Unit HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY
- Course
- Exercise and sport science
- Study-unit Code
- A001877
- Curriculum
- In all curricula
- Teacher
- Alessandro Tozzi
- CFU
- 9
- Course Regulation
- Coorte 2023
- Offered
- 2024/25
- Type of study-unit
- Obbligatorio (Required)
- Type of learning activities
- Attività formativa integrata
SYSTEMS PHYSIOLOGY
| Code | A001878 |
|---|---|
| CFU | 7 |
| Teacher | Alessandro Tozzi |
| Teachers |
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| Hours |
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| Learning activities | Caratterizzante |
| Area | Biologico |
| Academic discipline | BIO/09 |
| Type of study-unit | Obbligatorio (Required) |
| Language of instruction | Italian |
| Contents | - Homeostasis and Homeostatic Mechanisms - General Organization of the Nervous System; Neurons - Membrane Physiology: Excitability and Synaptic Transmission - Nervous System: Sensory Organs - Nervous System: Physiology of the Autonomic Nervous System - Striated and Smooth Muscle - Heart and Vascular System - Respiratory System - Renal System and Acid-Base Balance - Gastrointestinal System - Energy Metabolism - Thermoregulation - Endocrine System |
| Reference texts | 1. R. Poltronieri, Elementi di Fisiologia, EdiSES 2. William J. Germann, Cindy L. Stanfield, Fisiologia, EdiSES 3. L. Zocchi, Principi di Fisiologia, EdiSES 4. Autori vari, Fisiologia umana – Fondamenti, edi-ermes 5. Autori vari, Il compagno di fisiologia dell'eserciziofisico e dello sport, Edi A.L.E. |
| Educational objectives | Understanding the principles of functioning and regulation of the various systems of the human body. |
| Prerequisites | Excellent learning ability through studying textbooks. Basic knowledge of Cell Biology, Human Anatomy, and Biochemistry. |
| Teaching methods | Lectures; projection of teaching materials in the classroom; content available on the Unistudium platform of the University; ongoing assessments. |
| Learning verification modality | Written and oral exam. Ongoing written tests. |
| Extended program | MODULE: PHYSIOLOGY OF SYSTEMS - Homeostasis and the Concept of the Internal Environment. Homeostatic control mechanisms. Negative feedback, positive feedback, and anticipatory mechanisms. - Cellular Communication. Excitable cells. Central and peripheral nervous systems. - Cells of the Nervous System. Characteristics, types, and classification of neurons. Role of glial cells. - Cell Membrane and Membrane Proteins. Membrane receptors. Cytoskeletal proteins. - Diffusion and Fick’s Law. Osmosis and osmotic pressure. - Cellular Transport Mechanisms. Phagocytosis, pinocytosis, endocytosis, exocytosis. - Simple and Facilitated Diffusion. Primary and secondary active transport. Na+/K+ ATPase pump and Ca2+ ATPase pump. - Chemical and Electrical Gradients. Electrochemical force. Ion channels: passive and gated channels. - Membrane Potential in Excitable Cells. Resting membrane potential and graded potentials. Excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic potentials. - Action Potential. Role of voltage-gated sodium and potassium channels. Action potential propagation. Amplitude and frequency coding. - Electrical and Chemical Synapses. Mechanisms of chemical synaptic transmission. Ionotropic and metabotropic receptors. Neurotransmitter release and receptor interaction. Neuromuscular junction. Neurotransmitter types and clearance mechanisms. - Synaptic Integration. Spatial and temporal summation. Convergent and divergent circuits. Short- and long-term synaptic plasticity. Functional and structural plasticity. Long-term potentiation. Motor System - Skeletal Striated Muscle. Muscle fiber structure. Myofibrils and sarcomere organization. Regulatory proteins. Actin-myosin interaction and cross-bridge cycling. Role of calcium and ATP. Excitation-contraction coupling. Muscle action potential. - Muscle Twitch and Force Production. Summation of twitches. Frequency coding and muscle force increase. Muscle tetanus. - Muscle Mechanics. Tension and load. Isometric and isotonic contraction. - Active and Passive Force. Length-tension relationship. Force and shortening velocity of fibers. - Muscle Fiber Types. Motor nuclei, alpha motor neurons, and motor unit concept. Types of motor units. Motor unit recruitment and force regulation. - Hierarchical Organization of Motor Systems. Higher motor areas, brainstem, and spinal cord. Integration of sensory and motor systems. Pyramidal and extrapyramidal pathways. - Reflex and Voluntary Actions. Cortical motor areas. - Spinal Reflexes. Receptors, spinal centers, afferent and efferent pathways. - Neuromuscular Spindles and Golgi Tendon Organs. Stretch and inverse stretch reflexes. Gamma motor neuron function. Reflex modulation. - Rhythmic Motor Activities. Voluntary movements and integration of sensory-motor circuits. Movement planning, initiation, and execution. Sensory