Acquisition of basic principles of functioning in the nervous
system, origin and transmission of information, reflex activity,
somatosensory system, vision, earing and equilibrium. Acquisition of basic
principles regarding language, consciousness and attention states.
To understand physiological mechanisms underlying phonoarticulation and swallowing.

Basic knowledge of biology and anatomy of the human body

Generation and transmission of the information: physiology of excitable
cells. Synaptic plasticity, memory, learning, development.
Sensitive Systems: Somaesthesia. Neurophysiology of Vision.
Neurophysiology of the Earing. Neurophysiology of Equilibrium.
Motor activities: Spinal reflexes. Voluntary movement.
Cortical organization of language: hemispheric lateralization.
States of Consciousness: Sleep. Neurophysiological bases of consciousness and attention.
ORL Physiology: Basic physiological knowledge regarding the processes of
phonoarticulation and swallowing

One of the following:

Purves et al., Neuroscienze, Zanichelli

Silverthorn, Fisiologia umana, un approccio integrato. Pearson

For ORL physiology: Manzoni & Scarnati, Fisiologia orale e dell'apparato stomatognatico. Edi-
Ermes


Materials provided by the teacher.

Excitatory cell physiology, generation and propagation of action potential,
role of channels and ionic pumps, chemical synapses, synaptic
integration. Synaptic plasticity: long-term potentiation, cortical plasticity, phantom limb syndrome. Glial cell functions. Development and maturation of the brain. Sensitive systems. Types of sensory modalities. Somaesthesia: sensory transduction, classification of receptors, cutaneous mechanical receptors,
receptor adaptation, coding of stimulus duration and intensity, receptive
fields, sensory acuity, general organization of the cerebral cortex.
Primary somaesthetic area. Vision Neurophysiology: principles of physiological optic, retina, fovea, blind spot, photoreceptors and
phototransduction, color vision, primary visual pathway, stereopsys,
extrastriate visual areas, intrinsic eye motility, pupil reflexes, ocular
movements.
Neurophysiology of the Earing. Outer, middle and
inner ear, organ of Corti and acoustic receptors, sensory transduction,
acoustic pathways.
Neurophysiology of Equilibrium. Vestibular apparatus and receptors,
sensory transduction, static and dynamic receptors, vestibular
nystagmus, vestibular cortex. Motor activities. Spinal reflexes: Reflex arc and reflex classification,
myotatic reflex, neuromuscular spindle, muscle tone, sensitivity
regulation of the neuromuscular spindle, polynaptic reflexes. Volunteer movement: general organization of motor systems,
primary motor cortex. Cortical organization of language: cerebral cortex: main subdivisions,
architectonic organization, associative areas of frontal, parietal, occipital
and temporal lobes. Language: Broca and Wernike areas, other areas
involved in understanding and producing language and their connections,
language learning, critical periods. Hemispheric lateralisation: temporal
planum, main lateralized functions.
Consciousness:
sleep-waking states, variations in sleep and wake behavior,
sleep phases, sleep-wake alternation, circadian rhythms, role of
hypothalamus. Neurophysiological bases of consciousness: definition,
brain areas involved. Neurophysiological bases of attention: definition,
neural correlates, lateral inhibition, spatial emineglect
Respiratory system: Airway. Gas Laws. Mechanics of breathing. Volume
and intrathoracic pressures. Pneumothorax. Spirometry. Dead space. Gas
exchange. Regulation of breathing.
Stomatognathic system.Oral mucosa- Salivation: dynamic, composition, and regulation of salivary secretion. Chewing. Swallowing.
Processes of
Phonoarticulation.

Lectures supported by power point presentations.

Written exam

This teaching module explores topics closely related to one or more objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable. Development of the United Nations.