We act and react in way that suggests that all behaviours are automated. But if we look more deeply, behaving depends on (usually) rapid, coordinated responses to internal and external cues. This course will be a joint exploration of behaviour from physiological, anatomical, regulatory, and pathological perspectives; it will also consider aspects of behavioural moderation and modulation for better or worse behavioural outcomes.

To understand the physiological, anatomical and neural underpinnings of common healthy and psychopathological behaviours.

After considering what we generally understand by behaviour, we will aim to gain a more integrated understanding of how behaviours are controlled and expressed, and even evolve by addressing, defining, or debating:

1. I behave, therefore I live/I am a living being, therefore I behave
2. Reflex, fixed, and flexible behaviours – what and why?
3. Formation of behaviours
4. Conditioned, anticipated, and imitated behaviours (I did it because I heard, saw, smelt, tasted, felt it)
5. My emotions drove me to do that (I couldn’t help it!)
6. I was stressed!
7. My hormones made me do that!
8. Habitual, impulsive, and compulsive behaviours
9. Behaviours reflect conscious decisions, based on an integration of diverse information
10. What parts of the brain control common behaviours? This subject will be covered by expert lectures that include testing and measurements of healthy and pathological behaviours that we commonly encounter.
11. Basic needs: Eating, Drinking and Reproduction, Rhythms and Sleep
12. Attention, Learning and Memory
13. Evaluation (choices, judgements), Decisions and Execution
14. Stigmatization
15. Anxiety and Compulsions/Obsessions
16. Depression
17. Psychoses and Schizophrenia
18. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
19. Reward and Addiction
20. Pain
21. Forgetfulness (Alzheimer’s disease)

Group activities and discussions, debates and literature surveys, as well as lectures that introduce concepts, methods and results.