CYCLE 1:
PRINCIPLES OF REGULATION OF THE BODY FUNCTIONS. EXCITABLE TISSUES.
Unit
Topic
Date
1
Homeostasis – as the principle physiological term. The meaning of homeostasis.
2
3
Characteristics of the hormonal regulation of the body function. Hormonal action of
the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland.
Water compartments of the human organism. Hormonal regulation of the mineralwater balance.
4
Electrophysiology of neuron – part I.
10/10/2012
5
Electrophysiology of neuron – part II.
15/10/2012
6
Physiology of the striated muscles.
17/10/2012
7
Cardiac muscle.
22/10/2012
8
Physiology of the smooth muscles.
24/10/2012
LECTURE Physiology of regeneration – (Rybacka St.)
9
Repetition of failed and/or absent activities in cycle I.
Credit of the cycle 1. Topics discussed on seminar I – III and units 1 – 8
01/10/2012
03/10/2012
08/10/2012
26/10/2012
29/10/2012
09/11/2012
Unit 1. “Homeostasis” – as the principle physiological term. The meaning of homeostasis.
1. Introduction. The role of physiology in medical sciences.
2. Homeostasis – principle phenomenon in the organism.
Obligatory terms and problems:
 Homeostasis – physiological methods of its maintaining. Controlling in homeostatic systems;
homeostat.
 Internal environment of the human organism; its surfaces of contact with external environment.
 Principle parameters of the body homeostasis.
Unit 2: General characteristics of the hormonal regulation of the body function. Hormonal action of the
hypothalamus and the pituitary gland.
1.
Characteristics and regulation of endocrine processes – discussion.
2.
Hypothalamic hormones – discussion.
3.
Hormones of the anterior pituitary gland (anterior hypophysis) – discussion.
Obligatory terms and problems:
 Hormone – definition; division of hormones. Mechanisms of hormonal activity. Regulation of the
hormonal secretion – an idea of the feedback loop in endocrine system.
 Hormonal axis: hypothalamus – hypophysis – gland. Releasing and inhibitory hormones of the
hypothalamus. Oxytocin (OXY). Vasopressin (ADH/VP).
 Tropic hormones. Prolactine (PRL).Growth hormone (GH).
Unit 3: Water compartments of the human organism. Hormonal regulation of the mineral-water
balance.
1. Principles of estimation of the body water compartments.
2. Estimation of the volume of the extracellular fluid (ECF) with potassium sulphacyanide (KCNS) –
demonstration and calculation.
3. Influence of various solutions on erythrocytes – hemolysis.
4. Hormonal regulation of the mineral-water balance.
Obligatory terms and problems:
 Total body water (TBW) and its division. Intracellular compartment . Extracellular compartment:
interstitial fluid, blood plasma, transcellular fluid. Methods of estimation of body fluid compartments.
Test substances. Components of blood plasma, interstitial fluid and intracellular fluid.
 Hemolysis, hemolytic factors. Maximal and minimal osmotic fragility of erythrocytes. Osmotic pressure.
Osmosis. Hypo- and hypertonic solutions. Influence of hypo- and hypertonic solutions on erythrocytes.
Unit 4. Electrophysiology of neuron – part I.
1. Action potential.
2. Stimuli – threshold, subthreshold. “All or nothing law”.
3. Changes in cell excitability during the action potential – absolute and refractory period.
Computer programs/simulations:
1. Ion channels. Membrane/action potential.
2. Stimulation of the nervus ischiadicus.
Obligatory terms and problems:
 Cellular membrane and spatial separation of ions – generation of the resting membrane potential.
Excitability and excitable tissues. Stimulus, threshold and subthreshold stimuli. Maximal, submaximal
and supra- (hyper-)maximal stimuli, homological and heterological stimuli. Threshold potential,
reobase and chronaxie.
 Genesis and phases of the action potential. Changes in conductance of the cellular membrane during
action potential. Depolarization, repolarization, hyperpolarization, absolute and relative refractory
periods.
Unit 5. Electrophysiology of neuron – part II.
1. Phenomena: convergence, divergence, spatial and temporal summation.
2. Division of nerve fibers. Types of nerve conduction (constant, saltatory, antidromic and ortodromic).
Computer programs/simulations:
1. Synaptic transmission. Phenomena observed in neural tissue.
2. Hodgkin-Huxley model for the generation of action potentials.
Obligatory terms and problems:
 Morphology of the standard neuron, division of neurons. Division of nerve fibers; continuous and
salutatory, orthodromic and antidromic conduction. Morphology and function of synapses. Excitatory
and inhibitory neurotransmitters (EPSP and IPSP).
 Terms: convergence, divergence, spatial and temporal summation.
 Cellular membrane and spatial separation of ions – generation of the resting membrane potential.
Excitability and excitable tissues. Stimulus, threshold and subthreshold stimuli. Maximal, submaximal
and supra- (hyper-)maximal stimuli, homological and heterological stimuli. Threshold potential,
reobase and chronaxie.
