ENS

PSL

Département de Biologie École normale supérieure Directeur : Pierre Paoletti

6 ECTS

Year and Semester : M1 | S1
Duration : from September to October 2026
Hours : on Mondays (9am-12pm ; 2pm-5pm) & on Fridays (2pm-5pm)

Coordinators :

Mariano CASADO et Andréa DUMOULIN

ECTS :

6

Keywords :

Neuronal excitability, neurotransmitters, ion channels, receptors, transporters, signaling, membrane trafficking, synapse, methodology

Prerequisites for the course :

Designed for students having completed at least one introductory course in neurosciences durong their Bachelor.

Course objectives and description :

Course Presentation : 041-S09 Neuron Physiology
This graduate-level course provides an in-depth exploration of the physiological principles that underlie neuronal function, bridging molecular mechanisms with cellular and synaptic dynamics. Designed for students with prior basic training in neuroscience, the course emphasizes both conceptual understanding and analytical skills essential for advanced research.

The course examines the physiological foundations of neuronal function, covering electrophysiological methods, excitable membranes, ion channel diversity, neurotransmission, neurotransmitter transporters, synapse development, intracellular signaling, and receptor trafficking, with tutorials on data interpretation.

Learning outcome : this course equips students with a comprehensive understanding of neuronal physiology while cultivating the ability to interpret literature data and experimental evidence critically. Students completing the course will be well prepared to engage in the following courses : 040-S08 « Development of the Nervous System », 042-S10 « Synaptic Foundations of Network Function », and 043-S11 « Systems Neurophysiology ».

Assessment / evaluation :

Written exam

Course material (hand-outs, online presentation available, …) :

Powerpoint presentations in the course moodle space

Suggested readings in relationship with the module content (textbook chapters, reviews, articles) :

– Ionic Channels of Excitable Membranes by Bertil Hille, 3rd edition, 2001, Sinauer Associates
– The Synapse edited by M. Sheng, B. Sabatini and T. Südhof, 2012, Cold Spring Harbor Press
– Principles of Neural Science by Kandel, Schwartz, Jessell, Siegelbaum & Hudspeth, 5th edition, 2012, McGraw Hill
– Neuroscience by Purves and coll., 5th edition, 2012, Sinauer Associates