This version of the course guide is provisional until the period for editing the new course guides ends.

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Neuroanatomy and Cell Neurobiology

Code: 42909 ECTS Credits: 9
2024/2025
Degree Type Year
4313792 Neurosciences OB 0

Contact

Name:
Alfonso Rodriguez Baeza
Email:
alfonso.rodriguez@uab.cat

Teachers

Joaquín Martí Clua
Maria Luisa Ortega Sánchez
Beatriz Almolda Ardid

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

The requirements are those for access to the master’s program. It is necessary to have a sufficient level of English for classes taught in this language.


Objectives and Contextualisation

The general objective is to understand the basic cellular, structural and anatomical characteristics of the Central and Peripheral Nervous System that will allow students to understand research in neuroscience and provide the basis for understanding the pathologies affecting this system.


Learning Outcomes

  1. CA01 (Competence) Explain the different anatomical structures and cellular basis of the nervous system to both specialists in neuroanatomy and cellular neurobiology, as well as to a lay audience.
  2. CA02 (Competence) Relate the tissue architecture of different areas of the nervous system to interpret their structure and function.
  3. CA03 (Competence) Assess the existence of gender inequalities in neuroanatomy and cellular neurobiology.
  4. KA01 (Knowledge) Recognise the anatomical organisation of the nervous system.
  5. KA02 (Knowledge) Identify the neuronal and glial variabilities present in the nervous system.
  6. KA03 (Knowledge) Indicate the embryonic origin of the different areas of the nervous system and their cellular contingent.
  7. SA01 (Skill) Discover the embryonic origins of the different areas of the nervous system.
  8. SA02 (Skill) Analyse the areas of the nervous system.
  9. SA03 (Skill) Analyse histological sections of the central and peripheral nervous systems.

Content

THEORY AND PRACTICAL SKILLS

DEVELOPMENT OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM (Alfonso Rodríguez-Baeza)

Zygote, Morula and Blastula. Gastrulation. Primary and secondary neurulation. Spinal cord formation. Early vesicles and flexures: Rhombencephalon, Mesencephalon and Prosencephalon. Secondary vesicles and derivatives: Myelencephalon, Metencephalon, Mesencephalon, Diencephalon and Telencephalon. Cerebral cortex formation. Basal nuclei formation. Hippocampal formation. Neural crest and derivatives. Ectodermal placodes. Peripheral nervous system formation: spinal and cranial nerves. Autonomic nervous system formation. Overview of the sense organs formation. The perinatal nervous system.

CELLULAR NEUROBIOLOGY (Beatriz Almolda Ardid)

Cytology of neurons. Neuronal cytoskeleton: mechanisms of axonal transport. Dendritic arborisation and synaptic terminals. Astrocytes: metabolism, cytoskeleton, function and cell subtypes. Structure and function of blood-brain barrier. Microglia: metabolism, functions and cell types. Radial glia: Characteristics and functions. Ependymocytes and tanycytes: localization, characteristics and functions. PNS satellite glia. Myelination: oligodendrocytes and Schwann cells. CNS and PNS myelination. Molecular structure of myelin. Paranode and fissures. Ranvier node in CNS and PNS. Glia-glia and neuron-glia communication: contact and soluble signalling factors.

NEUROGENESIS AND GLIOGENESIS (Joaquim Martí Clua)

Prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal neurogenesis. Timetables of neurogenesis. Use of tritiated thymidine and bromodeoxyuridine. Migration and neuronal fate: involvement of the radial glia. Convergent and divergent migrations. Neurogenetic gradients. Glia cells generation. Stem cells, progeny, and final location. Origin of the adult stem cells: radial glia cells. Neurogenetic regions in the adult brain: glial and neuron production. Animal models and human studies. Neural stemcells and cancer stem cells. Origin and development of the brain cancers.

NEUROANATOMY (Alfonso Rodríguez-Baeza).

Introduction to the anatomical organization of the CNS. Overview of the brain: lateral, vertical and basal aspects. Overview of the skull and cranial meninges organization. Cerebrum: cerebral hemispheres, basal ganglia and diencephalon. Brain stem: medulla oblongata, pons and midbrain. Cerebellum. Reticular formation. Spinal cord: morphology and overview spinal nerves systematization. Overview of the spine and spinal meninges organization. Ventricular system and cerebrospinal fluid circulation. Cranial nerves: nuclei of origin, pathway and overview of the peripheral distribution. Overview of the special senses: olfaction, vision, taste, hearing and balance. Overview of the autonomic nervous system: sympathetic and parasympathetic. Overview of the ascending and descending pathways. CNS vascularisation: arteries and veins. Basic notions of comparative neuroanatomy.

NEUROHISTOLOGY (Beatriz Almolda Ardid)

Basic structure of nervous tissue. Microscopic structure of peripheral nerve and ganglia. Spinal cord: organization of grey and white matter. Cerebellum: Organization of grey and white matter. Cortical citoarchitecture. Brain. Neocortex. Cytoarchitecture of neocortical layers. Brain. Limbic system. Hippocampal cytoarchitecture. Ventricles and choroid plexus. Meninges: organization and structure. Basic techniques for the histologic study of the nervous system.

 

PRACTICAL SESSIONS IN LAB 

Neurohistology Laboratory (Beatriz Almolda Ardid)

Analysis of microscopic slides using histological and immunohistochemical techniques. Study of specific cellular markers in neuropathological tissues (Alzheimer's disease, Multiple Sclerosis, etc.).

Performing immunocytochemical staining in mixed glia cell cultures (astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, andmicroglia) and/or mouse or rat brain tissues to determine different neural subpopulations (from undifferentiated to mature cells).

Dissection Room (Alfonso Rodríguez-Baeza and Marisa Ortega Sánchez)

Observation of anatomical structures in preparations and topographic sections of the human nervous system.


Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Cellular Neurobiology, Neurogenesis and Gliogenesis, and Neurohistology 26 1.04 CA01, CA02, CA03, KA02, KA03, SA01, SA02, SA03, CA01
Neuroanatomy and development of Nervous System 26 1.04 CA01, CA03, KA01, KA03, SA01, SA02, CA01
Type: Supervised      
On line activities and tutorials 50 2 CA03, KA01, KA02, KA03, SA01, CA03
Type: Autonomous      
Personal study, comprehension and reading articles, conceptual assimilation of contents 113 4.52 CA01, CA03, KA01, KA02, KA03, SA01, SA02, CA01

GUIDED ACTIVITIES:

THEORETICAL CLASSES (typology TE) Teaching of an essentially expository nature that is usually carried out in a classroom at a pre-scheduled time. The student acquires the knowledge of the module by attending theory classes and supplementing them with personal study of the topics taught.

LABORATORY PRACTICES (typology PLAB) An activity that involves carrying out practical work that requires the student to use specific infrastructure (dissection room, Histology laboratory). They are performed in a specially equipped location, at a specific time, and with the continuous assistance of the teaching staff. They are scheduled at specific times and spaces. For the dissection room practices of the Faculty of Medicine, it is MANDATORY to wear a lab coat and gloves, and it is not allowed to take photographs and/or videos in the dissection room. A certificate that authorizes them to carry out the practices in the dissection room must be available.

SUPERVISED ACTIVITIES:

ON-LINE ACTIVITIES AND TUTORIALS: Teaching taught without classroom attendance and intensively using information and communication technologies (ICT). Students have complementary teaching material for the different training activities through the UAB Campus Virtual, and personal tutorials with the teacher (upon request).

 AUTONOMOUS ACTIVITIES:

Comprehension and reading articles. Personal study, implementation of schemes and summaries, conceptual assimilation of the course content.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Continues evaluation 10% 4 0.16 CA01, CA03, KA01, KA02
Evaluation of Lab practices (Anatomy and Histology) 10% 2 0.08 CA01, CA02, CA03, KA02, SA02, SA03
Objective written evaluation of Anatomy contents 40% 2 0.08 CA01, CA03, KA01, KA03, SA01, SA02
Objective written evaluation of Histology contents 28% 1.5 0.06 CA01, CA02, CA03, KA02, KA03, SA01, SA02
Objective written evaluation of Neurogenesis contents 12% 0.5 0.02 CA01, CA02, CA03, KA02, KA03, SA01, SA02

Evaluation of the module

The module competencies will be evaluated through different activities:

  • A continuous assessment through active participation in different directed training activities, which will represent 10% of the final score with a minimum attendance of 80%
  • A structured objective evaluation in Anatomy Lab practices, which will represent 5% of the final score
  • A structured objective evaluation in Histology Lab practices, which will represent 5% of the final score
  • A written evaluation through objective tests of limited response and recognition of structures from the contents taught in the Anatomy classes, which will represent 40% of the final score
  • A written evaluation through objective tests of short response and recognition of structures from the contents taught in the Histology classes, which will represent 28% of the final score
  • A written evaluation through objective tests of limited response from the contents taught in the Neurogenesis classes, which will represent 12% of the final score

To apply these weightings, it is necessary:

  • Not to have a 0,0 in any of these evaluable activities, and
  • to have obtained a minimum grade of 4.5 out of 10.0 in each of the following objective tests: Anatomy Lab practices, Histology Lab practices, written evaluation of Anatomy, written evaluation of Histology and written evaluation of Neurogenesis.

To pass the module, a grade of 5.0 or higher must be obtained once the percentages and requirements have been applied.

Students who have not passed the module will have the possibility to take a recovery exam that will consist of:

  • A written evaluation by means of objective test of limited response and recognition of structures from the contents taught in the Anatomy classes
  • A written evaluation by means of objective test of short answer and recognition of structures of the contents taught in the Histology classes
  • A written evaluation by means of objective test of limited response of the contents taught in the Neurogenesis classes

The continuous assessment, as well as the objective structured evaluation of the laboratory practices of Anatomy and/or Histology, by their very nature, are NOT recoverable.

In order to take the recovery exam, students must have been previously assessed in a set of activities whose weight is equivalent to at least two-thirds of the total grade for the subject or module. Students will receive a grade of "Not Evaluated"  when the completed assessment activities account for less than a third of the final grade.

The single assessment system is not planned in this module.


Bibliography

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Anastasi, G., Gaudio, E., TACCHETTI, C. (Alfonso Rodríguez Baeza editor edición en español) (2022) Anatomía humana - atlas – 2ª ed. Ed. Edra edi-ermes

Carlson, B.M. (2019) Embriología humana y Biología del Desarrollo. 6ª ed. Ed. Elsevier. Accés restringit als usuaris de la UAB. Cal registrar-se prèviament https://www.clinicalkey.com/student/content/toc/3-s2.0-C20180056236

Crossman, AR., Neary, D. (2019) Neuroanatomía: Texto y Atlas en color. 6ª ed. Ed. Elsevier. Accés restringit als usuaris de la UAB. Cal registrar-se prèviament https://www.clinicalkey.com/student/content/toc/3-s2.0-C2019000684X

Dauber, W. (2021) Feneis Nomenclatura Anatómica Ilustrada. 11ª ed. Ed. Elsevier.

Felten, DL., O’Banion, MK., Maida, ME. (2016) Netter Atlas de Neurociencia. 3ª ed. Ed. Elsevier. Accés restringit als usuaris de la UB, UAB, UPC, UPF, UdG, UdL, URV, UVic-UCC i UJI https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/book/9780323265119

Haines, D.E., Mihailoff, G.A. (2019) Principios de Neurociencia. Aplicaciones básicas y clínicas. 5ª ed. Ed. Elsevier. Accés restringit als usuaris de la UAB. Cal registrar-se prèviament https://www.clinicalkey.com/student/content/toc/3-s2.0-C20170037795

Haines, DE. (2021) Neuroanatomía clínica. Texto y Atlas. 10ª ed. Ed. Wolters Kluver. Accés restringit als usuaris de la UB i UAB https://cienciasbasicas.lwwhealthlibrary.com/book.aspx?bookid=2873

Hussain G, Akram R, Anwar H, Sajid F, Iman T, Han HS, Raza C, De Aguilar JG. Adult neurogenesis: a real hope or a delusion? Neural Regen Res. 2024 Jan;19(1):6-15. doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.375317. 

Junqueira, L.C., Carneiro, J. (2022) Histología Básica. 13ª ed. Ed. Médica Panamericana.

Kandel, E.R., Koester, J.D.; Mack, S.H. Siegelbaum, S.A. (2021) Principles of Neural Science. 6th ed. Ed. McGraw Hill. Accés restringit als usuaris de la UAB http://lib.myilibrary.com/?id=396874       

Li Y, Xu NN, Hao ZZ, Liu S. Adult neurogenesis in the primate hippocampus. Zool Res. 2023 Mar 18;44(2):315-322. doi: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2022.399. PMID: 36785898; PMCID: PMC10083228.

Mai, J.K., Paxinos, G. (2011) The Human Nervous System. 3rd ed. Ed. Elsevier. Accés restringit als usuaris de la UAB http://lib.myilibrary.com/Open.aspx?id=334767

Matthews G.G. (2000) Neurobiology. Molecules, Cells and Systems. 2nd ed. Ed. John Willey & Sons.

Moore, KL., Persaud, TVN., Torchia, MG. (2019) The Developing Human. Clinically Oriented Embryology. 11ª ed. Ed. Elsevier.

Mtui, E., Gruener, G., Dockery, P. (2017) Fitzgerald. Neuroanatomía Clínica y Neurociencia. 7ª ed. Ed. Elsevier.

Pawlina, W. (2020) Ross. Histología: Texto y atlas. 8ª ed. Ed. Wolters Kluwer.

Purves, D., Augustine, G.J., Fitzpatrick, D, et al (2018) Neuroscience. 6th ed. Ed. Oxford University Press. Accés restringit als usuaris de la UAB http://www.medicapanamericana.com/VisorEbookV2/Ebook/9788498359831

Sadler, TW. (2019) Langman. Embriología Médica. 14ª ed. Ed. Wolters Kluver. Accés restringit als usuaris dela UB i UAB https://cienciasbasicas.lwwhealthlibrary.com/book.aspx?bookid=2899

Simard S, Matosin N, Mechawar N. Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis in the Human Brain: Updates, Challenges, and Perspectives. The Neuroscientist. 2024;0(0). doi:10.1177/10738584241252581

Splittgerber, R. (2019) Snell Neuroanatomía clínica. 8ª ed. Ed. Wolters Kluver.

Squire, L.R., Berg, D., Bloom, F.E. et al. (2012) Fundamental Neuroscience. 4th ed. Ed. Elsevier.

Standring, S. (2020) Gray’s Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice. 42th ed. Ed. Elsevier.

ten Donkelaar, H.J.; Kachlik, D.; Tubss, R.S. (2018) An Ilustrated Terminologia Neuroanatomica. A Concise Encyclopedia of Human Neuroanatomy. 1st ed. Ed. Springe

Vanderah, TH., Gould DJ. (2020) Nolte’s the Human Brain. An introduction to its functional Anatomy. 8ª ed. Ed. Elsevier. Accés restringit als usuaris de la UAB https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/UAB/detail.action?docID=2036217

Waxman, SG. (2007) Molecular Neurology. 1st ed. Ed. Elsevier. Accés restringit als usuaris de UB, UAB https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/book/9780123695093

 

Access to the mòdule by the UAB Campus Virtual

The library's website can be consulted for "on line" bibliography


Software

Is not necessary specific software


Language list

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(PLABm) Practical laboratories (master) 1 Catalan/Spanish first semester morning-mixed
(PLABm) Practical laboratories (master) 2 Catalan/Spanish first semester morning-mixed
(TEm) Theory (master) 1 Spanish first semester morning-mixed