Teaching directory
Course 2024-2025

Physiologie animale I [SVETB218]

  • 4 credits
  • 25h+16h
  • 1st quarter
Language of instruction: French / Français

Learning outcomes

At the end of this course, you will have acquired theoretical knowledge and developed your ability to apply this knowledge in a practical context. You will have developed skills related to each system studied (cellular, neuro-muscular, cardiovascular and respiratory). The new knowledge will build on your fundamental knowledge of chemistry, physics, biology and histology. It is therefore important that you have a solid foundation in basic sciences. New achievements will focus on the knowledge and understanding of basic physiological mechanisms, both cellular and systemic.

Objectives

You will put basic knowledge of chemistry, physics and biology together and apply them at a cellular level, at a systemic level, and integrated to the whole animal.
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  • At the end of this course you should be able to:
  • Understand and describe the general functioning of a cell, and more particularly the movements taking place at the membrane level (channels, transport).
  • Describe the functioning of the neuromuscular system including: the functioning of neurons, their interneuronal communication, the neuromuscular junction and muscle contraction
  • Understand basic cellular physiological mechanisms and be able to integrate them into the study of physiological systems.
  • Know and describe the normal functioning of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems
  • Understand and explain the interactions between these systems in simple clinical situations
  • Carry out the basic tests/acts allowing the investigation of the different systems
  • Interpret the results of measurements carried out via these tests/procedures, and identify the stimulated and/or altered mechanisms leading to an abnormal response
 
This learning prepares you for other teaching activities relating to animal physiology, whether in biology or veterinary medicine.

 

 

Content

After an introduction to cellular physiology, the student will learn the functioning of the neuromuscular, cardiovascular and respiratory systems.

Cellular physiology courses first address the mechanisms and particularities of eukaryotic cells (membrane, channels, transport).

This initial knowledge then makes it possible to learn the particularities of the physiology of the neuromuscular system including: the functioning of neurons, nerve communication, and, ultimately, muscle contraction (with the particularities of the neuromuscular junction).

Learning continues by addressing a particular muscle, the heart muscle, during courses on the cardiovascular system. These also include concepts relating to vascular dynamics, its control and coagulation. Concepts relating to the respiratory system finalize the course. These concepts include, among other things: gas exchanges, control of respiration, as well as the integration of respiratory and cardiovascular responses during an alteration of one of these systems.

Exercises description

Tutorials and/or practical work are devoted to each chapter of the course.

 


Teaching methods

Teaching methods include lectures (primarily in presence but also online), exercises (in the audience, or in small groups), learning technical skills (during tutorials and practical work), producing bot written and oral presentations (during group work), and viewing online media (videos, for example). You will also have the opportunity to ask questions during audience sessions or during specific 'question-answer' sessions. Certain time slots will be made available to you to work on part of the material independently (mainly in activities relating to the cardiovascular and respiratory systems).

Evaluations

Evaluations will take place at the end of the period and are based on all teaching activities (practical work, tutorials, courses, or any other activity proposed by the supervisors). The assessment will be both written and oral. The written test aims, among other things, at the description of mechanisms, the restitution of knowledge, the application of this, but also the synthesis via the production of diagrams. The oral test includes general tests of knowledge, interpretation of results with justification, as well as the application of knowledge. Successful completion of each portions of the exams is required to complete the course.

 



 

 

Recommended readings

We remind you here that fundamental knowledge of chemistry, physics, biology and histology is essential to understanding physiology courses.

The teaching materials for Animal Physiology I are provided by supervisors via the WebCampus platform. These materials can be provided in the forms including: course slides, syllabus, videos, and audio recordings.
 



Students who wish to complete their learning can turn to supervisors to obtain the names of reference manuals. Below, we provide you with a non-exhaustive list of reference manuals in cellular and animal physiology:

Sjaastad, O. V., Sand, O., & Hove, K. (2010). Physiology of domestic animals. Scan. Vet. Press.

Klein, T. B. G. (2012). Cunningham's textbook of veterinary physiology-E-book. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Gilles, R., & Anctil, M. (2006). Animal physiology. From Boeck Superior.

Hill, R.W., Anderson, M., & Cavanaugh, D. (2021). Animal physiology. Oxford University Press.



These works are available at the university library. Their acquisition is not necessary for studying the course.

Language of instruction

French / Français

Location for course

NAMUR

Organizer

Faculté des sciences
Rue de Bruxelles, 61
5000 NAMUR

Degree of Reference

Undergraduate Degree