Neuromuscular Physiology and Endocrinology

Neuromuscular Physiology Module (42 hours)
o Body fluids and hydrosaline balance: The water compartments, Composition of body fluids, Exchanges between compartments, Hydrosaline balance.
o General neurophysiology: Biophysics of excitable membranes; Ionic channels; Membrane potentials; Conduction of membrane potentials, classification of nerve fibers and synaptic transmission, receptors, spinal reflexes.
Muscle physiology: General information on skeletal muscle tissue, Organization of skeletal muscle tissue, Contraction mechanism, Muscle energy, Neuromuscular synapse and excitation-contraction coupling, Types of contraction, Muscle performance, Muscle fatigue, Influence of joint movement on performance, Pathways of transmission of force.
o Elements of functional anatomy and organization of the central nervous system: Organization of the central nervous system and its levels of integration, Principles of functioning of the central nervous system, Methods of investigation of the central nervous system.
o Vegetative nervous system: Elements of functional anatomy, Sympathetic nervous system, Parasympathetic nervous system, Synaptic transmission of the vegetative nervous system, Control of the vegetative nervous system, Vegetative nervous system and effector organs
o Somatic sensitivity and pain: Principles of sensory physiology, nervous mechanisms of somatic sensitivity, pretalamic mechanisms, thalamo-cortical mechanisms, pain, descending control of sensitivity and pain.
o Motor control: Relationship between perception and action, Integration of sensory information with motor commands, Organization of voluntary movement, Cortical organization of movement, Control of muscle tone and posture, Cerebellum, Nuclei from the base.
o Integrative central nervous system functions: Exercise and brain, Associative areas and superior functions of the cortex.