Welcome to Bioc 415

• Brief description & policies
• Assignments

Course activities

• First session
• Membrane labs
• Nerve labs
• Nerve/muscle labs

On-line resources

Introductory lab manual (Bioc 211)
Bioc 311 resources

Bioc 415 manual (pdf)

Bioc 415 appendixes (pdf)

Experimental Physiology: Introduction

The opening meeting is essential. It and all other meetings will start on time. If a situation that is beyond your control is likely to prevent you from making it to class on time, then please inform the instructor.

Introductory discussion (Monday 22 Aug – 1 pm ABL 329)

• Course introduction and survey
• Laboratory projects and assignments
• Kinds of data to be collected
• Some types of transducers used for physiology
• Measuring membrane potentials
• Calibrating and using an intracellular (IC) probe
• Analog-to-digital (A/D) data acquisition

Prior to the first laboratory meeting

• Review principles for recording data (Appendix A, manual)
• Read Appendix B, Analog-to-digital (A/D) data acquisition
• Review the basic principles of electricity, including DC electricity and Ohm's law and the concept of capacitance
• Be prepared to use Ohm's Law to determine electrical resistance, voltage, or current.
• Be prepared for a possible quiz on the reading matter and/or subject matter covered today; quizzes will be unannounced

Laboratory (Wednesday 24 Aug – 2:15 pm GRB W100)

• Self-paced tutorial using data acquisition and analysis software
• Explore recording of slow and fast signals using filters
• Calibrate an IC probe

Preparation for next time

• Read chapter 1 of the laboratory manual on the origin of the membrane potential, up to page 11 on the diffusion potential model
• Read Appendix C of the manual on designing experiments
• [ASSIGNMENT] Prepare an experimental design for testing the contribution of the electrogenic property of sodium pump to the membrane potential, to be brought to the next class
• Be prepared for a possible quiz on the reading or subject matter covered today