4
4
Students should grasp the key concepts about the structure and the fundamental processes governing the formation, development and normal functioning of the nervous system. Students will gain knowledge that will empower them to understand the organization of the various types of nerve cells, their interrelationship and interaction, as a way to understand the body’s response to various stimuli, essential to recognize the mechanisms of disease in the nervous system. The knowledge acquired will provide students with the skills to understand and recognize the various stages of susceptibility of the nervous system to neurodevelopmental alterations or neurodegenerative disorders to be developed in later modules related to neurosciences and cellular targets of neuropharmacology.
Neurogenesis: neurulation, formation of the neural tube, differentiation and cell diversity, cell lineages and genetic dependence, neuronal migration. Neural stem cells: embryonic and adult.
Anatomy of the Central Nervous System (CNS): divisions and subdivisions; general structure of the brain and spinal cord; meninges and brain ventricles. Histology CNS: cell types, their structure and functionality. Neurons: structure and function; cell body and neurites; morphological and functional classification; compartments and functional domains, protein synthesis. Cytoskeleton, neuropeptides, classical and unconventional neurotransmitters; axonal transport, motor proteins.
Structure and function of glial cells: astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, microglia and ependymal cells.
Organization of the central nervous tissues.