Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

A detailed examination of the physiology and pathophysiology of the nervous system, skeletal muscle and connective tissue. The course focuses on integration of physiological mechanisms at the molecular, cellular and systems levels.

COURSE DETAILS:

Throughout the course, emphasis will be placed upon regulatory mechanisms that stabilize or otherwise adjust function to suit the organism's needs. 

This course will use Canvas. Lecture slides will be posted before or soon after each lecture. It is expected that you will generate your own notes during and after class. Learning is an active process and multiple passes through the course content will help you develop the necessary skills to work with the material. All verbal or written material, covered in lectures or tutorials or found in required supplemental readings, is testable. In tutorials, you will solve problems that require you to use material learned in lectures. Each examination will include at least one question derived from relevant tutorials. 

13 weeks; 3 lecture hours and 1 tutorial hour per week

TOPICS

• Neuromuscular Junction, Excitation-Contraction Coupling, Cross-Bridge Cycling
• Muscle Physiology, Muscle Fatigue and Muscle Disease
• Nervous System and Electrophysiological/Neurophysiological Techniques
• Generation and Propagation of Action Potentials
• Sensory Receptors and Signal Transduction
• Synaptic Plasticity, Learning and Memory
• Cortical and Brainstem Control of Movement, Cerebellum, Basal Ganglia
• Auditory, Vestibular, Gustatory and Olfactory Systems
• Physiology of the Visual System
• Higher Brain Functions, Neural Networks
• Neurophysiological Rhythms, Sleep
• Neurological Disease

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

1. Describe the molecular and cellular processes underlying and coupling motor neuron excitation, muscle fibre contraction and force generation.   
2. Explain the aerobic and anaerobic metabolic pathways critical for muscle function.   
3. Explain the physiological basis of muscle fatigue, recruitment, disease and plasticity.   
4. Demonstrate knowledge of the anatomy and function of the central nervous system, peripheral nervous system and autonomic nervous system.   
5. Demonstrate knowledge of cellular biophysics and neurophysiology, and apply quantitative models to the characterization of relevant processes such as resting, passive, and active membrane potentials. 
6. Explain the role of sensory and motor pathways to somatosensory and motor function, and describe how injury or disruption of these pathways correspond to specific functional deficits.   
7. Explain how movement is controlled by the central nervous system, including reflexes, voluntary motor movement and eye movements.   
8. Explain the physiological and anatomical bases of auditory, visual, olfactory, gustatory and proprioceptive function, as well as the relationship between specific pathological symptoms and specific damage or disruption of these systems.   
9. Describe the role of the cerebral cortex, neurophysiological rhythms and brain networks in higher cortical processes including perception and cognition.   
10. Explain how in vitro and in vivo experimental techniques can be applied to answer scientific questions regarding the physiology of the nervous system and skeletal muscle. 
11. Describe the mechanisms of pathophysiological conditions associated with disruption to diverse regions of the nervous and musculoskeletal systems.   
12. Integrate knowledge to solve novel problems in neurophysiology or skeletal muscle physiology, including experimental design.  

Grading

Materials

RECOMMENDED READING:

REQUIRED READING NOTES: