Sensory systems in the light of Nobel-prize discoveries

Data

Official data in SubjectManager for the following academic year: 2026-2027

Topic

Numerous Nobel Prize-winning scientific discoveries are related  to the functioning of the human sensory systems. The aim of the course is to help students understand the molecular and cellular physiology of the major sensory modalities—vision, hearing and balance, touch, temperature sensation, olfaction, and gustation—through the presentation and discussion these groundbreaking research findings.

The focus of the course is on process of sensory transduction: how physical or chemical stimuli are converted into receptor potentials and then into neural signals. In this context, the most important receptor families and ion channels are reviewed (e.g. G protein–coupled receptors, cyclic nucleotide–gated channels, and members of the transient receptor potential and Piezo channel families). Using examples from different sensory systems, the course highlights both the shared organizational principles and the specific adaptations that characterize individual modalities.

Beyond descriptive knowledge, the course aims to develope an integrative perspective. The discussion of Nobel Prize–winning research provides the opportunity to learn about the experimental approaches and scientific reasoning that led to the identification of novel receptors and signaling mechanisms.

The objective of the course is to provide students with a comprehensive framework for understanding the molecular mechanisms of sensory systems and to enable them to interpret these systems in light of common underlying principles. The course supports the development of modern physiological thinking and fosters the critical evaluation of primary research findings.

Lectures

• 1.

  From Light to the Brain – How Nobel Prizes Helped Us Understand Vision - 1

  - Kecskés Miklós
• 2.

  From Light to the Brain – How Nobel Prizes Helped Us Understand Vision - 2

  - Kecskés Miklós
• 3.

  Vibrations and Hearing – Mechanisms of Auditory Transduction - 1

  - Henn-Mike Nóra
• 4.

  Vibrations and Hearing – Mechanisms of Auditory Transduction - 2

  - Henn-Mike Nóra
• 5.

  From Head Movements to Spatial Perception – The Physiology of Balance - 1

  - Kecskés Miklós
• 6.

  From Head Movements to Spatial Perception – The Physiology of Balance - 2

  - Kecskés Miklós
• 11.

  Decoding Smell – Thousands of Odors, Hundreds of Receptors

  - Tóth István Balázs
• 10.

  Nobel Laureate Molecules of Touch – How we sense Mechanical Stimuli - 2

  - Tóth István Balázs
• 7.

  Molecular Thermometers – The Molecular Basis of Thermosensation - 1

  - Henn-Mike Nóra
• 8.

  Molecular Thermometers – The Molecular Basis of Thermosensation - 2

  - Henn-Mike Nóra
• 9.

  Nobel Laureate Molecules of Touch – How we sense Mechanical Stimuli - 1

  - Tóth István Balázs
• 12. Sensation Without a Nobel Prize – What Do We Know About Tastes? - Tóth István Balázs

Practices

Seminars

Reading material

Obligatory literature

Literature developed by the Department

Lecture slides

Notes

Recommended literature

Original research publications provided at lectures

Conditions for acceptance of the semester

none

Mid-term exams

none

Making up for missed classes

none

Exam topics/questions

Online Moodle test, to be completed within two weeks after the last lecture, repeatable

Examiners

• Henn-Mike Nóra
• Kecskés Miklós
• Tóth István Balázs

Instructor / tutor of practices and seminars