MEDICAL NEUROSCIENCE (PHPH D603)

INTRODUCTION:

Neuroscience is the study of the nervous system including the brain, spinal cord and the networks of nerve cells throughout the body. In this course we will focus on the development, structure and organization as well as the physiology, and behavior of the human nervous system.  This course is designed to give the first year medical student a thorough introduction to, and hands-on experience with, one of science's last and most daunting frontiers — the brain. With this foundation, the student will begin to understand the neurological examination, the signs and symptoms of neurological disease, and will be able to accurately localize such diseases. Such an understanding of neuroanatomy and neurophysiology is a prelude to the study of neuropharmacology, neuropathology, and ultimately clinical neurology. This course is the first step in a lifelong study of the human nervous system.

COURSE TOPICS AND FORMAT:

Medical Neuroscience has four parts. Each part includes lectures in the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system, labs, and an examination including a written part and a laboratory practical.  Students study the human spinal cord, brain stem, and cerebral hemispheres in the laboratory.  They also study the anatomy and physiology of sensory (auditory, vestibular, visual, olfactory, gustatory, and somesthetic) and motor (pyramidal, extrapyramidal and cerebellar mechanisms, ocular movements, and visual reflexes) systems, as well as the cerebral circulation and ventricular system.  Consideration is given to the anatomy and physiology of the dorsal thalamus, hypothalamus, and limbic system, with special attention devoted to cerebral cortical functions. Primary methods of instruction include lecture, problem-solving exercises, clinical correlations, hands-on laboratories, an extensive course website, and a CD-ROM atlas of the human nervous system.  Modes of assessment include departmental multiple choice exams and laboratory practical exams.

TEXTBOOK(S) AND OTHER MATERIALS:

Students will have access to a detailed web-based lab syllabus for the entire course as well as web-based Power Point presentations of lectures.  The recommended atlas is the third edition of the Structure of the Human Brain: a Photographic Atlas by DeArmond, Fusco and Dewey.  The recommended textbook is Neuroscience, Third Edition, Edited by Dale Purves et al., Sinauer Associates, Inc., 2004. Every copy of the required textbook includes Sylvius 2.0: Fundamentals of Human Neural Structure, an interactive CD-ROM atlas of the human nervous system.

COURSE MEETING TIMES:

The class meets on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 10:00 AM-12:00 noon.

COURSE DIRECTOR:

James R. Augustine, PhD

Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience

SOM Campus, Building 1, Room E-7

Phone 803-733-3377

E-mail aug@med.sc.edu