- Docente: Davide Martelli
- Credits: 3
- SSD: BIO/09
- Language: English
- Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
- Campus: Bologna
- Corso: Single cycle degree programme (LMCU) in Medicine and Surgery (cod. 9210)
Learning outcomes
Understand the importance of the integration of physiological processes from the molecular level to complex systems. Describe the organization and functional properties of the central nervous system, somatic sensory system, special senses, autonomic nervous system and the adrenal medulla. Describe the nervous regulation of different behavioural states and their circadian organization.
Course contents
Nervous System
Perception: Sensory system
Neural coding of sensations. Organization of somatosensory pathways of the body and face. Thalamic and cortical somatosensory areas. Pain: nociceptive and neuropathic pain, hyperalgesia, referred pain. Peripheral modulation and central control of pain.
Control of Movement
Regulation of movement: the cerebellum (afferent and efferent morphofunctional organization) basal ganglia (morphofunctional organization, direct pathway and indirect pathway).
Brain stem
The vital role of the brainstem: sensory, motor and modulatory function of the brainstem
Autonomic Nervous System
Morphofunctional organization of the autonomic nervous system: sympathetic, parasympathetic and enteric divisions. Action of the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems on the main organs. Adrenal medulla. Central control of the autonomic function. Micturition. Autonomic control of immune function. Thermogenetic and thermolytic mechanisms. Skin circulation.
Physiology of Sleep
Endocrine axis
Readings/Bibliography
Berne & Levy Physiology - 7th Edition - Elsevier
Principles of Neural Science, Kandel, Schwartz et al Fifth Edition
Teaching methods
Frontal lectures
Attendance to learning activities is mandatory; the minimum attendance requirement to be admitted to the final exam is 66% of lessons. For Integrated Courses (IC), the 66% attendance requirement refers to the total amount of I.C. lessons. Students who fail to meet the minimum attendance requirement will not be admitted to the final exam of the course, and will have to attend relevant classes again during the next academic year.
Professors may authorise excused absences upon receipt of proper justifying documentation, in case of illness or serious reasons. Excused absences do not count against a student’s attendance record to determine their minimum attendance requirement.
Assessment methods
The exam for the IC Nervous System and Sensory Organs will consist in a multiple questions with single right answer test. The number of questions will be : 20 for Anatomy, 10 for Physiology and 3 for Semeiotics. Each right answer scores 1 point and each wrong answer score -0.3 points.
Office hours
See the website of Davide Martelli