Description
Alzheimer's disease: diagnostic criteria for dementia, classification, drugs used, animal models. Parkinson's disease: functional anatomy of the basal ganglia, concept and classification of movement disorders, clinical manifestation and diagnosis, action mechanism of Antiparkinson drugs, adjuvant drugs, animal models. Huntington's disease: anatomical pathology and molecular biology, clinical demonstrations and diagnosis, drug treatment, and animal models. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: anatomical pathology and molecular biology, clinical demonstrations and diagnosis, drug treatment, and animal models.
General competencies
- Understand the need for translational research as a bridge between the discovery of new therapeutic targets in preclinical research and the development of new drugs and their application in neuropsychopharmacology.
- Update, consolidate, integrate, and evaluate new knowledge in translational neuropsychopharmacology to improve academic, research, and professional activity using continuous self-learning techniques and critical analysis.
- Recognize the main characteristics of the most important psychiatric and neurological diseases.
- Understand the relevance of the results obtained from animal experimentation in advancing therapeutic management of patients with psychiatric and neurological diseases.
- Possess and understand theoretical-practical and computer knowledge that permits designing studies in the area of translational neuropsychopharmacology.
- Develop sufficient autonomy to join groups of basic and clinical research in the area of neuropsychopharmacology.
- Learn how to express the results obtained in multidisciplinary contexts in the area of translational neuropsychopharmacology orally and in writing.
- Acquire the necessary skills to develop academic, professional, and research activities in the area of translational neuropsychopharmacology.
Specific competencies
- Describe the methods and principles that must be applied when handling food in a translational neuropsychopharmacology laboratory.
- Relate neurochemical brain alterations with changes in the patterns of animal and human behavior.
- Know the most important brain circuits involved in the main neurological and psychiatric diseases.
- Learn the most relevant properties of drug-receptor molecular interaction and their involvement in translational neuropsychopharmacology.
- Know the main tools employed in the evaluation of the functional activity of receptors and neurotransmitters.
- Identify the therapeutic groups and targets on which drugs used in the treatment of the main neurological and psychiatric diseases act.
- Know the main animal models used in the study of affective disorders, addictions, and the main neurological diseases.
- Learn to use computer and documentation tools for updating research knowledge in translational neuropsychopharmacology.
- Learn to discriminate and compare scientific information for reviewing studies or developing research that helps to improve scientific knowledge of translational neuropsychopharmacology and make decisions based on scientific evidence.
- Promote continuous learning as a tool for updating knowledge related to translational neuropsychopharmacology.
- Understand the general principles of translational research in neuropsychopharmacology.
- Learn to use the information from functional targets obtained from animal models and clinical studies bidirectionally.
- Learn to design and plan research projects in the area of translational neuropsychopharmacology.
- Acquire the necessary capabilities to disseminate the knowledge obtained in clinical studies and trials with animal models in the form of scientific articles with an international impact.
- Learn to design and conduct animal modeling research by studying videotapes of psychopharmacological practices.
- Learn to interpret the results obtained by carrying out animal evaluation models of active drugs in the central nervous system by studying videotapes of psychopharmacological practices.
Objectives (Learning outcomes)
- To explain and describe the main neurochemical pathways involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases and functional regulation.
- To describe and explain the major pharmacological properties (action mechanism , therapeutic effects and side effects ) of the drugs used to treat Alzheimer's disease , Parkinson's disease , Huntington's disease , multiple sclerosis or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, epilepsy, migraine , insomnia, and neuropathic pain.
- To understand and describe animal models of neurodegenerative diseases as major tools to identify potential targets for developing new pharmacological strategies.
Contents
Teaching units
Basic bibliography
- Federico E. Micheli. Manuel Fernández Pardal, María Graciela Cersósimo. "Neurología en el Anciano, 2ª Edición". Panamericana, 2014.
- H P Rang. M M Dale, J M Ritter, R J Flower, G Henderson. "Rang y Dale Farmacología, 7ª Edición". Elsevier, 2012.
- Jesús Flórez. Juan Antonio Armijo, África Mediavilla. "Farmacología Humana, 6ª Edición". Elsevier-Masson, 2013.
- J.J. Arranz. "Neurología, 5ª Edición". Elsevier, 2013.
- Roger P. Simon. David A. Greenberg, Michael J. Aminoff. "Neurología Clínica, 7ª Edición". Mcgraw-hill, 2015.
- Timothy A. Pedley, Lewis P. Rowland. "Neurología de Merritt, 12ª Edición". Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2011.
Complementary bibliography
- Turgut Tatlisumak, Marc Fisher. "Handbook of Experimental Neurology. Methods and Techniques in Animal Research 9780521184205". Cambridge, 2010.
Links
Software
Methodology and grading
Grading
- Test exam (55% of the final mark of the subject): 25 multiple choice questions that will be answered on-line the selected day (previously indicated in the schedule).
Participation in the discussion forum (45% of the final note of the subject). The participation in the forum will be evaluated according to the contributions of each student (quantity and quality). The forum will remain opened 24 hours.
To pass the subject, will be mandatory the participation of the student in the discussion forum and the test qualification has to be equal or higher than 5.0.