Study Programmes 2016-2017
NEUR0430-1  
Principles of neurobiology
Duration :
20h Th
Number of credits :
Bachelor in biomedicine3
Master in biomedicine (120 ECTS)3
Master in biomedicine (60 ECTS)3
Lecturer :
Pierre Leprince
Language(s) of instruction :
French language
Organisation and examination :
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite :
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents :
Introductory course on cellular and molecular neurobiology The course is divided into seven chapters dealing with the main cellular components and two pathological entities of the nervous system : Components of the nervous system :
  • Neurons
  • Astrocytes
  • Myelin and myelinisation
  • Structure and function of Synapses
  • Synaptic plasticity
Pathology of the nervous system:
  • Spinal cord lesions and their repair
  • Neurodegenerative diseases
Learning outcomes of the learning unit :
At the end of the course, the student will know the main morphological and biochemical as well as the main functions of the three major cell types present in the nervous system. He will know the dynamic organization and the roles of the cytoskeleton and those of the synapse. He will understand how the mechanisms of synaptic plasticity constitute the molecular basis of memory. He will know the basic cellular and molecular aspects of spinal cord injuries and of two types of neurodegenerative diseases: one genetically determined and the other with a spontaneous onset. He will be able to integrate the role of cytoskeletal components and certain metabolic pathways in cellular dynamics during development, normal functioning and various pathologies of the nervous system.
Prerequisite knowledge and skills :
Biology and general Physiology courses in BAC1 and BAC2
Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
10 x 2h lectures
rehearsals if needed for students coming from other fileds of study
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :
face-to-face teaching
Recommended or required readings :
Extensive notes that are updated every year are available in pdf format on MyULg at the time of teaching
Assessment methods and criteria :
oral examination. Each student prepares during 20 min three questions on the different chapters and then exposes his/her answers in front of the teacher.
Work placement(s) :
Organizational remarks :
Contacts :
Pierre Leprince GIGA-Neuroscience Université de Liège CHU B36 B-4000 Liège Belgique Tél: 32 4 366 59 32 FAX: 32 4 366 59 12 pleprince@ulg.ac.be