76149 - Physiology

Learning outcomes

Identify the morphology and function of specific organs and apparatuses of biotechnological interest in the context of clinical applications. Correlate concepts of integrative physiology of the human organism with pathophysiology. Select and interpret scientific data relevant to physiology and pathophysiology.

Course contents

[http://www.unibo.it/it/didattica/insegnamenti/insegnamento/2021/445293]

 MODULE 1 (Prof. Chatzidimitrakis)

FUNCTIONAL ORGANIZATION OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

General anatomy and functions of the central and peripheral nervous system. General principles of the organization of the central nervous system. The cerebral cortex: anatomy and functional organization. The autonomous nervous system: anatomical-functional organization and functions of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.

SENSORY SYSTEMS

General principles of sensory coding. Receptive fields. Coding of the intensity of stimuli. Sensory receptors. Temporal mechanisms, adaptation, spatial sensory integration. Perception. Neuronal coding of somatosensory stimuli. Organization of the somatosensory circuit. Thalamic nuclei and somatosensory cortical areas. General organization of tactile perception and position senses. Psychophysics of tactile perception. Visual perception. Retina and photoreceptors. Organization of the visual pathway, lateral geniculate nucleus. Primary visual cortex: topographic organization and functional circuits. Visual maps, brain maps. Visual prosthetics.

 

SENSORIMOTOR INTEGRATION AND VOLUNTARY MOVEMENTS

Organization and functions of the dorsal visual stream. Lesions: optic ataxia, agnosia. Posterior parietal cortex: sensorimotor integration functions. Areas of the posterior parietal cortex and specific functions. Premotor and supplementary motor cortex. Parietofrontal circuits for reaching and grasping movements. Sensorimotor transformations. Organization of the prefrontal cortex. Eye movements: cortical and subcortical circuits. Hand movements: psychophysical aspects. Primary motor cortex and movement control mechanisms. Motor disorders, motor prosthetics.

CARDIOVASCULAR FUNCTION

Circulation and hemodynamic. Electrical activity of the cardiac muscle. Origin and propagation of cardiac excitation. Phases and mechanical events of the cardiac cycle. Stroke volume and cardiac output. Control of heart function. Principles of electrocardiography. Organizational and functional aspects of the circulatory system. Blood pressure and velocity across the different sections of the circulatory system. Functions of arteries and arterioles. Capillary exchanges. Nervous and humoral regulation of peripheral circulation. Blood pressure regulation.

RESPIRATORY FUNCTION

Respiratory muscles and respiratory cycle. Alveolar and pleural pressures. Pulmonary volumes and capacities. Composition of atmospheric and alveolar air. Diffusion of respiratory gases. Blood transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Chemical and nervous regulation of respiration: respiratory centers; peripheral and central chemoreceptors.

RENAL FUNCTION

General aspects of the renal function: ultrafiltration, secretion, reabsorption. Ultrafiltration process: pressure balance and net filtration pressure. Ultrafiltration rate. Mechanisms of urine concentration and dilution: optional reabsorption of water and its regulation. Primary active sodium reabsorption and coupling of water reabsorption to sodium reabsorption. Antidiuretic hormone. Aldosterone and the Renin-Angiotensin System.

MODULE 2 and MODULE 3

(Prof. Elisabetta Ciani and Dr. Giorgio Medici)

Modules 2 and 3 are complementary components focused on the applied part of the course. These modules are mutually exclusive, meaning that students are required to complete only one of the two. Students will be divided into two groups, with each group assigned to either Module 2 or Module 3 to carry out the practical laboratory activities.

Each module begins with a series of classroom lectures covering the topics that will then be explored through hands-on laboratory work.

NEUROGENESIS

• Prenatal and postnatal neurogenesis
• Modulation of postnatal neurogenesis
• Alterations in neurogenesis in genetic and neurodegenerative diseases

Laboratory activity: Immunostaining for the detection and quantification of hippocampal neurogenesis in the murine brain.

Pre-requisites

Participation in this educational activity requires all students to complete specific health and safety training for study environments (Modules 1, 2, and 3) in a hybrid format (e-learning and in-person). Detailed information is available on the course webpage under the section “Studying – Health and Safety mandatory training”.

 

 

[http://www.unibo.it/it/didattica/insegnamenti/insegnamento/2021/445293]

Readings/Bibliography

• Kandel ER, Jessell TM, Schwartz JH, Siegelbaum SA, Hudspeth AJ. Principles of Neural Science, 5th ed. Mc Graw-Hill
• Purves D, et al., Neurosciences, 6th ed. Sinauer Associates
• Vander et al., Human Physiology: The Mechanism of Body Function; 8th ed; McGraw−Hill
• Articles and reviews will be provided to supplement these texts.

Teaching methods

Teaching mode:

• Traditional lectures (Module 1)
• Traditional lectures + laboratory activities (Module 2)
• Traditional lectures + laboratory activities (Module 3)

The course consists of 5 CFU, corresponding to 36 hours of frontal lectures held by Prof. Chatzidimitrakis.

In parallel, students attend the Applied Physiology module (1 CFU, 15 hours) involving practical sessions in small groups. The laboratory work is split into two tracks (Module 2 and Module 3), coordinated respectively by Prof. Elisabetta Ciani and Dr. Giorgio Medici.

The course is part of the Integrated Course “Anatomical and Physiological Bases of Organ Pathologies”.

Slides used during lectures are mainly taken from the recommended textbooks. When other sources are used, references will be clearly provided.

Assessment methods

Assessment Methods

The final assessment for the Physiology module is based on a written “true or false” multiple-choice test covering topics presented during the lectures. This evaluation is conducted jointly with the assessments for the other modules included in the Integrated Course “Anatomical and Physiological Bases of Organ Pathologies”, and a single final grade is assigned for the entire Integrated Course.

 

Students with learning disorders and\or temporary or permanent disabilities: please, contact the office responsible (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students) as soon as possible so that they can propose acceptable adjustments. The request for adaptation must be submitted in advance (15 days before the exam date) to the lecturer, who will assess the appropriateness of the adjustments, taking into account the teaching objectives.

Teaching tools

Lectures will be supported by PowerPoint slides material for each topic included in the Course Program. The visual and textual materials presented during lectures will be made available to students on the platform https://iol.unibo.it/ (login required with University of Bologna credentials).

To prepare for the exam, students are encouraged to:

• attend all lectures,
• study the recommended textbooks,
• use lecture notes and the materials provided on the IOL platform.

Office hours

See the website of Konstantinos Chatzidimitrakis

See the website of Elisabetta Ciani

See the website of Giorgio Medici