semmelweis university 2 0 1 2 / 2 0 1 3

Week Lecture (6 hours per week)
7 Principles of sensory systems. Sensory receptors. Electrical and ionic events in receptors.
“Coding” of sensory information. Somatosensory functions. Cutaneous, deep and visceral
sensation; pathways. Pain.
8 Arousal mechanisms, sleep and the electrical activity of the brain.The reticular formation
and the reticular activating system. The thalamus and the cerebral cortex. Evoked cortical
potentials and the EEG. Physiologic basis of consciousness and sleep. Spinal organization
of motor function. Monosynaptic reflexes. Polysynaptic reflexes. Spinal reflexes.
9 Ascending and descending pathways. Spinal and supraspinal control of muscular tone.
Effects of lesions. Spinal shock. Control of posture and movement. The vestibular system.
Basal ganglia. Cerebellum. Lateral and medial descending pathways involved in motor
control (spinal integration, medullary, midbrain and cortical components).
10 The visual system. The image-forming mechanism. The photoreceptor mechanism:
Genesis of action potentials. Responses in the visual pathways and cortex. Color vision.
Eye movements.
11 The auditory system. Chemical senses. Olfactory receptors and pathways. Physiology of
olfaction. Taste receptor organs and pathways. Physiology of taste.
12 The autonomic nervous system and its central control. Anatomic organisation and
chemical transmission. Adrenal medulla. Control of autonomic functions.
13 Neural basis of instinctual behavior. The integrative role of the hypothalamus. Limbic
functions. Motivation. Emotion. Sexual, maternal and feeding behavior. Fear and rage.
14 “Higher functions of the nervous system”. Conditioned reflexes. Learning and memory.
Integrative functions of the neocortex.
Practice (5 hours weekly)
Blood groups
Respiratory function and circulatory responses during aerobic exercise
Clinical respiratory function
Adaptation of the cardio-respiratory system during clinical exercise testing
Kidney function
Determination of parameters of acid/base equilibrium
Nephrology case report
Endocrinology lab
Endocrinology case report
Registration of a human EEG
Investigation of eye movements (EOG) and vestibular system
Echocardiography
SEMMELWEIS UNIVERSITY / FACULTY OF MEDICINE
Faculty of Medicine
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