Study Programmes 2015-2016
NEUR0431-1  
Introduction to neurophysiology
Duration :
15h Th
Number of credits :
Bachelor in biomedicine2
Bachelor in dentistry2
Bachelor in medicine2
Lecturer :
Gaëtan Garraux
Language(s) of instruction :
French language
Organisation and examination :
Teaching in the first semester, review in January
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite :
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Course contents :
Neurosciences are often perceived as difficult to learn
Following a brief introduction to the anatomy and histology of the human nervous system, several fundamental questions are adressed:
  • what are the cellular and molecular bases of electrical signals transmitted by the nervous system?
  • what are their distinctive features et how do they propagate within a cell and from cell to cell?
  • how can they be modulated by pharmacological agents ?
  • what are the biochemical and physiological mechanisms that regulate the main effectors of the nervous system: muscle cells?
  • how nervous circuits develop and how can they be modified during life?
  • how is maintained the homeostasis of the nervous circuits ?
Learning outcomes of the course :
Prerequisite knowledge and skills :
  • General physiology
  • General biochemistry
  • General biology
Planned learning activities and teaching methods :
Two types of documents are made available on myulg and eCampus:
  • Slides used for teaching. Slides only show figures (from reference books) and a short title. Text is minimized or virtually absent.
  • The course plan, which follows the slides chronology and shows detailed learning outcomes.
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :
Eight magistral two hours weekly lessons during the third quadrimester.
Recommended or required readings :
Learning objectives can be reached by using the following textbook translated in French:
Neurosciences, 4th edition. D. Purves, G.J. Augustine, D. Fitzpatrick, W.C. Hall, A.-S LaMantia, J.O. McNamara, L.E. White. de boeck Ed.
Learning objectives can also be reached using these excellent english textbooks:
Principles of Neural Science, 5th edition E.R. Kandel, J.H. Schwartz, T.M. Jessell, MacGraw-Hill, Health Professions Division
Neurophysiology - A conceptual approach. 5th edition. R. Carpenter & B. Reddi, Hoder Arnold, An Hachette UK Company.
Assessment methods and criteria :
Written test. Multiple choice questions
Work placement(s) :
Organizational remarks :
N/A
Contacts :
Professor Gaëtan Garraux, ggarraux@ulg.ac.be
Items online :
e-learning on e-Campus
Available on :