Curriculum

Medical Neuroscience (SMD 560)

Total Contact Hours: 70.50 hours

Course Director: Mark Rich, M.D., Ph.D., Professor, Neuroscience, Cell Biology, and Physiology

Course Description: This course is all about the human nervous system: how it is structured; how it works; what happens when it does not; and how physicians identify lesions from diagnostic studies, history, and physical findings.

Learning Goals, Assessment, Practice, and Teaching and Learning Activities, and their Integration with the Institutional Educational Objectives:

Institutional Objectives

Learning Goals

Assessment Activities (graded)

Practice/Feedback Activities (non-graded)

Teaching and Learning Activities

K1

C2, C3

P1, P2, P3

Given a case vignette, determine neurological diagnosis of brain disorders by applying knowledge of normal cell and tissue structure and function, including synaptic transmission brain metabolism and homeostasis, cerebrospinal fluid formation and circulation, and the blood-brain-barrier.

MCQ Exam

 

Peer Instruction

Practice question bank

PI clinical cases

Textbook readings
 

Faculty Notes

K1

C2, C3

P1, P2, P3

Given a case vignette, determine the diagnosis of embryonic or fetal disorders by applying knowledge of embryonic development, fetal maturation, and perinatal changes of the human nervous system.

MCQ Exam

 

Peer Instruction

Practice question bank

PI clinical cases

Textbook readings
 

Faculty Notes

K1

C2, C3

P1, P2, P3

Given a case vignette, determine the diagnosis of spinal cord or brain stem disorders by applying knowledge of the structure and function of peripheral nerves and spinal cord, including spinal reflexes, brainstem, cranial nerves and nuclei, reticular formation, mechanisms of consciousness, gross anatomy and blood supply.

MCQ Exam

 

Peer Instruction
Practice question bank

PI clinical cases

Textbook readings
 

Faculty Notes

K1

C2, C3

P1, P2, P3

Given a case vignette, determine the diagnosis of brain hemispheric disorders by applying knowledge of the structure and function of the brain, including the gross anatomy, blood supply, cognition, language-use, memory and control of eye movement.

MCQ Exam

 

Peer Instruction
Practice question bank

PI clinical cases

Textbook readings
 

Faculty Notes

K1

C2, C3

P1, P2, P3

Given a case vignette, determine the diagnosis of sensory disorders by applying knowledge of the structure and function of sensory systems, including pathways involved in proprioception, pain transmission and modulation, vision, hearing, balance, taste and olfaction.

MCQ Exam

 

Peer Instruction
Practice question bank

PI clinical cases

Textbook readings
 

Faculty Notes

K1

C2, C3

P1, P2, P3

Given a case vignette, determine the diagnosis of motor disorders by applying knowledge of the structure and function of motor systems, including motor neurons arising from the spinal cord and brainstem, descending motor pathways arising from the brainstem and cerebral cortex, the basal ganglia and the cerebellum.

MCQ Exam

 

Peer Instruction
Practice question bank

PI clinical cases

Textbook readings
 

Faculty Notes

K1

C2, C3

P1, P2, P3

Given a case vignette of a patient with a degenerative disease, identify mechanisms underlying nervous tissue repair and regeneration, including changes associated with stages of life.

MCQ Exam

 

Peer Instruction
Practice question bank

PI clinical cases

Textbook readings
 

Faculty Notes

K1

C2, C3

P1, P2, P3

Given a case vignette of a patient with a major nervous system pathogenic disorder (infectious, inflammatory/ imunological, traumatic, neoplastic, vascular, congenital/ perinatal, toxic/metabolic and paroxysmal disorders), identify the clinical and histopathologic features, pathogenesis, anatomical context, natural history and prognosis.

MCQ Exam

 

Peer Instruction

Practice question bank

PI clinical cases

Textbook readings
 

Faculty Notes

K1

C2, C3

P1, P2, P3

Given a case vignette of patient who needs or has been given a therapeutic agent for a nervous system disorder, sedation, or pain management, identify mechanisms of action, common uses, contraindications, adverse effects, and potential drug-drug interactions.

MCQ Exam

 

Peer Instruction
Practice question bank

PI clinical cases

Textbook readings
 

Faculty Notes

K1, K2

C2, C3

P1, P2, P3

Given a case vignette, diagnose common neurologic diseases by interpreting physical findings and histopathologic results.

MCQ Exam

 

Peer Instruction
Practice question bank

PI clinical cases

Textbook readings
 

Faculty Notes

K2, K3

C2

Given a case vignette, diagnose brain death by integrating neuroscience principles, clinical findings and legal precedent relevant to the diagnosis.

MCQ Exam

 

Peer Instruction

Practice question bank

PI clinical cases

Textbook readings
 

Faculty Notes

C2, C3

P1, P2, P3

Solve complex clinical problems through discussions with peers.

Peer Instruction  

PI clinical cases

C2, C3

P1, P2, P3

Support their working teams through adequate preparation, punctuality, distributed leadership and creation of a positive, encouraging atmosphere.

Peer Instruction  

PI clinical cases

Institutional Educational Objectives

Category addressed Definition
1. Institutional Objectives What does our institution want our graduates to do?
2. Learning Goals If your students mastered the content of your course, what would they be able to do?
3. Assessment Activities (graded)
4. Practice/Feedback Activities (non-graded)
What will students need to do for them and others (peers, professors) to know whether they have achieved this specific learning goal?
5. Teaching and Learning Activities How will students get the information they need to learn?

Knowledge and Lifelong Learning

  • K1: The graduate will demonstrate knowledge of the basic medical sciences; clinical skills; and the ability to acquire, manage, and use current information for clinical decision-making and problem-solving in the care of individual patients, family members, populations, and systems of care delivery.
  • K2: The graduate will demonstrate knowledge of the ethical, social, economic, and cultural influences upon the health of and health care delivery to patients and patient populations, and will be able to propose realistic approaches to improving the health of an individual patient and for a patient population.
  • K3: The graduate will be able to identify the diverse factors that influence the health of the individual and the community; identify the socio-cultural, familial, psychological, economic, environmental, legal, political, and spiritual factors impacting health care and health care delivery; and be able to respond to these factors by planning and advocating the appropriate course of action at both the individual and the community level.

Interpersonal and Communication

  • C1: The graduate will demonstrate the ability to establish a professional relationship with a patient, build a comprehensive medical and social/personal history, conduct either a focused or comprehensive physical examination as indicated, construct a differential diagnosis, and recommend a course of treatment consistent with current standards of care.
  • C2: The graduate will demonstrate the ability to communicate (written and oral) clearly, professionally, and effectively with patients, their family members, health care team members, and peers.
  • C3: The graduate will demonstrate the capacity to listen to and respond appropriately to constructive feedback from peers and teachers, as well as give constructive feedback and evaluation to peers and faculty as requested.

Professionalism, Advocacy, and Personal Growth

  • P1: The graduate will be able to identify personal strengths and weaknesses in the care of patients and working with colleagues and allied health professionals, and, if indicated, demonstrate the ability to make changes in behavior that facilitate collaborative relationships.
  • P2: The graduate will demonstrate through the period of undergraduate medical education a pattern of responsible behaviors consistent with the highest ethical standards of the profession: honesty, confidentiality, reliability, dependability, civility, and punctuality.
  • P3: The graduate will demonstrate a commitment to leadership and the advancement of new knowledge.
Last edited on 08/19/2016.