Unit MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS IN NEUROPATHOLOGY
- Course
- Medical, veterinary and forensic biotechnological sciences
- Study-unit Code
- A001765
- Curriculum
- In all curricula
- CFU
- 12
- Course Regulation
- Coorte 2024
- Offered
- 2024/25
- Type of study-unit
- Obbligatorio (Required)
- Type of learning activities
- Attività formativa integrata
NEUROLOGY
| Code | A001766 |
|---|---|
| CFU | 6 |
| Teacher | Cinzia Costa |
| Teachers |
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| Hours |
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| Learning activities | Caratterizzante |
| Area | Discipline medico-chirurgiche e riproduzione umana |
| Academic discipline | MED/26 |
| Type of study-unit | Obbligatorio (Required) |
PHYSIOLOGY
| Code | A001767 |
|---|---|
| CFU | 6 |
| Teacher | Alessandro Tozzi |
| Teachers |
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| Hours |
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| Learning activities | Caratterizzante |
| Area | Discipline biotecnologiche comuni |
| Academic discipline | BIO/09 |
| Type of study-unit | Obbligatorio (Required) |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Contents | Homeostasis and homeostatic mechanisms. General organisation of the nervous system. Cells of the nervous system. Cell communication. Diffusion; Fick's law. Osmosis. Cell transport mechanisms. Membrane properties of excitable cells. Membrane potentials. Synaptic transmission. The neuromuscular junction. Ionotropic and metabotropic receptors. Signal transduction mechanisms. Postsynaptic potentials. Synaptic integration and plasticity. The somato-sensory system. Nociception, pain modulation and hyperalgesia. Skeletal muscle; Ultrastructure, electromechanical coupling; sum of twitches and muscle tetanus. Motor units; muscle strength and regulatory mechanisms. Motor systems: general organisation, reflex, rhythmic and voluntary movements. Examples of spinal reflexes: phasic and tonic myotatic reflex; reverse myotatic reflex; flexor reflex. |
| Reference texts | Neuroscience – Exploring the Brain, Fourth Edition by Mark F. BEAR – Barry W. CONNORS – Michael A. PARADISO Ed. Walters Kluwer Principles of Neural Science, Fifth Edition by Eric R. Kandel (Editor), James H. Schwartz (Editor), Thomas M. Jessell (Editor), Steven A. Siegelbaum (Editor), A. J. Hudspeth (Editor) |
| Educational objectives | Knowledge of the basis of the nervous system and skeletal muscle physiology. Knowledge of the main experimental electrophysiological methods to study neuronal excitability, synaptic transmission and and long-term plasticity in brain slice preparation. |
| Prerequisites | Basis of chemistry, physics and human anatomy. Basis of cellular and molecular biology of the neuron. |
| Teaching methods | Frontal lessons and practice exercises, in presence and online. |
| Other information | Frequency not mandatory but strongly recommended. |
| Learning verification modality | Written test (LibreEOL) and optional final oral test. |
| Extended program | Concept of internal environment and homeostasis; Homeostatic mechanisms (negative and positive feedback, feed-forward controls); General organization of the nervous system. Cells of the nervous system: elements of cytology and morphology related to specific functions of neurons and glial cells. Cellular communication; Diffusion of molecules across a cell membrane: Fick's law; Osmosis. Mechanisms of cellular transports. Membrane properties of excitable cells. Genesis of membrane potential; equilibrium potentials; Nernst and Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz equation; the equivalent membrane circuit and Ohm’s law; current-voltage relationship. Ion channels and resting membrane potential. Graded potentials, action potential and their propagation. Synaptic transmission: electrical and chemical synapses. The neuromuscular junction. Ionotropic and metabotropic receptors. Mechanisms of signal transductions. Postsynaptic potentials. Synaptic integration: spatial and temporal summation of graded potentials. Mechanisms of short-term and long-term synaptic plasticity. Synaptic plasticity (LTP, LTD). The somato-sensory system. Sense receptors properties, receptor potential, receptor adaptation, receptive field, lateral inhibition. Nociception, pain modulation and hyperalgesia. Skeletal muscle; Ultrastructure, electro-mechanical coupling; Simple twitch and summation phenomena; the muscular tetanus. The motor units; muscle strength and regulation mechanisms. Motor systems: general organization, reflex, rhythmic and voluntary movements. Examples of spinal reflexes: phasic and tonic myotatic reflex; reverse myotatic reflex; flexor reflex. Principles of electrophysiological techniques for the study of neuronal activity; Patch clamp, extracellular recordings, intracellular recordings. Animal models to measure synaptic transmission and plasticity. Experimental models to measure evoked or spontaneous postsynaptic potentials or currents. Experimental models to measure synaptic facilitation, post-tetanic potentiation, long-term potentiation or long-term depression. |
| Obiettivi Agenda 2030 per lo sviluppo sostenibile |