Duration
15h Th
Number of credits
Bachelor in dentistry | 2 crédits | |||
Bachelor in medicine | 2 crédits |
Lecturer
Language(s) of instruction
French language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
The nervous system is a biological system specialized in the control of behaviors adapted to actual or potential variations in the external and internal environment of a living organism, requiring the integration, transfer, storage and specific modulation of a multitude of informations at wide range of temporal resolutions whose architecture is both innate and acquired.
After an overview of conceptual models of the human nervous system function, and key elements regarding its morphological, physiological and biochemical support, several fundamental questions are addressed in greater detail, concerning
- electrical signals used to communicate information
- modes of intercellular communication, notably using chemical signals
- the development and plasticity of nerve circuits
- the role of the various components of the nervous system's own environment
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
The teaching will assist the student in learning the general principles that govern the functioning of the nervous system in humans.
Based on ionic and molécular mechanisms, the student will be able to predict the consequences of changes in the ionic environment on cellular communication in the nervous system, to understand the consequences of genetic or pharmacological modifications of the properties of transmembrane proteins of nerve cells.
The student will be able to describe how electrical signals propagate from one end of the nerve cell to the other and how these electrical signals are communicated to other neurons or effectors of the nervous system.
The integration of knowledge will be promoted by the study of elementary nerve circuits such as the stretch reflex by its 6 main components: sensory receptor, afferent path, integration and distribution of electrical signals along several parallel paths, efferent path, effectors, and modulation by descending pathways
The student will be able to understand why the functioning of neurons is closely related to the biochemical and cellular composition of their immediate environment.
Finally, the student will be able to describe the main steps of nervous system development and global responses to aggression
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
- General physiology
- General biochemistry
- General biology
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Course supports are available on myuliege/eCampus:
Slides used for teaching. Slides mainly show figures (from reference books) and a short title. Text is minimized or virtually absent. Students are invited to build their written support from oral courses and reference textbooks.
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Face-to-face course
Further information:
Eight weekly magistral two hours lessons during the third quadrimester.
These teaching conditions will be adapted according to the requirements of the sanitary situation (COVID-19) and partially or completely moved online into virtual classrooms.
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- MyULiège
Further information:
Many learning objectives can also be reached by using the following optional textbooks:
Mémo visuel de neurosciences : Du neurone aux sciences cognitives - 2ème édition. 2024. Daniel Richard. Editions: Dunod
Mayo Clinic Medical Neurosciences: Organized by Neurologic Systems and Levels, (6 edn) 2017. Eduardo E. Benarroch, Jeremy K. Cutsforth-Gregory, Kelly D. Flemming. Edition Oxford academic
Neurosciences, 6ème édition, 2019 (translated in french). D. Purves, G.J. Augustine, D. Fitzpatrick, W.C. Hall, A.-S LaMantia, J.O. McNamara, L.E. White. Editions de Boeck.
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
written exam
Further information:
Written examination: Questions with open answers and/or multiple choice questions
Depending on the sanitary conditions (ex: COVID-19 pandemic), the exam will be organised on site (physical presence: codes green and yellow, possibly orange) or online (virtual: code red, possibly orange).
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
N/A
Contacts
Professor Gaëtan Garraux
ggarraux@uliege.be
Secretary: Mrs Larisia Bourdoux
04/366 59 50
Association of one or more MOOCs
Items online
e-learning on e-Campus
Available on :