Neurofiziologie

Neurofiziologie, or neurophysiology, is the branch of neuroscience that studies the functions of the nervous system. It seeks to understand how neural cells and circuits generate, transmit, and process electrical and chemical signals that underlie perception, movement, and behavior. The field covers the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and their interactions with muscles and other organs.

Key concepts include resting membrane potentials, action potentials, synaptic transmission, neurotransmitters and neuromodulators, and neural coding. Researchers examine sensory transduction, motor control, autonomic regulation, and how networks implement learning and memory. The discipline uses models at cellular, circuit, and systems levels to explain normal function and disease.

Common methods include electrophysiology (intracellular and patch-clamp), extracellular recordings, EEG, EMG, nerve-conduction studies, and functional imaging. In vitro preparations and animal models complement in vivo work. Advances such as optogenetics and computational modeling enhance the study of neural activity and networks.

Applications include understanding and treating neurological and neuromuscular disorders such as epilepsy, neuropathies, stroke, spinal cord injury, and chronic pain. Neurophysiological insights inform diagnostics, rehabilitation, and therapies such as neuromodulation, pharmacotherapy, and neuroprosthetics. Historically, neurophysiology emerged from early bioelectric studies and was advanced in the 20th century by researchers such as Hodgkin, Huxley, and Eccles, and today it integrates physiology with genetics, systems biology, and computational approaches to understand brain function.