PSYn5460 Selected topics from contemporary neurosciences

Faculty of Social Studies
Autumn 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/0/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
MUDr. David Antoš (lecturer)
Mgr. Magdalena Helísková (lecturer)
Klára Marečková, Ph.D., M.Sc. (lecturer)
Mgr. et Mgr. Ľubomíra Nováková, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Bc. Julie Páleník (lecturer)
Mgr. Jan Farkaš (lecturer)
Mgr. David Voženílek (lecturer)
Mgr. Andrea Moravská (lecturer)
doc. Mgr. Lenka Lacinová, Ph.D. (assistant)
Mgr. Daniel Carbol (lecturer)
Mgr. Veronika Mattová (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Lenka Lacinová, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology – Faculty of Social Studies
Contact Person: Mgr. Bc. Julie Páleník
Supplier department: Department of Psychology – Faculty of Social Studies
Timetable
Fri 19. 9. 8:00–11:40 P24a, Fri 10. 10. 8:00–11:40 P52, Fri 24. 10. 8:00–11:40 U34, Fri 14. 11. 8:00–11:40 U53, Fri 5. 12. 8:00–11:40 U34
Prerequisites (in Czech)
! PSY546 Selected topics from contemporary neurosciences
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 25 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 16/25, only registered: 1/25
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The aim of this course is to introduce students to selected topics and latest advances in social neurosciences. As a part of the course, students will visit Multimodal and Functional Imaging Laboratory (MAFIL) at Central European Institute of Technology, where various neuroimaging techniques will be demonstrated.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course, students will
- understand the basics of neuroimaging techniques and the practical aspects of research in neuroscience.
- have knowledge about recent advances in selected areas of social neuroscience research.
Syllabus
  • Introduction to Contemporary Neuroscience
  • Research methods in neuroscience
  • When Neuroscience Meets Pop Culture: Music, Emotional Regulation & Resilience
  • Functional/conversion disorders and their implications for understanding the brain
  • Change and Loss of Language Functions due to Aging and Neurodegeneration
  • Non-invasive brain stimulation
  • Sense of body ownership: investigation and its relevance for clinical practice in mental health
  • Blurring the Boundaries: Self-other Distinction in Schizophrenia and Borderline Personality Disorder
  • Neuroplasticity, Resilience and the Aging Brain: Novel Therapeutic and Diagnostic Frontiers
  • EEG, TMS & MRI demonstrations
  • Presentations & Discussions
Literature
  • Arias-Carrión, O., Stamelou, M., Murillo-Rodríguez, E. et al. (2010). Dopaminergic reward system: A short integrative review. Int Arch Med. 3:24, 1-26.
  • Van den Bergh, O., Witthöft, M., Petersen, S., & Brown, R. J. (2017). Symptoms and the body: Taking the inferential leap. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 74, 185–203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.01.015
  • Carter, M., & Shieh, J. C. (2015). Chapter 1 - Whole Brain Imaging. Guide to research techniques in neuroscience. Academic Press.
  • Logothetis, N. K. (2008). What we can do and what we cannot do with fMRI. Nature, 453(7197), 869.
  • Botvinick, M., and Cohen, J., (1998). Rubber hands ‘feel’ touch that eyes see. Nature 391, 756–756.
  • Johnson, E. L., Kam, J. W. Y., Tzovara, A., & Knight, R. T. (2020). Insights into human cognition from intracranial EEG: A review of audition, memory, internal cognition, and causality. Journal of Neural Engineering, 17(5), 051001. https://doi.org/10.108
  • Shreeve, J. (2005). Beyond the brain. National Geographic, 207(3), 2-31.
  • Tatti, E., Rossi, S., Innocenti, I., Rossi, A., & Santarnecchi, E. (2016). Non-invasive brain stimulation of the aging brain: State of the art and future perspectives. Ageing research reviews, 29, 66-89.
  • Novak A, Vizjak K, Rakusa M. Cognitive impairment in people with epilepsy. JCM. 2022;11(1):267. doi:10.3390/jcm11010267
  • Koob, G. F., & Volkow, N. D. (2010). Neurocircuitry of addiction. Neuropsychopharmacology, 35(1), 217-238. https://doi.org/10.1038/npp.2009.110
  • Melloni, L., Mudrik, L., Pitts, M., & Koch, C. (2021). Making the hard problem of consciousness easier. Science, 372(6545), 911–912. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abj3259
Teaching methods
Lectures; laboratory visit at CEITEC at University Campus at Bohunice
Assessment methods
Reading: 3-6 papers prior to each block
Writing: a neuroscientific research proposal (group project)
Attendance: absence on 1 block is allowed, if you need to skip two blocks, you will have to take an online test.
Students will be given their credits based on attendance, ongoing quizzes and writing assignments.
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2019, Autumn 2020, Autumn 2021, Autumn 2022, Autumn 2023, Autumn 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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