PSY108   Neuroscience and Evolutionary Psychology   (10 credits)

Description

A series of lectures and a laboratory class will be used to show how particular aspects of normal and abnormal behaviour can be understood in terms of underlying biological processes. Following this module students should be able to: 1. understand the basic processes of axonal and synaptic neurotransmission and how disturbances to these processes underlie particular neuropsychological disorders 2. understand the neural mechanisms underlying functional imaging signals 3. understand how behaviour can be influenced by basic evolutionary processes. The course has three themes: (i) A discussion of how selected commonly experienced mental health problems can be understood in terms of specific disturbances of neurotransmission. (ii) A discussion of how the origins of many behavioural interactions can be analysed from an evolutionary, sociobiological perspective. (iii) Biophysical underpinnings of functional neuroimaging.

Reading List