Dental School

Activity type

Morfologia umana, funzioni biologiche integrate degli organi ed apparati umani

SSD

BIO/09

Year

N/D

Semester

N/D

CFU

5

Hours distribution

50 classroom hours

Lecturers

Activity type

Morfologia umana, funzioni biologiche integrate degli organi ed apparati umani

SSD

BIO/09

Year

N/D

Semester

N/D

CFU

5

Hours distribution

50 classroom hours

Lecturers

ALESSANDRA BATTAGLIA MAYER

The general purpose of this course is to teach to the student the basic principles of the functioning of the human body, so that the student acquires the knowledge of how the various organs work, their dynamic integration into apparati and the general mechanisms of functional control under normal conditions.
The course takes place in two semesters: the Physiology I module is dedicated to the study of the physiology of the apparati, while the second module of Physiology II is dedicated to the study of the physiology of the nervous system.
The student at the end of the course is expected:
-to have acquired knowledge and ability to understand topics related to the basic principles of the functioning of the human body, within a clinical setting as well as in research context.

- to be able to solve problems in new or unfamiliar areas, inserting the knowledge acquired during the course in wider (or interdisciplinary) contexts related to it.
- to be able to communicate knowledge, with skills in illustrating the various topics with appropriate language to specialists and non-specialists.

By the end of the course, students will have acquired a solid understanding of cellular physiology, with particular emphasis on the mechanisms that regulate homeostasis. They will have learned the principles of cellular excitability and the main mechanisms of intercellular communication.

They will have gained knowledge of the fundamental characteristics underlying the integrated functioning of the organs and systems of the human body. Students will be able to describe the main control systems and their reciprocal interactions in response to variations in the internal and external environment.

Students will be familiar with the major molecular and cellular mechanisms, from a perspective centered on the principle of homeostasis. Furthermore, they will be able to connect the structural aspects of each system to their corresponding functions, including reflex circuits based on feedback, feedforward, or anticipatory mechanisms.

They will be able to compare the operating principles of different systems, describe their integrated functionality, and predict their responses to specific stimuli or functional perturbations.

Finally, students will be able to integrate the topics covered and present them in a coherent and scientifically rigorous manner, through physical–mathematical relations or graphical representations of the studied phenomena, thereby providing a comprehensive understanding of the physiology of the human organism.

To successfully complete the Physiology course within the Master's Degree in Dentistry and Dental Prosthetics, students must have a solid foundation in the biological, chemical, and physical disciplines, acquired during the previous courses of the first cycle.

In particular, the following are required:

Knowledge of cellular and molecular biology, with particular reference to cell structure and function, protein synthesis processes, membrane transport mechanisms, and signal transmission.

Notions of general, organic, and biochemical chemistry, useful for understanding metabolic processes and the chemical-physical bases of cellular function.

Elements of physics and physics applied to the human body, necessary for interpreting the electrical and mechanical phenomena that regulate the activity of cells, tissues, and organs.

Fundamentals of human anatomy, essential for correlating physiological knowledge with the structure and organization of the various systems.

It is also desirable that the student be familiar with basic scientific terminology in English and with a methodological approach aimed at logical and quantitative reasoning, essential elements for the interpretation of physiological phenomena from a biophysical and systemic perspective.

CELLULAR HOMEOSTASIS The cell membrane. Exchanges between intracellular and extracellular fluids. Osmosis. Diffusion. Water transportation . Ion transport. Ion channels. Carriers. Transport mechanisms: active (primary and secondary) and passive. Simple and facilitated diffusion. Na-K pump. Membrane potentials. Nerst equation. Goldman constant field equation.
CELLULAR EXCITABILITY
Action potential and its characteristics. Ion flows during the action potential. Voltage-dependent channels. Conduction of the action potential.
Excitable cells. Origin and propagation of the nervous impulse.
SYNAPSE and NEUROTRANSMITTERS
Synaptic transmission. Electrical Synapses. Chemical Synapses. Neurotransmitters. Membrane receptors. Post-synaptic Responses: EPSP and IPSP. The neuromuscular junction.
CONTRACTILE ELEMENTS
Anatomy and ultrastructure of the muscle. Excitation-contraction coupling. Energy sources for contraction. Skeletal muscle activation. Isometric and isotonic contraction. Mechanical properties of skeletal muscle: single shock, summation of shocks, tetanus. Types of motor units. Length-tension and force-velocity relationships. Smooth muscle. Cardiac muscle. Frank-Starling’s Law
CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
Anatomo-functional organization of the cardiovascular system. Physical principles of hemodynamics. Physical properties of blood. The heart: initiation and propagation of the impulse, cardiac electrical activity, the electrocardiogram, the cardiac cycle, control of cardiac output. Volumetric and pressure changes in the cardiac chambers. Heart sounds. Heart rate. Humoral control of myocardial activity. Coronary circulation and its regulation.
Flow in the arteries. Blood pressure: arterial pulse and pulse wave. Blood pressure measurement. Flow in the capillaries. Capillary exchange function. Venous return and its control. Structure and function of blood vessels. Vessel tone. Mechanisms controlling vessel caliber: intrinsic, nervous, and hormonal factors. Receptors in the cardiovascular control system (baroreceptors, chemoreceptors, cardiac receptors). Vasoconstrictor and vasodilator nerves. α- and β-adrenergic receptors.
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
Partial pressure of gases. General organization of the respiratory system: airways and pulmonary vessels. Notes on respiratory mechanics. Lung volumes and capacities. Gas exchange. Diffusion of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Fick's law. Blood-gas barrier. Surfactant. Composition of alveolar air: regional differences. Pulmonary circulation and bronchial circulation. Ventilation-perfusion balance. Nervous regulation of respiration. Gas transport in the blood.
RENAL FUNCTION
Functional anatomy of the kidney. Renal circulation and its regulation.
The nephron. Filtration. Reabsorption. Secretion. Excretion. Glomerular filtration rate. Clearance. Reabsorption of sodium, chloride, and glucose. Fluid regulation and electrolyte balance. Water balance. ADH. Mechanism of thirst. Sodium balance. Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. Atrial natriuretic peptide.

DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
Functional anatomy of the digestive system: gastrointestinal tract and accessory glands. Motor and secretory functions of the alimentary canal and their nervous and hormonal control. The wall of the gastrointestinal tract. Motility: slow waves, gastric, intestinal, and colonic motility. Functions of the liver (notes). Portal circulation. Digestion and absorption of carbohydrates and proteins. Absorption and secretion of water and minerals.
PHYSIOLOGY OF THE ORAL CAVITY
Characteristics of the stomatognathic system. Salivation. Chewing. Swallowing.

II SEMESTER: NEUROPHYSIOLOGY

GENERAL ORGANIZATION OF THE CEREBRAL CORTEX
Definition of cortical "area". Primary, secondary and associative cortical areas. Brodmann classification. Laminar organization. Columnar organization. Types of neurons. Types of cortico-cortical connections. Topographical organization.
SENSORY SYSTEMS
General organization of sensory systems. Sensory psychophysics as a tool for investigating the central nervous mechanisms of sensations. Weber and Fechner law. Sensory attributes: modality, intensity, duration, location. Sensory transduction. Receptor potential. Sensory receptors. Receptive fields. Coding of the intensity of a stimulus. Rapidly and slowly adapting receptors.
The Somatic Sensory System
Modality of the somatosensory system. Peripheral mechanisms: Peripheral receptors. Mechanoreceptors of the Skin. Vibration and the Pacinian Corpuscle. Mechanosensitive Ion Channels. Nociceptors. Thermoreceptors. Two-Point Discrimination. Receptive fields. Proprioception. Neuromuscular spindles. Primary Afferent Axons. Dermatomes. Thalamic relay.
Thermal sensitivity. Pain: Classifications,afferents and ascending pain pathways. condiLemniscal system and antero-lateral system. Brown-Sequard syndrome. Face Innervation of the (n. trigeminal). Primary somatosensory cortex (S1): Its somatotopic and columnar organization. Central nervous mechanisms of pain. Descending pain control system.
CONTROL OF MUSCLE TONE AND SPINAL REFLEXES
Stretch reflex. Flexion reflex. Cross flexion reflex.
VESTIBULAR SYSTEM
Vestibular system. Cervico-spinal, vestibulo-spinal reflexes. Posture control. Vestibular-spinal pathway, reticulo-spinal pathway, rubro-spinal pathway. Decerebration stiffness.
VISUAL SYSTEM
Retina. Phototransduction process. Retinal cells. Receptive fields. The visual pathways. Magnocellular and parvocellular visual pathways. Lesions of the visual pathways. The striate visual cortex: laminar organization, orientation columns, ocular dominance columns and blobs. Extrastriate areas. The "dorsal and ventral" cortical systems. Stereopsis. Color vision.
AUDITORY SYSTEM
Cochlea. Central acoustic pathways. Auditory cortex. Tonotopic organization and its origin. Columnar Organization
CHEMICAL SENSES Taste and Smell

MOTOR SYSTEMS
General organization of motor systems. Cortical control of voluntary movement. Premotor and motor areas of the cerebral cortex. Descending motor pathways. Eye movements. The basal ganglia: direct and indirect pathways. Parkinson's disease, hemiballismus, and Huntington's disease. Anatomical and functional organization of the cerebellum and its relevance to cerebellar syndromes. The cerebellar cortex.
COGNITIVE PROCESSES: Neural basis of emotions. Neural basis of reward.
Prefrontal Cortex and executive Functions.

NEURAL PLASTICITY

Il cosro si svolge in lingia Italiana, quindi non viene adottato libro di testo in lingua Inglese

Module: PHYSIOLOGY I
N/D
Module: PHYSIOLOGY II
N/D

Module: PHYSIOLOGY I
N/D
Module: PHYSIOLOGY II
N/D

Module: PHYSIOLOGY I
N/D
Module: PHYSIOLOGY II
N/D

The final assessment consists of two mandatory examinations, both held in person: a preliminary written test and a final oral examination.

The written test is administered through the Exam.net platform and consists of multiple-choice questions aimed at verifying the knowledge acquired during the first semester, specifically on cellular physiology and physiology of the major organs and systems of the human body.

Passing the written test is a prerequisite for admission to the oral examination, which must be taken within 12 months from the date of the written test.
After this 12-month period, the student will be required to retake the written examination in order to be admitted to the oral test.

The sessions for the written test will coincide with those scheduled for the oral examinations.

The oral examination covers the entire course program, with particular emphasis on Neurophysiology and on topics not included in the written test. The oral exam is designed to assess the student’s ability to integrate and apply physiological knowledge, establish connections between different topics, and present concepts in a clear, coherent, and scientifically accurate manner.

The final grade takes into account the results of both examinations and reflects the overall level of knowledge, understanding, and reasoning ability demonstrated by the student.

Module: PHYSIOLOGY I
N/D
Module: PHYSIOLOGY II
N/D

Module: PHYSIOLOGY I
N/D
Module: PHYSIOLOGY II
N/D