Unit name | Functional Neuroanatomy, Neuroscience Methods and Issues in Neuropsychology |
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Unit code | PSYCM0034 |
Credit points | 30 |
Level of study | M/7 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
Unit director | Professor. Kit Pleydell-Pearce |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None. |
Co-requisites |
None. |
School/department | School of Psychological Science |
Faculty | Faculty of Life Sciences |
This unit comprises two components described as “Part A” and “Part B”. Part A: Issues in Neuropsychology (formerly, Health, illness and disability) Students will develop an understanding of the psychological and neuropsychological impact of living with a neurological disease or disability. The unit will help students understand the common themes of grief, adjustment, depression, anxiety, disability and coping as they pertain to specific neurological diseases and acquired brain injury. The unit will help candidates to understand abnormal reactions to illness and disability including malingering, factitious disorder, somatoform disorder and conversion disorder. Candidates will be encouraged to appreciate the wider systemic and psychosocial effects of neurological illness including the effects on an individual’s family, work life, social life and quality of life. Candidates will be helped to understand rehabilitation and psychological treatment options across different conditions and at different stages of chronic diseases. Throughout the unit moral, ethical and legal aspects of clinical practice will be considered.
Part A aims to fulfil part of the syllabus requirements for the British Psychological Society diploma in clinical neuropsychology and to provide candidates with a contemporary understanding of the psychological and neuropsychological aspects of illness behaviour in relation to neurological disease and acquired brain damage. Specifically the unit aims:
Part B: Functional neuroanatomy and neuroscience methods Part B has two central aims. First, it reviews the functional neuroanatomy of the human brain, and thus provides an absolute core set of knowledge for Neuropsychology. Second, the Unit gives a comprehensive review of the major techniques and methods employed to study the human brain (since these provide information about function at various levels in the brain). These techniques will allow candidates to appreciate the theoretical interpretation of both spatial and temporal aspects of cerebral activity. The unit will cover the entire brain, and will not simply focus upon structures typically associated with higher-order cognitive function. The Unit involves ten seminars each lasting 2 hours. Lectures can be attended online via Adobe Connect, or, can be accessed offline at a later time to suit. Where feasible, we encourage real time viewing of content.
Part A:
The principal learning outcome is to develop competence in clinical practice pertaining to rehabilitation, and, an understanding of the changing risk factors for various forms of neurological disorder across the human lifespan.
Part B:
At the end of the unit, candidates will have knowledge of a range of techniques used to investigate the human brain. This will allow candidates to pursue further self organised study of techniques which they find interesting and/or career relevant.
Content of all lectures and presentations in this UNIT will be broadcast live over the unit (and recorded for later re-play for revision purposes). Candidates are free to attend in person and we encourage this for Part A, the majority of Part B is provided via distance learning web interface tools (Adobe Connect).
Part A:
10 X 2 hour lectures provided by clinical subject matter experts delivered in a single week block.
Part B:
10 x 2 hour lectures delivered weekly.
Part A: 3 hour examination to include long answer questions, short answer questions and multiple choice questionnaire. Each section is equally weighted and the exam provides 66% of the total unit mark.
Part B: Assessment involves an unseen examination (2 hours) that assesses the level and depth of background knowledge. Candidates should note that the examination will assess knowledge of the principals of neuroscience techniques, their strengths and weaknesses, relative merits, and inferences that they permit. The two hour exam delivers 34% of the total unit mark.
Part A:
Part B: