Course Review: 

Medsci206 is a valuable and challenging course; it sets you up nicely for success if you plan to do future stage 3 science papers, thanks to the practical experience of writing full lab reports and completing practical labs. This paper serves as an excellent introduction and foundation for both physiology and biomed, as well as other non-clinical MEDSCI degrees, who are interested in research pathways in neuroscience or wish to specialise within the neuroscience pathway in Biomed. Overall, this course was well-structured, and the lecturers, for the most part, were well-spoken, knowledgeable, and highly supportive. The success of this course is primarily due to the teaching staff and the course co-ordinator, Dr Nishani Lim, who ensures that students feel in control and have the support they need if needed. Compared to MEDSCI205, which is in semester 1, I found that Medsci206, despite being rumoured to be more difficult, was not as bad as it seemed. I found myself doing much better in this paper than in the latter. I firmly believe that if you work diligently, utilise active recall, and actively revise through practice papers, this course will surprise you! Regarding stage 2 MEDSCIs, however, this paper is definitely more challenging than most. Still, it is enriching, interesting, and definitely worth your time if you are interested in the human brain.

 

 

Content

 

Module A: Fundamentals of Neuroscience 

 

• Neurophysiology

• Neuronal Function

• Different Cell Types in the CNS 

• Synapses and Synaptic Plasticity

• Gross Neuroanatomy 

• Brain Development 

 

Module A begins with an introduction to basic neurophysiology by Professor Raj Selvaratnam, which segues into neuronal function. These lectures cover basic neuroscience concepts taught in previous courses, such as MEDSCI142 and BIOSCI107 (Neurons, Nerves, and the Generation of Action Potentials). Although there are a few similar concepts, the lectures will cover them in greater detail and introduce unfamiliar material, particularly on neuron physiology. After this section, you will learn about the different cell types within the brain, which Professor Scott Graham teaches. This section is also just two lectures and overall is not difficult to grasp; rather, the difficulty in these two lectures lies within the volume of content you have to memorise, because there are plenty of definitions and a few diagrams that you will need to understand and remember for Professor Graham's questions in the mid-semester test. Following Professor Graham, you will have three lectures on synapses and plasticity, which Professor Johanna Montgomery teaches. These lectures were challenging but doable, since there wasn't a large volume of content, but rather complex concepts that needed more revision to understand (Synaptic plasticity, Long-term Potentiation, Long-term Depression. Finally, to finish the module, you will learn more about how the brain develops from a fetus to an adult (neurodevelopment) and revise the gross anatomy of the brain whilst uncovering new structures and pathways. Professor Maurice Curtis gives this topic. 

 

Overall, my recommendations for surviving Module A are to keep up with the lectures and start preparing revision notes as soon as possible. Furthermore, regarding the Module A lab report, do it as quickly as possible!! If you feel uncomfortable with the lab reports due to the unfamiliar format, or if you need some guidance. SAMS offers a lab report workshop that covers what teachers expect from your lab reports and provides tips and tricks for writing them. 

 

Module B: Sensory and Motor Systems 

 

• Sensory physiology

• Special senses 

  • Ear physiology and hearing 

  • Eye physiology and vision

  • Olfaction and taste 

• How we control our movement 

• Reflexes

• Somatosensory processing 

 

Module B is when the course content begins to ramp up in both volume and difficulty. If Medsci206 is your first taste of a second-stage Medsci, this could be a shock. However, I encourage you not to stress yourself out, as the teaching staff and the course itself are well-structured and prepared to assist students in such situations. The sections of this module that were most difficult (in my opinion) were the series of lectures on ear physiology and somatosensory processing. The difficulty in these lectures was primarily due to the number of structures and features you had to memorise alongside their functions. In particular, ear physiology had the most difficult-to-understand concepts, as I found myself revisiting these lectures multiple times. Furthermore, neural adaptation is an important concept taught in the vision series of lectures, and is one of the complex concepts you should look out for. However, despite the difficulty of the content in this module, all the lectures were engaging and applicable in real life, as you come to understand the fundamental physiology that drives our everyday lives, shaping how we perceive our environment through the external information we collect through our senses. 

 

Module C: Higher Function, Disease and Repair. 

 

• Chronobiology 

• Internal circadian rhythms 

• Memory 

• Alzheimer's disease

• Stroke 

• Huntington’s diseases 

• Parkinson’s disease

• Pathogenesis of perinatal brain injuries 

• Perinatal brain injuries and neuroprotective treatments 

Neural repair 

 

Module C, like Module B, is packed with new and stimulating content; however, these lectures placed greater emphasis on neurological diseases, both common and rare, in clinical settings. The sections of the lectures that were difficult to understand were on Alzheimer's disease, whilst I found the chronobiology and the perinatal brain injuries lectures to be the most stimulating and enjoyable within Module C. The lectures on Alzheimer's disease were a bit harder to grasp, not because the concepts or content were complex, but because learning about the different diagnoses and causes of dementia alongside the biomarkers felt very rote and memory-dependent, which, personally, I found difficult. However, compared to Module B, I found Module C to be much more relaxed and straightforward. 

 

Overall, my recommendations for doing well in modules B and C are to focus on the concepts the lecturers emphasise during lectures, ensuring you do extra revision and properly understand how 'x' disease or 'x' sensory system works. Always do practice papers or flashcards to test your understanding of the content, as active revision will encourage you to actually learn and understand it. The SAQs and essay questions in the exam will test your 'understanding' of the content rather than your ability to regurgitate facts. Doing the hard work and understanding the content allowed me to do better on the SAQS and MCQs, and properly studying the lecture material with flashcards and practice questions ingrained the content in my brain, making it easier for me to collect my thoughts during the exams and portray them on paper. 

 

SIDE NOTE:  I do understand that everyone learns differently. This method of studying worked for me, but it might not work for you, so take my advice with a pinch of salt. 

 

 

Laboratories 

 

Note: Due to budget constraints labs can be subject to change. The information below is true for what occurred in 2025. 

 

There were 3 practical labs, with a fourth lab serving as a neuroscience showcase during the semester. These labs occur fortnightly and cover important lecture material that is likely to be tested in exams. For two of the practical labs, you will write a full lab report on the specific topic covered within the lab, using both the information taught and the experimental results gained within the lab. Whilst two of the labs will not require you to complete a full lab report, instead, for Lab 2, you will write an essay on either a topic regarding vision or hearing, and for Lab 4, there is no assignment given; instead, you will attend a showcase of neuroscience research organised by the teaching staff of the course. 

 

Labs 

Lab assignment

Due date 

Lab 1 - Nerve Function Laboratory.  

Nerve function intro - 

Full lab report - 

1 weeks

2 weeks

Lab 2 - Vision and Hearing Laboratory.

Essay

3 weeks 

Lab 3 - Kinesthesia, Touch and Proprioception.

Full lab report

2 weeks 

Lab 4 - Neuroscience showcase 

None 

 

 

Regarding the difficulty of these labs, the real challenge was that after completing the practical component, you had to write a full lab report (only required for 2/4 labs). Based on student feedback over the past few years, the course provides students with ample time and opportunities to receive support with writing these lab reports. During the early semester, the course will give you a lab tutorial before you complete the required first lab report. This is a handy resource for students who have never written a lab report before. The kinesthesia, touch and proprioception lab was the worst in terms of difficulty, not due to any fault of the teaching staff; instead, it was the complex concepts that you had to cover within the lab report. Thus, particularly in lab 3, come prepared with questions about the content, as you must understand what you are researching and how the physiological concepts relate to your data and observations to write a good, coherent lab report.