For part IB of the Medical and Veterinary Sciences Tripos (a second-year undergraduate course of the University of Cambridge). Relevant links include the Departments of Physiology (with exam papers for 1998, 1999 and information for supervisions), Anatomy, and Psychology; the Faculty Board of Biology and their criteria for essay marking. Also, the University Reporter, which publishes the Lecture List (e.g. for 1999-2000).

The following handouts are in PDF format. Click here to download Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is free. Numbers in [square brackets] are internal reference numbers (T for teaching materials).

• Endocrinology: 1 - general, hypothalamus, pituitary [T2]
• Endocrinology: 2 - adrenal [T3]
• Endocrinology: 3 - calcium [T4]
• Endocrinology: 4 - growth hormone [T5]
• Endocrinology: 5 - thyroid [T6]
• Endocrinology: 6 - glucose homeostasis [T7]

• Reproductive biology: 1 - sexual differentiation [T8]
• Reproductive biology: 2 - testicular function [T9]
• Reproductive biology: 3 - ovarian function [T10]
• Reproductive biology: 4 - puberty [T11]
• Reproductive biology: 5 - coitus, fertilization and implantation [T12]
• Reproductive biology: 6 - contraception and assisted conception [T13]
• Reproductive biology: 7 - fetal development, placenta and maternal physiology [T14]
• Reproductive biology: 8 - parturition, neonatal physiology, lactation [T15]

For Part II Neuroscience lecture notes and slides from 2002 onwards, click here.

The neurobiology course is taught in the following blocks.

• Neurobiology: introduction to nerve cells: sensory receptors, synapses and spinal reflexes
• Neurobiology: the somatosensory system; pain
• Neurobiology: the motor system
• Neurobiology: vision
• Neurobiology: hearing. (External links: the dancing hair cell is fun; a link to info on cochlear mechanics.)
• Neurobiology: the limbic system and hypothalamus; motivation and emotion
• Neurobiology: blood-brain barrier, CSF and cerebral blood flow

• Neurobiology: olfaction and taste
• Neurobiology: development, plasticity and repair
• Neurobiology: cognition and language
• Neurobiology: cerebral cortex; thalamus; reticular formation; sleep

However, my own handouts are more scattered and certainly not as good as for repro/endo, mainly because I lifted many of them straight from my (1995-6) notes for Part II neuroscience. (The two 1B sample essays are genuine, in other words not guaranteed to be that good.)

• Neurobiology: 1 - resting potential and chloride channels [T17]
• Neurobiology: 2 - sample essay - sensory receptor versus motor neuron [T18]
• Neurobiology: 3 - sensory systems (transduction and control) [T19]
• Neurobiology: 4 - motor cortex (caveat - Part II notes) [T20]
• Neurobiology: 5 - basal ganglia (caveat - Part II notes) [T21]
• Neurobiology: 6 - cerebellum and inferior olive (caveat - Part II notes) [T22]
• Neurobiology: 7 - catalogue of structures in the human CNS [T23]
• Neurobiology: 8 - thalamic nuclei (caveat - Part II notes) [T24]
• Neurobiology: 9 - sample essay - retinal and central visual processing [T25]
• Neurobiology: 10 - attentional systems - notes on Posner & Peterson (1990) (caveat - Part II notes) [T26]
• Neurobiology: 11 - two visual streams (caveat - Part II notes) [T27]
• Neurobiology: 12 - more on posterior parietal cortex, including anatomy (caveat - Part II notes) [T28]
• Neurobiology: 13 - memory (caveat - Part II notes) [T29]
• Neurobiology: 14 - prefrontal cortex (caveat - Part II notes) [T30]

For Part II Neuroscience lecture notes and slides from 2002 onwards, click here.