurosci. 2000; 23 pp. 649-666/684-686/689-694

McKinnon et al 2017. Structural plasticity of the ventral stream and aphasia recovery. Ann Neurol. 2017 July ; 82(1): 147–151. doi:10.1002/ana.24983.

Mills SEE, Nicolson KP, Smith BH. (2019). Chronic Pain: a review of its epidemiology and associated factors in population-based studies. British Journal of Anaesthisia, 123(2): e273-e283

Prins M, Greco T, Alexander D, Giza CC. (2013). The Pathophysiology of traumatic brain injury at a glance. Disease Models & Mechanisms 6, 1307-1315.

Raichle ME. (2008). A brief history of human brain mapping. Cell Press. Trends in Neurosciences. Vol. 32 No.2,

Scheltens P, et.al. (2016) Alzheimer’s Disease. Lancet. Volume 388:505-17.

Squire et al: Fundamental Neuroscience, 3^rd ed, Chp14, pp 297-320

Ward: The student’s guide to Cognitive Neuroscience, 2^nd ed, Chp2, pp17-21

Younger et al. 2011. Prescription opioid analgesics rapidly change the human brain Pain. 2011 August ; 152(8): 1803–1810. doi:10.1016/j.pain.2011.03.028.

 

 

 

 

(DIS) Policies

Attendance:

You are expected to attend all DIS classes when scheduled. If you miss a class for any reason please contact the faculty no later than the day of the missed class. If you miss multiple classes the Director of Teaching and Learning, and the Director of Student Affairs will be notified and they will follow-up with you to make sure that all is well. Absences will jeopardize your grade and your standing at DIS. Allowances will be made in cases of illness, but in the case of multiple absences you will need to provide a doctor’s note.

Academic Honesty, Plagiarism, and Violating the Rules of an Assignment:

DIS expects that students abide by the highest standards of intellectual honesty in all academic work. DIS assumes that all students do their own work and credit all work or thought taken from others. Academic dishonesty will result in a final course grade of “F” and can result in dismissal. The students’ home universities will be notified. DIS reserves the right to request that written student assignments be turned in electronic form for submission to plagiarism detection software. See the Academic Handbook for more information, or ask your instructor if you have questions.

 

Policy on Late Papers:

Late papers will not be accepted.          

                                   

Policy for students who arrive late to class:

Students are expected to arrive punctual to class. One exception throughout the course will be given to students who arrive within 15 minutes after the beginning of class.

 

Use of laptops or phones in class 

To establish a positive learning environment, it is important that everyone is present in body and mind, and not distracted by technology or other disruptive behaviors. Therefore, students are not allowed to use laptops/Tablets/iPads in the classroom unless agreed upon for specified tasks such as article reading and/or for discussion purposes and/or note-taking. Cellular phones must be switched off during class. Disregard of these rule will have a very negative impact on the student participation grade.

 

Expectations and Code of Conduct:

• Reading must be done prior to the class session
• Since class participation is a major component of the course, you will need to be present and participating to receive full credit. Your grade will be negatively affected by unexcused absences and lack of participation.
• Respectful behavior is expected toward classmates and instructor both in direct as in indirect (e.g. written interactions) interactions.
• Classroom etiquette includes being respectful of one another’s opinions, listen to others and enter a dialogue in a constructive manner.

Disregard of Expectation and Code of Conduct will have a negative impact on the student participation grade.

Academic Regulations  

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:

• Course Enrollment and Grading
• Attendance
• Coursework, Exams, and Final Grade Reports