Students

PSYN8841 – Clinical Neuropsychopharmacology

2022 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Jennifer Cornish
jennifer.cornish@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to MClinNeuro
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
The first 5 weeks of this unit is co-taught with PSYC8987
Unit description Unit description

This unit provides an overview of the basic principles of neuropharmacology with particular emphasis on the disorders seen in the clinical practice of neuropsychologists and clinical psychologists. It begins with a review of basic principles and then covers the major neurotransmitter systems and how they are disordered in brain injury and psychological disorders such as depression, schizophrenia and the anxiety disorders.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Demonstrate knowledge of the neuropharmacology of common psychological disorders and pharmacotherapies for these disorders.
  • ULO2: Critically evaluate research literature and theoretical issues relevant to psychopharmacology.
  • ULO3: Effectively communicate concepts in psychopharmacology using information technology and in written and oral formats.
  • ULO4: Demonstrate self-awareness through identifying and setting targets for time management of assessment completion
  • ULO5: Critically evaluate the relevance and accuracy of neuroscience data in order to formulate evidence based arguments

General Assessment Information

Late submissions will receive a 5% per day penalty including weekends and public holidays, unless an extension has been granted through special consideration. No late submissions will be accepted more than 5 days after the submission deadline, unless special consideration has been granted. No further submissions will be accepted after the marked assignments are returned and feedback is released to students.

All extensions need to be formally requested in line with the special consideration policy.

Word count penalty: 5% of the possible mark will be deducted per 100 words over the word limit for the assessment task. An additional 99 words beyond the limit can be written without penalty.

 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Psychopharmacology essay 45% No 27/5/2022 11:59pm
In class test 30% No 22/03/2022 In class
Class participation 10% No Week 8-12 In class
In class presentation 15% No One of Week 8-12

Psychopharmacology essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 45 hours
Due: 27/5/2022 11:59pm
Weighting: 45%

Students submit a 1500 word essay on a contemporary psychopharmacology topic.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the neuropharmacology of common psychological disorders and pharmacotherapies for these disorders.
  • Critically evaluate research literature and theoretical issues relevant to psychopharmacology.
  • Effectively communicate concepts in psychopharmacology using information technology and in written and oral formats.
  • Demonstrate self-awareness through identifying and setting targets for time management of assessment completion
  • Critically evaluate the relevance and accuracy of neuroscience data in order to formulate evidence based arguments

In class test

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: 22/03/2022 In class
Weighting: 30%

Forty multiple choice questions in 1 hour
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the neuropharmacology of common psychological disorders and pharmacotherapies for these disorders.
  • Demonstrate self-awareness through identifying and setting targets for time management of assessment completion

Class participation

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 24 hours
Due: Week 8-12 In class
Weighting: 10%

Students are expected to participate in class discussions particularly during oral presentations to foster an understanding and critical evaluation of research papers that are read prior to class
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the neuropharmacology of common psychological disorders and pharmacotherapies for these disorders.
  • Critically evaluate research literature and theoretical issues relevant to psychopharmacology.
  • Effectively communicate concepts in psychopharmacology using information technology and in written and oral formats.
  • Demonstrate self-awareness through identifying and setting targets for time management of assessment completion
  • Critically evaluate the relevance and accuracy of neuroscience data in order to formulate evidence based arguments

In class presentation

Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: One of Week 8-12
Weighting: 15%

Students are required to present and critique a journal article in oral format for 10 minutes
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Demonstrate knowledge of the neuropharmacology of common psychological disorders and pharmacotherapies for these disorders.
  • Critically evaluate research literature and theoretical issues relevant to psychopharmacology.
  • Effectively communicate concepts in psychopharmacology using information technology and in written and oral formats.
  • Demonstrate self-awareness through identifying and setting targets for time management of assessment completion
  • Critically evaluate the relevance and accuracy of neuroscience data in order to formulate evidence based arguments

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Content is to be delivered in weekly lectures. Fundamental information can be sourced from B.E. Leonard, Fundamentals of Psychopharmacology - available on-line from the library. Other reading information to support your learning will be provided during lectures.

Unit Schedule

How unit is taught: Each week the biological bases and pharmacotherapies for psychological disorders will be presented and discussed. Contemporary research literature on a given topic will be presented and discussed. Please check iLearn for current updates to the schedule.

Weekly list of topics to be covered:

Week 1 (Feb 22): Review of basic physiological & pharmacology, Substance Use

Week 2 (March 1): Anxiety Disorders

Week 3( March 8): Depression

Week 4 (March 15): Psychosis

Week 5 (March 22): In class examination (on week 1-4 inclusive)

Week 6 (March 29): Neurogenesis & Neuroplasticity

Week 7 (April 5): Alzheimer’s Disease

SESSION BREAK

Week 8 (April 26): Student Presentations

Week 9 (May 3): Student Presentations

Week 10 (May 10): Student Presentations

Week 11(May 17): Student Presentations

Week 12 (May 24): Student Presentations (ESSAYS DUE this Friday May 27)

Week 13 (May 31): Reading Week – no class

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Macquarie University follow standards-based assessment of student performance. All individual assessment tasks are subject to moderation, consistent with the Assessment Policy and Procedure. A student’s final mark for this unit, and associated grade, must reflect their attainment of the unit learning outcomes, and isn’t necessarily a simple summation of their individual assessment items

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Changes since First Published

Date Description
16/02/2022 Hi Naomi, as discussed, reflecting week changes in the assessment due dates. Thanks so much :)
12/02/2022 Hi Naomi, sorry for the change - I realised a date for the essay deadline was wrong and also that I have 27 students, so needed an extra week for presentations to fit them all in!

Unit information based on version 2022.02 of the Handbook