Section outline

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    INFORMATION

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    PROGRAM

    Spinal reflexes: Classification of peripheral fibers. Definition and classification of reflexes. Monosynaptic reflex. Muscle spindle. H Reflex. Reciprocal inhibition. Di-synaptic reflex. Polysynaptic reflexes. Flexion reflex. Synaptic organization of the spinal cord. Synaptic integration. General organization of the motor system.

    Brainstem reflexes: Vestibular apparatus: receptors and nuclei. Vestibular and optokinetic nystagmus. Superior colliculus. Orienting reflex. Extra retina-geniculo-cortical visual pathways. Stability of visual perception. Saccadic suppression. Blindsight.

    Somaesthesia: Sensory modalities and senses. Sensory transduction. Cutaneous mechanoceptors. Receptive field. Coding of stimulus duration: slow and fast receptors. Coding of stimulus intensity. Spatial and temporal summation. Divergence and convergence. Discharge zone. Coding of modality and location. Tactile acuity. Lemniscal and spino-thalamic pathways. Primary sensory area. Coding of stimulus location and modality.

    Cerebral cortex: Functional subdivisions of the cerebral cortex. Brodman’s areas. Laminar organization. Cortical columns. Development and maturation. Cortical plasticity. Primary areas. Association areas.

    Voluntary movement: kinds of movement and their control. Motor equivalence. Overall organization of the motor systems. Pyramidal tract. Primary motor cortex. Premotor areas. Working memory. Mirror neurons. Functional streams for action and perception. Timing for motor production.

    Basal ganglia and cerebellum: overview of the basal ganglia. Relation of basal ganglia with the cerebral cortex. Direct and indirect pathways. Disorders of the basal ganglia. Overview of the cerebellum. functional organization. Input and output pathways.

    Pain: definition. Nociceptive pain. Skin nociceptors. Hyperalgesia and allodynia. Pathways of pain. Aspects of pain perception. Control of pain sensation. Referred pain.

    SUGGESTED BOOKS:

    PRINCIPLES OF NEUROSCIENCE, by Kandel & Schwarz, Elsevier

    or any language version of: 
    FUNDAMENTAL NEUROSCIENCE, by Squire et al., Academic Press.
    NEUROSCIENZE, di D. Purves et al. Zanichelli
    NEUROSCIENZE, Esplorando il cervello, di M.F. Bear, et al., Masson-Elsevier