Higher functions of the Central Nervous System
This course is designed for bachelor biology students and will allow them to understand the complex physiological mechanisms, underlying human mental activity. Students will learn which brain areas are important for memory, reasoning, attention and motivation, and how they interact with each other to generate complex behavior. The program also addresses the impact of emotions, stress, and other factors on brain function and human behavior. An essential part of the course is the analysis of the body's adaptive mechanisms, including the stress reaction and adaptation to changes in the internal and external environment. Besides, course participants will learn to monitor mental health, including examination of various mental states and their impact on the function of the nervous system.
The role of brain structure. How structure and functions of the nervous system influence subject’s behavior.
The role of neurons and neuroglia. Neurotransmitters and neuromodulators.
Analysis of innate and learned forms of behavior.
The structure of sleep, endogenous mechanisms of its regulation. Melatonin. The role of sleep for physical and mental health.
Biological basics of the emotion formation and their role in motivational behavior.
Physiological and psychological aspects of eating behavior and eating disorders.
The impact of attention, memory and consciousness on mental activity and behavior. Mental conditions affecting behavior: neurosis, depression, PTSD, anxiety, autism, etc.
Cognitive functions: attention, perception, memory, coordination, reasoning. Focused and distracted attention, inhibition, and updating. Mechanisms of remembering and forgetting. Techniques of mnemonics. Brain plasticity: the ability to change and adapt.
Language development in ontogenesis. Analysis of speech disorders in patients with pathologies of the central nervous system.
Creativity and creative thinking, synthesis, induction, deduction, logical thinking, and information analysis. A critical approach to working with information. Collective thinking in generating and evaluating ideas. Formation of system thinking. Thinking in emergencies.
Influence of emotions on concentration and attention. Decision-making in stressful conditions.
Ethical issues when studying the brain and mental functions. Public perception and impact of scientific discoveries about the central nervous system. Information security and privacy in the context of brain research.
Animal models for studying cognition.
Practical exercises for determining the type of thinking based on the results of research on brain asymmetry. Assessment of properties of the nervous system by the "Tapping test" method.
How the goal influences the results of the activity.
