ID:
504494
Duration (hours):
52
CFU:
6
SSD:
FISIOLOGIA
Year:
2025
Overview
Date/time interval
Secondo Semestre (02/03/2026 - 12/06/2026)
Syllabus
Course Objectives
The "Physiological" is aimed at students who have already followed and learned physiology teachings in the bachelor's degree and is aimed at deepening knowledge of the physiology of the nervous and endocrine systems. At the end of the course, the student will have acquired fundamental knowledge also on the endocrine and endocrine control modalities on the different tissues and systems.
Course Prerequisites
Physics, and anatomy
Teaching Methods
Lectures, practicals in laboratory
Assessment Methods
Written text: two open-ended questions. 90 min
Texts
Neuroscience – 6th Edition – Purves- OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
Vander's Human Physiology, 14th Edition - McGraw Hill
Ganong's Review of Medical Physiology, 25th Edition - McGraw Hill
Berne & Levy Physiology, 6th Edition – Elsevier
Vander's Human Physiology, 14th Edition - McGraw Hill
Ganong's Review of Medical Physiology, 25th Edition - McGraw Hill
Berne & Levy Physiology, 6th Edition – Elsevier
Contents
Part I: Nervous system
Neurons, nerve fibers
Rest potential - Action potential: Phases, characteristics (threshold, law of all or nothing, refractoriness, conduction, saltatory conduction), ionic bases. Conduction of action potential. Classification of nerve fibers.
Chemical and electrical synapses: Structure, mechanisms of chemical transmission, characteristics of excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic potentials, properties of synaptic transmission. Mechanism and mode of onset of the action potential in a neuron (neuron discharge). The fate of the neurotransmitter.
Reflex arcs: definition, constituents, characteristics, and electrical phenomena. General properties of reflexes: involuntary, adequate stimulus, finalism, threshold, reflexogenic area, local sign, central reflex time, spatial and temporal summation, irradiation, occlusion and summation of subliminal fringes, recruitment, posthumous discharge, reflex inhibition.
CNS motor function
Spinal control of motility, spinal motor reflex arches. Proprioceptors. Myotatic reflex: description, reflex arc, characteristics of the stretch reflex and the inverse stretch reflex. Efferent gamma system. Muscle tone. Defensive reflexes. Spinal animal.
Vegetative nervous system: Anatomical organization, chemical mediators, functions.
Brain control of motility - Control of the axial and distal muscles. Descending motor pathways: from the cortex (corticospinal, corticobulbar, and brain stem) and from the brain stem (medial, lateral, and aminergic). Cortical motor areas. Basal ganglia: anatomical references. Organization, functions during movement and at rest. Huntington's disease and Parkinson's disease. Cerebellum: anatomical references. Organization, functions. Vestibolocerebello, spino cerebello, neocerebello. Cerebellar cortex and its organization in relation to the deep nuclei. Cerebellar lesions.
Sensory function - Receptors: definition, structure, classification, characteristics. Transduction and coding. Sensitivity classifications. Pathways of somatoesthetic sensitivity (medial, spinal and trigeminal lemniscus). Somatoesthetic cortex. Activating reticular system, evoked cortical potentials and diffuse secondary response. Electroencephalogram and sleep.
Part II: Physiology of the endocrine system
General principles: classification, synthesis, deposit, release into circulation
Transport of hormones in the blood, mechanism of action of hormones/receptors
Secretion control: baseline and as needed (feedback, nervous)
Hypo-, hyper-secretion, deficit, and excess response
Endocrine glands, hormones produced, the chemical structure of the hormone, actions, and regulation of secretion
- Hypothalamus and Pituitary (hypothalamus-hypophysis axis)
- Endocrine pancreas
- Adrenal: medullary and cortical
- Thyroid
- Male and female gonads
- Calcemia and phosphate control; calcium and phosphorus metabolism and their control by parathyroid hormone, calcitonin, and calcitriol
Practical: PCR: general concepts, applications, components, PCR cycle, optimization, Post-PCR analysis results using agarose Gel electrophoresis, visualization
Neurons, nerve fibers
Rest potential - Action potential: Phases, characteristics (threshold, law of all or nothing, refractoriness, conduction, saltatory conduction), ionic bases. Conduction of action potential. Classification of nerve fibers.
Chemical and electrical synapses: Structure, mechanisms of chemical transmission, characteristics of excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic potentials, properties of synaptic transmission. Mechanism and mode of onset of the action potential in a neuron (neuron discharge). The fate of the neurotransmitter.
Reflex arcs: definition, constituents, characteristics, and electrical phenomena. General properties of reflexes: involuntary, adequate stimulus, finalism, threshold, reflexogenic area, local sign, central reflex time, spatial and temporal summation, irradiation, occlusion and summation of subliminal fringes, recruitment, posthumous discharge, reflex inhibition.
CNS motor function
Spinal control of motility, spinal motor reflex arches. Proprioceptors. Myotatic reflex: description, reflex arc, characteristics of the stretch reflex and the inverse stretch reflex. Efferent gamma system. Muscle tone. Defensive reflexes. Spinal animal.
Vegetative nervous system: Anatomical organization, chemical mediators, functions.
Brain control of motility - Control of the axial and distal muscles. Descending motor pathways: from the cortex (corticospinal, corticobulbar, and brain stem) and from the brain stem (medial, lateral, and aminergic). Cortical motor areas. Basal ganglia: anatomical references. Organization, functions during movement and at rest. Huntington's disease and Parkinson's disease. Cerebellum: anatomical references. Organization, functions. Vestibolocerebello, spino cerebello, neocerebello. Cerebellar cortex and its organization in relation to the deep nuclei. Cerebellar lesions.
Sensory function - Receptors: definition, structure, classification, characteristics. Transduction and coding. Sensitivity classifications. Pathways of somatoesthetic sensitivity (medial, spinal and trigeminal lemniscus). Somatoesthetic cortex. Activating reticular system, evoked cortical potentials and diffuse secondary response. Electroencephalogram and sleep.
Part II: Physiology of the endocrine system
General principles: classification, synthesis, deposit, release into circulation
Transport of hormones in the blood, mechanism of action of hormones/receptors
Secretion control: baseline and as needed (feedback, nervous)
Hypo-, hyper-secretion, deficit, and excess response
Endocrine glands, hormones produced, the chemical structure of the hormone, actions, and regulation of secretion
- Hypothalamus and Pituitary (hypothalamus-hypophysis axis)
- Endocrine pancreas
- Adrenal: medullary and cortical
- Thyroid
- Male and female gonads
- Calcemia and phosphate control; calcium and phosphorus metabolism and their control by parathyroid hormone, calcitonin, and calcitriol
Practical: PCR: general concepts, applications, components, PCR cycle, optimization, Post-PCR analysis results using agarose Gel electrophoresis, visualization
Course Language
English
More information
Program structure, Courses, Courses contents, Lecturers at https://medicalpharmaceuticalbiotechnologies.cdl.unipv.it/en
The U-planner teaching calendar is available at the link above mentioned
Please, keep it constantly under control to be updated about possible changes in due course.
The U-planner teaching calendar is available at the link above mentioned
Please, keep it constantly under control to be updated about possible changes in due course.
Degrees
Degrees
MEDICAL AND PHARMACEUTICAL BIOTECHNOLOGIES
Master’s Degree
2 years
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