MED SCI 719 / Electrophysiology of Excitable and Non-ExcitableMembranes

3 unit(s)

L. Janssen

The goal of this course is to provide students with a detailed understanding of ionic mechanisms in excitable and non-excitable cells, in health and disease. After outlining general principles (currents; voltages; ions; membrane properties), we will examine various ion channels and pumps in detail, then consider ionic mechanisms in a variety of cell types in health and disease. Depending upon students’ interests, the latter could include: electrical signalling in nerve and muscle; absorption/secretion in renal nephrons and the epithelium (respiratory or gastrointestinal); volume regulation, excitation-secretion coupling and the oxidative burst in inflammatory cells; sensory transduction in various cell types (retina, chromaffin cells, baroreceptors, chemoreceptors); bone sculpting by osteoclasts/osteoblasts; fertilization in oocytes. The course will take a seminar-based format with student participation.