The aim of the course is to provide students with an advanced understanding of nerve cells. By the end of the course, students will be able to recognize and identify the different cell types within nervous tissue and the various regions of the central nervous system in mammalian vertebrates, using microscopic, chemical, and immunochemical techniques.
Teaching Methods
In-person lectures and hands-on laboratory activities
Assessment Methods
Written in-person exam with multiple-choice and open-ended questions.
Texts
The instructor will provide course slides and scientific articles.
Contents
Origin, function, and subcellular organization of neurons; classical and emerging roles of glial cells; morphological and functional characteristics of astrocytes; physiological and pathological roles of microglia; cell-to-cell communication in nervous tissue; synapses and the functional organization of pre- and postsynaptic terminals; neurotransmitters under normal and pathological conditions; main molecular and morphological features of the different cell types in the hippocampus, cerebral cortex, and cerebellum of mammals.
