Syllabus
introduction, basic terms of physiology of senses and psychophysics. Receiving and processing of input signals, sensory receptors. Sensory modalities, quality, quantity and spatio-temporal aspects of sensory stimuli. Correlation between sensory stimuli and behavior of individual. generation of sensations and perceptions. Laws of psychophysics. Receptor potential, generator potential, action potential initiation in sensory periphery. Stevens's function (law), Weber-Fechner law. Sensory transduction. Sensory mapping. objective and subjective physiology of senses. Psychophysics, psychophysiology, classical and operant conditioning. Methods of objective physiology of senses. Spatial, temporal, and emotional aspects of perception. receiving and processing of sensory information. Primary and secondary sensors, receptive field, dermatomes. Convergent and divergent transduction of signals, lateral inhibition, ascendent reticular activating system.
Transfer of information into higher levels of the nervous system. Structure of spinal cord, reflexes. Afferent pathways, medial lemniscus, spino-reticular, paleospino-thalamic and neospino-thalamic tracts. Reticular formation of the brain stem. Specific and non-specific sensory pathways. theory of information. Information and probability. Infromation content of transduction process. Information flow for individual modalities. Redundancy of information flow in organisms. mechanoreception and proproireception. Mechanoreceptors in the skin (free nerve endings, nerve endings with accessory structures). Slowly, moderately and fast adapting receptors. Muscle spindles, Golgi tendon organ, joint receptors. thermoreception. Warm and cold receptors. Conductance for sodium and kalium ions and thermoreception. Amplitude vs. velocity of temperature change. Temporal aspect of thermoreception. nociception. Definition of pain. Defensive and escaping reactions in Procaryota, invertebrates and vertebrates. Somatic and visceral pain, fast and slow (primary and secondary) pain. Referred and projected pain. Pain therapy. photoreception. Photoreceptors (rods, cones), dark current. Rhodopsin, opsins, mono- and polychromacy. Structure of retina, receptive field in retina. Visual fields, visual pathways. Visual cortex. haering, smell and taste. Mammalian inner ear. Membranous labyrinth, cochlea, semi-circular canals, utriculus, sacculs. Olfactory receptors. Gustatory receptor cells.
Annotation
Please note, the lectures are given in czech language only.
The course demonstrates what the sense organs, in co-operation with associated peripheral and central structures, can do and how that performance is achieved. Specialized lecture on the sensory physiology for the MSc degree students. Obligatory for animal physiology and neurobiology, facultative for other interested students. Course is recommended for 8th semester (summer term) as a subsequent course for courses "Neurobiology" (B150P36, 5th semester) and "Physiology of senses" (B150P28, 8th semester). It can be supplemented with course "Bionics" (B150P29) in 9th semester.