The aim is to learn the physiology of animal cells and organs. The approach of the study will be integrative, ranging from how whole organs work and interact to control body functions, down to the molecular mechanisms operating within cells in response to environmental variations.
The Physiology of excitable cells- Aidley David-Fourt Edition
Learning Objectives
Understand the mechanisms associated to animal cell, organ and systemic function with a comparative approach.
Learn fundemental concepts in physiology like the structure-function relationship, homeostasis, feedack loops aimed to animal acclimatation and adaptation
Learn how to read graphical representations of functional responses
Acquire knowledge from the literature and understand the advances in the field.
Prerequisites
Principles of animal cytology, inorganic and organic chemistry, physics and biochemistry are strongly suggested
Teaching Methods
Lectures
Power point presentations
Use of Pubmed
Further information
The lecturer is available for face-to-face or videocall meetings with students. Students who are interested are kindly requested to email one week in advance.
Type of Assessment
Oral exam
Course program
Part1: Principles of general physiology, structure function relationship, homeostasis, feeback loops, acclimatation
Part2: Animal cell membrane structure and function, ion channles and transporter, simple and facilitated diffusion, Fick's law, osmosis, osmolarity and tonicity, protein carriers and kinetics, active transport, sodium potassium pump, ATPases, respiration gas exchange
Part3: electrochemical potential, Gibbs-Donnan equilibrium, Nernst and Golman equation, resting membrane potential, osmoregulation and animal regulation, membrane passive electrical properties, membrane action potential, sodium and potassium channels, voltage clamp technique
Part4: Central nervous system, neuronal cell structure and function, neuronal action potential propagation, myelin, electrical and chemical synapses, neurotransmitter and receptors, synaptic plasticity, sensory receptors, somatic nervous system, neuromuscular junction, simple reflex arc, autonomic nervous system
Part5: striated muscle function, myofilament, sarcomere, the sliding theory, crossbridge cycling, tension-length relationship, tension-velocity relationship, muscle energetics, mysoin motors, thin filament protein, myofibril calcium sensitivity, excitation contraction coupling in skelatal muscle, the frog jump, fish swimming, shaker fibers, smooth muscle contractilty, cardiac muscle, pacemakers cells, myocaridum, cardiac action potential and excitation contraction coupling, intropism/chronotropism/dromotropism/batmotropism, cardiac cycle, Frank-Starling law of the heart, Laplace law, circulatory system of vertebrates
Sustainable Development Goals 2030
This Course contributes in the realization of the ONU objectives of the Agenda 2030 for the Sustainable Development