Pharmacology of the central nervous system

FaculteitFaculty of Science

NiveauBachelor

Studiejaar2026-2027

Beschrijving

Course goals

The aims of this course are:

Enable students to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the central nervous system
Enable students to demonstrate advanced knowledge and understanding of a wide range of topics in psychopharmacology. Such as: regulation of neurotransmission, different receptor types, neurodegeneration, functions of glial cells, drug targets and feedback loops.
to provide the understanding of in vivo models as to tools for drug discovery and development for psychiatric disorders and explain the advantages and limitations of these models.
Enable students to analyze research data, interpret the data and draw valid conclusions.
Enable students to search, gather, cite and critically analyze research literature (incl. recognizing of undeveloped research areas and the asking of research questions) and present such analyses in a report.
Enable students to deal with different hypotheses and models. How to interpret, integrate and use different scientific explanations and recognize knowledge gaps.

Content

Psychopharmacology is a complex field within drug discovery and development. Not only is the brain a multicellular complex organ, but the disorders involving the brain often feature typical human characteristics. This makes working with animal models more complicated. Most disorders of the psychiatric realm have multicellular, multigenetic underlying mechanisms and for drugs to enter the brain they have to pass the blood-brain-barrier.

In this course you will encounter this complexity and learn how to deal with different theories and some scientific uncertainties and knowledge gaps. You will learn about different specific disorders and the pharmacological treatment options. But also, some underlying concepts that are of importance for many psychiatric disorders will be studied. Enabling you to gain insight and understanding of psychiatric pathological mechanisms.

First, we will start with some fundamental concepts for the central nervous system to provide you with a good base to enter the realm of psychopharmacology. Next we will study the pathophysiology of epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease and we will deepen our knowledge of several important topics that are essential for a sound understanding of pharmacological treatment of psychiatric/neurologic disorders.

Topics that will be studied in the first 5 weeks:
-The central nervous system
-Epilepsy
-Parkinson’s disease
-Neurodegeneration
-Drug targets
-Glial cells
-Feedback loops

For the writing assignment you will deepen your knowledge on the underlying mechanism depression and the possible treatment options.

Additional information

CPS courses contain Honors elements that provide academic depth and breadth to students. Depending on the course, this means that you take in extra information, complete special assignments or work intensively on your academic skills. It often involves a combination of these elements. Teachers expect greater independence, challenge you and, where possible, give you freedom of choice in the topics you work on and the way you complete the assignments. The group assignments focus on the application, creation and integration of knowledge.

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