 Genesis and phases of the action potential. Changes in conductance of the cellular membrane during
action potential. Depolarization, repolarization, hyperpolarization, absolute and relative refractory
periods.
Unit 6. Physiology of the striated muscles.
1. Morphology of the sarcomere.
2. Regulatory and contractile proteins in the striated muscles.
3. The sequence of events in contraction and relaxation of the skeletal muscle.
4. Isotonic, isometric, auxotonic, tetanic contractions.
Computer programs/simulations:
1. Neuromuscular junction.
2. Sliding filament theory.
Obligatory terms and problems:
 Muscles – definition, division. Skeletal muscles phasic and tonic. Contractile apparatus of myocytes –
contractile proteins: myosin, actin, Function of tropomyosin, troponins, calcisequestrin.
 Neuromuscular transmission, electromechanical and electrosecretory coupling. Function of
dihydropyrdine (DHP) receptor (calcium channel of the T-tubule bound by DHP), and ryodine receptor

(calcium channel of the sarcoplasmic reticulum) in electromechanical coupling. The mechanism of
contraction – the sequence of events, function of calcium in contraction.
Types of muscle contractions – single, tetanic contraction; isometric, isotonic and auxotonic
contraction.
Unit 7. Cardiac muscle.
Specificity of the excitation-contraction coupling in heart.
Cardiac conduction system.
Computer programs/simulations:
1. Influence of various chemical substances on heart.
2. Cardiac action potential.
Obligatory terms and problems:
 Types of cardiomyocytes. Ionic channels of the cellular membrane of cardiomyocytes. Relation
between action of particular channels and generation of the action potential in cells of cardiac atria,
ventricles, and P-cells of the cardiac conductive system. Phases of the action potential in
cardiomyocytes. Cardiac automatism – function of the P-cell (relation slow spontaneous depolarization
and heart rate).
 Cardiac conductive system. Electromechanical coupling in cardiomyocytes. Chronotropism,
inotropism, dromotropism, batmotropism, tonotropism.
Unit 8. Physiology of the smooth muscles.
1. Specific features of smooth muscles.
2. Specificity of neuromuscular transmission and contraction in smooth muscles.
3. Visceral and single unit smooth muscles.
Computer programs/simulations:
1. Stimulation of smooth muscles.
Obligatory terms and problems:
 Morphology and division of smooth muscles. Differences between single-unit (visceral) and multi-unit
smooth muscles. Specific electrophysiological phenomena of smooth muscles. Characteristics of the
smooth muscle contraction: interaction of myosin and actin in smooth muscle cells.
 Neurogenic and myogenic tension of smooth musculature of vessels.
 Division of the autonomic nervous system. Autonomic mediators and receptors. Action of sympathetic
and parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system. Hormones of the adrenal medulla
(epinephrine, norepinephrine) – regulation of secretion, mechanism and range of action.
Unit 9. Repetition failed and/or absent activities in cycle I.
Seminar I: Internal environment of the body. Fluid compartments. Isolating and transporting function
of the cellular membrane (05/10/2012 and 12/10/2012).
1. Homeostasis – principle phenomenon in the organism.
2. Total body water.
3. Fluid compartments.
4. Intracellular compartment.
5. Extracellular compartment: interstitial fluid, blood plasma, transcellular fluid.
6. Cellular membrane as the barrier between intra- and extracellular environment of the body –
morphology and features of the cellular membrane.
7. Transporting function of the cellular membrane.
 Passive transport: diffusion, transport proteins (symports, antiports, uniports), ionic channels
(voltage-gated, ligand-gated), aquaporins.
 Active transport: primary and secondary active transport.
Seminar II: Receptive function of the cellular membrane (05/10/2012 and 12/10/2012).
1. Basic terms: extracellular ligand, agonist, antagonist/blocker, second messenger.
2. Cellular receptors – division.
3. Ionotropic receptors. Nicotinic receptor.
4. Metabotropic receptors.
 Molecules with tyrosine kinase activity. Insulin receptor.
 Receptors coupled with protein G. Second messengers.
5. Adrenergic and cholinergic receptors.
Seminar III: Autonomic nervous system (19/10/2012 and 31/10/2012).
1. Autonomic nervous system – anatomy, division.
2. Chemical transmission at autonomic junctions - neurotransmitters and receptors.
3. Adrenergic ( and β) and cholinergic (Nicotinic, Muscarinic) receptors.
4. Transmission in sympathetic ganglia.
5. Response of effector organs to activation of the sympathetic part of ANS.
6. Response of effector organs to activation of the parasympathetic part of ANS.
Seminar IV. Audition (19/10/2012 and 31/10/2012).
1. Sound waves.
2. Tympanic membrane, ossicles.
3. Bone and air conduction.
4. Travelling waves.
5. Organ of Corti - inner and outer hair cells.
6. Auditory pathway.
7. Auditory cortex.