Aims
Students will be presented with a selection of elementary topics in the genesis of electrical signals in nervous tissue, biochemical and molecular signals in excitable and non-excitable cells, and the measurement of such signals by means of artificial devices. Students will understand the rationale for a mechanistic dissection of the functioning of the mammalian nervous system at the cellular, microcircuit and population levels. Students will ultimately acquire skills in this area and will be able to apply their knowledge to capture an in-depth quantitative component in cutting-edge scientific publications.
Students will begin to make quantitative judgments and assessments in the areas of Electrophysiology and Cellular Biophysics, analyzing how significant progress can be made in these areas and where the availability of solid theoretical tools has proven to be extremely fruitful. Students will become fluent in this progression and skill.
Students will be introduced to a quantitative style of neural systems biophysics, as an opportunity to expand their learning capabilities beyond "enumeration" in biology and toward a new approach of "synthesis" and "analysis".
Prerequisites: a basic knowledge of cell biology, elements of infinitesimal calculus, fundamentals of electromagnetism, proficiency in the use of a PC, the Internet, elements of scientific programming.
Schedule
Timing: classes start at 2pm (sharp), and break for 15min, every 45-50min.
There is no stupid question. Read it again, please! The Professor does NOT judge you or even remember/care of your questions at the final exam. He strives to make sure you understand the material. If you do not understand it, it is likely that others do not understand it either, but maybe they are too shy to ask. Go first and ask your questions! Besides office hours, the Professor is available for questions during the class or the breaks, as well as before its start and after its end.
Office hours: no explanation is provided by the Professor over email or instant messaging. Office hours are available to all students only in person (Via Campi 287, building Biomedical Sciences, office MO-15) and upon prior appointment (or on Goole Meet if you are abroad).
Collective learning: Consider posting your question in public, on our Teams group: other students are encouraged to try answering to their peers' questions.
Preliminaries (if needed)
Lectures (in presence)
Week 2
- Oct 7th 2025Â (14:00 - 18:00) - room M1.5 (Edificio Matematica)
Week 3
- Oct 14th 2025Â (14:00 - 18:00) - room M1.5 (Edificio Matematica)
Week 4
- Oct 21st 2025Â (14:00 - 18:00) - room M1.5 (Edificio Matematica)
Week 5
- Oct 28st 2025Â (14:00 - 18:00) - room M1.4 (Edificio Matematica)
Week 6
- Nov 4th 2025Â (14:00 - 18:00) - room M1.5
Week 7
- Nov 11th 2025Â (14:00 - 18:00) - room M1.5
Week 8
- Nov 18th 2025Â (14:00 - 18:00) - room M1.5
Week 9
- Nov 25th 2025Â (14:00 - 18:00) - room CS1.2 - Policlinico
Week 10
- Dec 2nd 2025Â (14:00 - 18:00) - room M1.2
Week 11
- Dec 9th 2025Â (14:00 - 18:00) - room M1.5
Week 12
- Dec 16th 2025Â (14:00 - 18:00) - room M1.5
Teams & Code of Conduct
UNIMORE graciously makes available to us a Teams group as an (online, real-time) virtual meeting place and as an (offline, asynchronous) forum for questions and answers, for discussions on topics of the course, as well as for the students to offer mutual assistance during their study process. Access is reserved only to students attending the course.
Before joining, please do take a serious look at our Code of Conduct, below:
Code of Conduct of our Class Teams Group
We are committed to creating a collaborative, open, and inclusive teaching and learning environment.
All students, teaching assistants, affiliated faculty, organizers and contributors are expected to
adhere to this Code of Conduct.
Participants or affiliates who are asked to stop any inappropriate behaviour are expected to comply
immediately. This applies to any events and platforms, either online or in-person. If a participant
engages in behaviour that violates this Code of Conduct, the organisers may warn the offender, ask
them to leave the event or platform, or engage UniTs/SISSA’s Ombuds Offices to investigate the
Code of Conduct violation and impose appropriate sanctions.
Violations of the Code of Conduct should be reported to MG.
1. Be inclusive
We welcome and support people of all backgrounds and identities. This includes, but is not limited to
members of any sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, race, ethnicity, culture,
national origin, social and economic class, educational level, color, immigration status, sex, age,
size, family status, political belief, religion, and mental and physical ability.
2. Be considerate
We all depend on each other to produce the best work we can as an organization. Your decisions will
affect students, teaching assistants, and colleagues around the world, and you should take those
consequences into account when making decisions.
3. Be respectful
We won’t all agree all the time, but disagreement is no excuse for disrespectful behavior. We
will all experience frustration from time to time, but we cannot allow that frustration become
personal attacks. An environment where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive
or creative one.
4. Choose your words carefully
Always conduct yourself professionally. Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down others.
Harassment and exclusionary behavior aren’t acceptable. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Threats of violence
- Insubordination
- Discriminatory jokes and language
- Sharing sexually explicit or violent material via electronic devices or other means
- Personal insults, especially those using racist or sexist terms
- Unwelcome sexual attention
- Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.
5. Don’t harass
In general, if someone asks you to stop something, then stop. When we disagree, try to understand
why. Differences of opinion and disagreements are mostly unavoidable. What is important is that we
resolve disagreements and differing views constructively.
6. Make differences into strengths
We can find strength in diversity. Different people have different perspectives on issues, and that
can be valuable for solving problems or generating new ideas. Being unable to understand why someone
holds a viewpoint doesn’t mean that they’re wrong. Don’t forget that we all make
mistakes, and blaming each other doesn’t get us anywhere. Instead, focus on resolving issues
and learning from mistakes.
7. Act honestly and with academic integrity
We expect you to respect basic academic integrity principles and take academic integrity to mean
adherence to the following values:
- Honesty
- Trust
- Fairness
- Respect
- Responsibility
- Courage.
More information on academic integrity and these values can be found at the International Center of Academic Integrity.
Be honest in your applications and in your potential reasons for missing classes, or project assignments.
Take responsibility for your mistakes and work to remedy them. Don’t take the course under
someone else’s name or identity.
