HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY AND THE VISUAL SYSTEM
cod. 1007845

Academic year 2024/25
1° year of course - Second semester
Professor responsible for the course unit
GERBELLA Marzio
integrated course unit
6 credits
hub: PARMA
course unit
in ITALIAN

Course unit structured in the following modules:

Learning objectives

to provide detailed knowledge of the sense organs and the visual system.

Prerequisites

Students must possess the fundamental notions of Anatomy, Cellular and Tissue Biology and Biochemistry

Course unit content

The course will cover the fundamental notions relating to the physiology of the central nervous system, movement control and the physiology of the visual system.

Full programme

Anatomo-functional organization of the nervous system, control of the movement, sensory systems starting from the peripheral structures up to the portions concerning the central nervous system, with particular emphasis on the vestibular system.
Notes on the anatomy of the eye. Structure of the retina and photo transduction process. Characteristics of ganglion cells. Anatomy of the visual pathways from the retina to the primary visual cortex. Magnocellular and parvocellular pathways. Deficits resulting from lesions of the visual pathways. Neuronal structure and characteristics of the primary visual cortex. Visual avenues of higher order. Perception of movement, depth, shape and color. Visual attention. Agnosie. Subcortical and cortical control of the different types of eye movements. Eye reflexes.

Bibliography

Fondamenti Fisiologia dell’Uomo. Edi-Ermes.

Stanfield - Fisiologia. Edi SES

Vander - Fisiologia. Casa Editrice Ambrosiana

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons with the aid of visual support (slides)

Assessment methods and criteria

Oral, in which one question will focus on the Human Physiology module, one on the Physiology of the visual system and one on the part of applied technical medical sciences

Other information

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