Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Psychobiology
Other languages of instruction: English, Spanish,
Teaching staff
To schedule meeting, please contact the professor via email
Soleil García Brito: sgarciab@uic.es
Neus Galofré: ngalofre@uic.es
Introduction
In this course you will gain an understanding of the biological/neural basis of a range of psychological and behavioural processes. During the course we will begin by examining the state-of-the-art methods that are used to understand brain activity and relate them to psychological and behavioural phenomena. We will then learn how these methods are used to probe the biological basis of a range of brain functions including perception, attention, sleep and addiction. Finally, we will learn how genes relate to both typical and atypical behaviour and the biological basis of states such as stress and anxiety as well neurodevelopmental disorders.
Pre-course requirements
Basic knowledge of Nervous/Endocrine system.
Objectives
- Develop a comprehensive understanding of the fundamentals of psychobiology, including visual perception, brain states, and the influence of genes, and their relationship to human behavior.
- Foster critical analysis of brain processes in relation to cognitive and emotional functions, integrating topics such as functional lateralization, brain rhythms, sleep, and states of attention.
- Promote the integration of psychobiological concepts to address problems related to health and well-being, such as stress, anxiety, and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
- CN08 - Explain the foundations of human behaviour and the biological bases that regulate them.
- CN09 - Recognise the effects, mechanisms and manifestations of a disease on the structure and function of the human body at a molecular, cellular and tissue level.
- CN10 - Indicate the mechanisms through which toxins affect the health of human beings at a biochemical, molecular and cellular level.
- CP02 - Apply scientific methodology to interpret practical or theoretical data by evaluating situations and results from a critical and constructive point of view.
- CP05 - Apply biological foundations in the search for practical solutions to health problems, following ethical standards and scientific rigour and respecting fundamental equal rights between men and women, and the promotion of human rights and the values inherent in a peaceful society of democratic values that includes inclusive, non-discriminatory language without stereotypes.
- HB04 - Interpret the mechanisms that govern a pathological state and its implications at a clinical and diagnostic level.
Learning outcomes of the subject
At the end of the course, students should be able to:
- Identify and differentiate the techniques used in psychobiology to study brain activity at different scales, from neuronal populations to individual cells, and during specific psychological processes.
- Demonstrate how neuronal circuits and activity underlie psychological and behavioral phenomena, including visual perception, attention, and sleep.
- Analyze how genes influence brain function and human behavior, establishing connections between biology and psychology.
- Recognize how certain psychological functions are associated with specific brain regions and how lateral differences manifest in humans.
- Identify the biological bases of stress, anxiety, addiction, and neurodevelopmental conditions, and their relationship to brain functioning.
- Relate brain rhythms, sleep-wake cycles, and other brain states to psychological functions and behavioral processes.
Syllabus
- Unit 1: Methods in Psychobiology
- Unit 2: Visual perception
- Unit 3: Brain states and attention
- Unit 4: Brain rhythms and sleep
- Unit 5: Genes and behaviour
- Unit 6: Lateralisation of brain function
- Unit 7: Stress, anxiety and neurodevelopmental disorders
Teaching and learning activities
In person
Fully in-person modality in the classroom
1. Lectures - 20 hours: exposition of a theoretical topic by the teaching staff. Visual support in PowerPoint format is used to accompany the explanations.
2. Case Methods (CM) - 10 hours: presentation of a real or imaginary situation. Students work on the formulated questions in small groups or in active interaction with the teaching staff, and the answers are discussed. The teaching staff intervenes actively and provides new knowledge if necessary. These classes may cover content that expands on the topics covered in lectures or new topics. CMs have the same importance and the same weight of questions in the final exam.
3. Virtual Education (VE): online material located on the Moodle platform that students can consult from any computer, at any time, and that will contribute to the self-learning of concepts related to the subject. The virtual material is part of the subject content and will be evaluated in the final exam.
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
40% partial test, 10% coursework and 50% final exam.
- 40% - Partial exam: multiple choice exam. This exam includes all the subject taught up to the class prior to the exam.
- 10% - Coursework including grade for presentation and other work in case methods classes.
- 50% - Final exam: multiple choice exam. Includes all the material seen in class. It is essential to pass this exam (or the second call of the final exam) in order to pass the subject.
Students in second call: will do an exam in June or July that will count for 90% of the final grade. This will be combined with the partial test grade (5%) and coursework (5%) as described above. The maximum grade for those entering the second call will be 7.
Students in 3rd and 5th call (those repeating) are able to retain the partial exam grade and coursework grades, or repeat these if they prefer.
To pass the subject you must obtain a minimum of 5 in the final exam or second call of final exam and a minimum overall grade of 5 (when including coursework and partial exam).Bibliography and resources
Principles of Neural Science. Kandel, Schwartz, Jessell, Siegelbaum y Hudspeth. Editorial McGraw Hill, 2012 (5ª ed.)
Neuroscience : exploring the brain. Bear, Mark F. Philadelphia : Wolters Kluwer, cop. 2016
Physiology of Behavior (Fundamentos de fisiología de la conducta). Neil R. Carlson, 2010. Madrid : Pearson Educación