1. komponenta

Lecture type	Total
Lectures	30
Practicum	15
Seminar	15

* Load is given in academic hour (1 academic hour = 45 minutes)

COURSE OBJECTIVE:
Objective of the course is to enable students to understand structure and function of the mammalian nervous and endocrine systems, as well as the mechanisms by which they act in accord to maintain homeostasis.

COURSE CONTENT:
LECTURES
1) Communication between the neurons: neuronal structure; electric conduction of the nerve impulse; chemical transmission in the synapse; types and roles of neurotransmitters;
2) Structural and functional organization of the nervous system;
3) Prenatal and postnatal brain development; Evolution of brain and behavior;
4) Audition: sound components and their perception; ear structure; auditory pathways; auditory cortex; speech and language; perception of music;
5) Vision, Gustation and Olfaction: components of picture and their perception; eye structure; visual pathways; visual cortex; olfactory and gustatory receptors, pathways and cortices;
6) Movement: reflexes and voluntary movements, motor cortex; somatosensory system and its role in movement; regeneration of the peripheral and central nervous systems;
7) Biological Rhythms: types of biological rhythms; molecular regulation of biological rhythms; pineal gland; physiological roles of sleep; sleep stages and brain waves; neural basis of sleep; sleep disorders;
8) Learning and memory: classifications of memory; neural circuits involved in explicit, implicit and emotional memory; brain plasticity; synaptic plasticity, aspects of cognition and brain regions involved in their control; intelligence;
9) Glands and hormones: mechanisms of hormone action; hypothalamus-pituitary axis; endocrine system;
10) Hormones which regulate growth and metabolism: growth hormone; thyroid hormones; thermoregulation;
11) Hormones which regulate metabolism of glucose and minerals: pancreas; adrenal gland; metabolism of calcium and phosphate;
12) Hormones which regulate reproduction: reproductive organs, sex hormones;
13) Reproductive physiology: fertilization, pregnancy, birth, lactation
14.) Motivational mechanisms: causes of behavior; motivated behavior; neural regulation of behavior; hormonal regulation of behavior; emotions; examples of regulatory and non-regulatory behavior;

LABORATORY EXERCISES:
1) Nervous system: Interactive 3D display of the human central nervous system on the computer; Observing the animal nervous system preparations under a light microscope;
2) Brain: Isolation and section of the rat brain; preparation of the brain tissue for molecular analyses;
3) Hearing: Visualization of sound and testing of its aspects with the computer program Visual Analyzer;
4) Vision, smell and taste: Testing of the various aspects of the sensory perception using simple procedures (e.g. spatial organization of the taste receptors; the role of olfaction in taste determination; identification of a blind spot in a visual field, etc.);
5) Somatosensory system: Examining the function of haptic and thermoreceptors, and the role of proprioreceptors in balance and movement;
6) Learning and memory: Examining various types of learning and memory by solving verbal and spatial tasks;
7) Function of thyroid gland; simulation on PhysioEx;
8) Female reproductive cycle: determination of estrus by vaginal smear;
9) Correlation between emotions and autonomous reactions: Recording of autonomous reactions as a result of emotional reactions on the Biopac system;
10) Correlation between emotions and autonomous reactions: Analysis and interpretation of the results.

SEMINARS:
1. Autonomous nervous system
2. Brain ageing
3. Similarities between bird song and human speech
4. Echolocation
5. Synesthesia
6. Navigation
7. CNS regeneration in vertebrates
8. How and how much do vertebrate animals sleep?
9. Animal intelligence
10. Pheromones
11. Hormonal and autonomous reaction to stress
12. Stress and the brain
13. Parental behavior
14. Farmacology of the nervous system

1. An Introduction to Brain and Behavior, 5th ed., Kolb B, Whishaw IQ, Campbell Teskey G, Worth Publishers, New York, 2016.
2. Essentials of Physiology, 4th ed., Sherwood L, Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning, Singapore,, 2012.

Mandatory course - Regular - Physiology and Immunobiology