Study Programmes 2016-2017
PSYC1087-1  
Animal models in preclinical psychobiology
Duration :
60h Th
Number of credits :
Master in psychology : general (120 ECTS)6
Lecturer :
André Ferrara, Etienne Quertemont, Ezio Tirelli
Coordinator :
Ezio Tirelli
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 :
Two initial lectures (teachers) will give an overview (classification) of the main cognitive and behavioural animal models and will explain the notions of validity, analogy and homology used in the assessment and the improvement of these models. It also will concern the detailed presentation of representative animal models.
Most of the course will consist of oral presentations by the student of a book chapter or a recent review examining a model or a group of models dealing mainly with one or two of the following (modelled) phenomena:
(Indicative list) -Motor behavior -Sensation and pain (algology) -Perception -Learning and conditioning -Memory and its phases -Eating and drinking -Reproductive behaviors (sexual and parental) -Adult social behaviours -Infant and adolescent social behaviours -Addictive behaviours -Stress and stress determinants -Anxiety (normal and abnormal) -Depression -Schizophrenia and hallucination -Autism -Behavioural and cognitive effects of brain lesions -Genetic syndromes involving cognitive deficits -Foetal and neonatal behaviours -Postnatal cognitive and neurobehavioural ontogenesis -Cognitive and behavioural aging -Neurodegenerative disorders -Genotype x environement interactions (factors typically involved) -Possibly complex cognition (which is treated in depth in another course)
Learning outcomes of the learning unit :
Understanding the determinant role of the cognitive and behavioural animal models (without neglecting their limitations and drawbacks) relatively to psychology and neurosciences .
Prerequisite knowledge and skills :
None.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
Analysis of scientific texts and oral presentation. Active participation to the seminar.
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :
Lectures.
Seminars with an oral presentation performed by each student AND/OR Individual written report (essay).
Recommended or required readings :
Articles and book chapters provided by the teacher and/or bibliographical references to find by the student.
Assessment methods and criteria :
Participation in the seminars and quality of the oral presentation performed by the student AND/OR Written report (essay) AND/OR Oral or written test.
Work placement(s) :
Organizational remarks :
Contacts :
ezio.tirelli@ulg.ac.be (phone: 04.366.20.18)
a.ferrara@ulg.ac.be(phone: 04/366 22 32)