Morphophysiology of the Nervous System

Code:

MI114

Acronym:

MSN

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Medicine

Instance: 2017/2018 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Departamento de Biomedicina
Course/CS Responsible:	Integrated Master in Medicine

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MIMED	480	Mestrado Integrado em Medicina- Plano oficial 2013 (Reforma Curricular)	1	-	9	85	243

Modules

Code	Name
MI114_A
MI114_B
MI114_C

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

At the end of this course unit, students should :

-       Be acquainted with the general principles of Anatomy, Histology and Physiology. This course unit will stimulate students’ observation skills by acquainting them with the anatomical terminology. It will also endow them with description techniques, which will make them apply the adequate terminology;

-       Be acquainted with the normal structure, both macroscopic and microscopic and the normal function of the nervous system; 

-       Have acquired knowledge which can be used in the different fields of morphophysiology, in other course units and in upcoming clinical activities. 

During the semester, students should also acquire the following competencies:

-       Problem-solving skills;

-       Self-learning skills;

-       Critical reasoning;

-       Practical ability to evaluate the function of the different systems;

-       Identification of morphophysiological problems in selected clinical cases.

In order to provide students with the aforementioned skills and knowledge, this course unit will apply an integrated morphofunctional approach. Anatomists, histologists and physiologists will be part of the teaching staff.

Learning outcomes and competences

During the semester, students should also acquire the following competencies:

-       Problem-solving skills;

-       Self-learning skills;

-       Critical reasoning;

-       Practical ability to evaluate the function of the different systems;

-       Identification of morphophysiological problems in selected clinical cases.

In order to provide students with the aforementioned skills and knowledge, this course unit will apply an integrated morphofunctional approach. Anatomists, histologists and physiologists will be part of the teaching staff.

Working method

Presencial

Program

Cranial cavity and associated muscles - Skull; Frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal bones; Sphenoid and ethmoid bones; Bones of the face; temporomandibular joint; Osteoarticular head; Cavities common to the skull and face; Muscles of the face; muscles of the mastication; Hyoid bone and muscles of the neck.

Histofunctional organization of the nervous system - Histological organization of nervous tissue; Histophysiology of neurons and glial cells; Excitability and neuronal conduction; Synaptic transmission; Neuronal microenvironment.

Anatomofunctional organization of the nervous system - General anatomical organization; Afferent and efferent pathways; Meninges; Physiology of the endogenous opioid system.

Central nervous system - Spinal cord; Brain stem; Cerebellum; Dienchephalon; Hypophysis; Subthalamus; Basal nuclei; Telencephalon.

Peripheral nervous system - Somatic and visceral sensory system; Proprioceptive and autonomous systems; Cervical plexus; Innervation of the walls of the trunk; Brachial plexus; Lumbar plexus; Sacral plexus; Sensory transduction and special senses; Cranial nerves; Eyeball. Visual pathways. Orbital content.; Histophysiology of the eye; Oculomotor, trochlear and abducens nerves; Histophysiology of the ear; Acoustic and vestibular pathways; Olfactory nerve and olfactory pathway; Trigeminal and facial nerves; Glossopharyngeal, vagus, accessory and hypoglossal nerves.

Embryonic development - Development of the head, face and neck; Development of the nervous system; Eye development; Ear development.

Ventricular system, cerebral circulation and clinical correlations - Regulation of cerebral circulation; Regulation of intracranial pressure; Physiological principles underlying neurological evaluation.

 

 

 

Developmental Biology of the Head, Face and Neck. Developmental Biology of the Nervous System. Histology of the Central Nervous System. Histology of the Peripheral Nervous System. Developmental Biology of the Eye and of the Ear. Histology of the Eye. Histology of the Ear.

Mandatory literature

J. Nolte; The Human Brain. An Introduction to its Functional Anatomy.
Susan Standring ; Gray's Anatomy. The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice
Guyton and Hall ; Textbook of Medical Physiology
Walter F. Boron and Emile L. Boulpaep ; Medical Physiology
Hall J.E. Editor; Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology
Young, B. Lowe, J.S., Stevens, A., & Heath, J.W; Wheater's Functional Histology
Junqueira & Carneiro; Histologia Básica
Stevens and Lowe; Human Histology
Abraham L. Kierszenbaum anda Laura Tres; Histology and Cell Biology - An introduction to Pathology
Sadler, T.W.- ; Langman's Medical Embryology
Gilbert, S.F.; Developmental Biology
Larsen, W.J.; Human Embryology

Teaching methods and learning activities

The teaching methodologies of this course unit will be based on theoretical classes, seminars with the discussion of problems, practical classes, and tutorials. There will be a total amount of 85 contact hours, including evaluation.

The final grade will be based on a practical and on a theoretical component. 

The assessment will enhance the acquisition of knowledge and decision-making skills.

Evaluation Type

Evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Exame	100,00
Total:	100,00

Calculation formula of final grade

The evaluation consists of a practical test (P), a theoretical test (T) and a theoretical-practical test (Histology and Embryology only)

 

The final classification (CF) will be calculated using the formula:

CF = (2T + 1P) / 3

[In which the P classification of Histology and Embryology encompasses practical assessment (2/3) and theoretical-practical assessment (1/3)]

 

The practical test of anatomy consists of the identification of 20 anatomical structures. These will be placed in pairs, with students taking 1 minute to identify each set of two structures. The classification of 20 values corresponds to the correct identification of the 20 structures, the intermediate classifications being calculated proportionally to the number of structures identified.

 

The practical test of Histology and Embryology lasts for 20 minutes and consists of pointing 10 structures in the microscope (or identifying them in electron microscopic photographs). Each correctly pointed structure corresponds to 2 values.

 

The theoretical and practical test of Histology and Embryology consists of a written answer to 2 questions about the subject of each theoretical-practical class, to be answered at the end of this same class.

The practical test of Physiology lasts for 10 minutes and consists of 5 practical questions (interpretation of tracings, graphs, diagrams, etc.) in the form of multiple choice in which a single answer should be indicated.

The practical evaluation of Physiology will be divided in two moments, during the semester.

All the described tests will be classified in the scale of 0-20. The classification obtained in the practical test will be the weighted average (P in the formula) of the classifications obtained in Anatomy, Histology and Physiology.

 

Students will have to take the practical tests on all three components. Failure of one of the components will lead to the student's failure to pass the test.

 

The students will be admitted to the theoretical test if they obtain the classification of 10.

 

The theoretical test (T) integrates the knowledge of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology and Physiology, and consists of 80 questions (0,25 values/question) with a duration of 120 minutes, distributed as follows:

 

- 52 questions will be open and short answer. These questions will be grouped in pairs in a set of 26 questions with two lines each.

 

- 28 questions will be multiple choice, Each question will have 5 chances of answer, of which only one is correct or is more correct than the others. The student can tick off the answers he / she wants, but each wrong answer will result in a discount of 1/4 of a correct answer.

 

Students will be considered approved in the theoretical exam if they obtain a 10.