System - General Organization of the Sensory System. - Stimulus, Receptors, and Sensory Modalities. Sensory receptor classification, receptor potential, intensity coding, adaptation, phasic and tonic receptors, receptive fields, lateral inhibition. - Afferent Pathways. Primary, secondary, and higher-order sensory neurons. Fast and slow fibers. Amplitude coding, frequency coding, and labeled-line coding. Sensory specificity. - Tactile Sensation. Ascending pathways and somatotopic organization. - Proprioception. Muscle spindles and Golgi tendon organs: structure, transduction mechanism, and innervation. Ascending pathways. - Thermal Sensation. - Pain Sensation. Types of pain, nociceptors, ascending pathways. Physiological pain, primary and secondary hyperalgesia, mechanical allodynia. Peripheral and central pain control mechanisms. Referred pain. Cardiovascular System - Anatomical and Functional Characteristics. Systemic and pulmonary circulation, vessel wall structure, vascular compliance. - Hemodynamics Principles. Flow equation, pressure gradient, vessel elasticity, flow and velocity, laminar and turbulent flow, viscosity, Poiseuille’s law, resistance in series and parallel. - Heart: Nodal, conduction, and working tissues. Autorhythmicity, functions of the atrioventricular node and Purkinje network. - Cardiac Mechanics. Calcium role in contraction, inotropic effect, isometric and isotonic contraction, cardiac cycle, left vs. right ventricular function, length-tension relationship, preload and afterload, Frank-Starling law, pressure-volume relationships. - Cardiac Output. Homeometric and heterometric regulation. - Arterial Pressure. Determinants, measurement (Riva-Rocci method), oscillations. - Capillary Circulation. Capillary structure and function, diffusion, filtration, and reabsorption (Starling model), lymphatic circulation. - Local Flow Regulation. Vascular tone, myogenic response (Bayliss effect), local metabolites, endothelial autacoids, functional and reactive hyperemia. - Short-Term Blood Pressure Regulation. Baroreceptors and baroreflex, chemoreceptors. - Medium- and Long-Term Blood Pressure Regulation. Blood volume-pressure relationship, endocrine mechanisms (ADH, ANP, Angiotensin, Aldosterone), pressure natriuresis. - Venous Return. Respiratory System - Respiratory Mechanics. Functional anatomy. - Pulmonary and Alveolar Ventilation. Pleural role, functional residual capacity, inspiratory and expiratory muscles. - Elastic Resistance. Surface tension, surfactant, alveolar stability. - Non-Elastic Flow Resistance. - Ventilation-Perfusion Ratio. - Alveolar Gas Exchange. Dalton’s law, gas composition, solubility and diffusion (Fick’s law), oxygen diffusion. - Oxygen and CO2 Transport. Hemoglobin saturation curve, Bohr effect, bicarbonate buffering, Haldane effect. - Neural and Chemical Control of Ventilation. Renal System - Hydro-Electrolyte Balance. Fluid compartments, water balance, osmolarity. - Glomerular Filtration. Filtration mechanisms, Starling model, afferent and efferent arterioles, GFR regulation. - Tubular Reabsorption and Secretion. Sodium and water reabsorption, cotransport and countertransport. - Osmolarity Regulation. ADH role in water reabsorption. MODULE: PHYSIOLOGY OF METABOLISM - Autonomic Nervous System. Role in metabolic and digestive function regulation. - Smooth Muscle. Cross-bridge cycling, myogenic tone, structure and characteristics, role in intestinal motility and visceral regulation. Gastrointestinal System - Digestive Tract Structure and Function. - Enteric Nervous System. Myenteric and submucosal plexuses, autorhythmicity, slow waves, spike potentials, intrinsic and extrinsic nervous control, local and long reflexes. - Chewing, Swallowing, Peristalsis, and Mixing Movements. - Gastric Functions. Storage, mixing, emptying, pyloric pump. - Pancreatic, Liver, and Intestinal Secretions. Regulation and role in digestion. Energy Metabolism - Anabolic and Catabolic Pathways. ATP production, basal metabolism. - Insulin and Glucagon Regulation. Diabetes mellitus. - Thermoregulation. Heat balance, thermogenesis, heat loss, thermoreceptors, thermal sensitivity. Endocrine System - Hormone Classification and Action Mechanisms. Secretion regulation, endocrine gland functions. - Hypothalamic-Pituitary Axis. Pineal gland and melatonin. - Thyroid, Parathyroid, Thymus, Adrenal Glands. Corticosteroids and their metabolic effects. - Pancreatic Endocrine Function. Insulin, glucagon, glucose homeostasis. - Gonadal Hormones. Regulation of reproductive functions. |
PHYSIOLOGY OF METABOLISM
| Code | A001879 |
|---|---|
| CFU | 2 |
| Teacher | Laura Bellingacci |
| Teachers |
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| Hours |
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| Learning activities | Caratterizzante |
| Area | Biologico |
| Academic discipline | BIO/09 |
| Type of study-unit | Obbligatorio (Required) |