Neuroscience

• Upon completion of this problem, students should be able to describe normal muscle function.
• Upon completion of this problem, students should be able to describe the normal function of the neuromuscular junction.
• Upon completion of this problem, students should be able to describe the anatomy and basic functional circuitry of the basal ganglia.
• Upon completion of this problem, students should be able to describe the microscopic anatomy and physiology of a peripheral nerve.
• Upon completion of this problem, students should be able to discuss and identify normal and delayed neurodevelopment in childhood.
• Upon completion of this problem, students should be able to discuss the concept of dementia.
• Upon completion of this problem, students should be able to discuss the cortical organization of language.
• Upon completion of this problem, students should be able to describe the fundamentals of nerve conduction in health and disease.
• Upon completion of this problem, students should be able to describe the anatomy and physiology of the spine.
• Upon completion of this problem, students should be able to discuss the anatomy and physiology of the eye and optic nerves.
• Upon completion of this problem, students should be able to describe the anatomy and physiology of the auditory system.
• Upon completion of this problem, students should be able to recognize the basic anatomy and function of some of the structures of the brainstem.
• Upon completion of this problem, students should be able to recognize the anatomy and discuss the overall functioning of the limbic system.
• Recognize the major milestones for gross motor development.
• Discuss the microscopic structure of muscle and the process of muscle contraction/relaxation.
• Differentiate inflammatory myopathies, metabolic myopathies, congenital structural myopathies, and dystrophies.
• Identify the anatomy and describe the physiology of the neuromuscular junction.
• Recognize the presentation and articulate the management of neuromuscular junction disorders.
• Discuss the normal physiology of peripheral nerve, specifically, the propagation of the action potential.
• Explain the consequences of nerve trauma.
• Describe how to perform an appropriate examination of sensation.
• Discuss the following electrophysiological concepts surrounding excitable cells: 1) resting potentials, 2) post-synaptic potentials, 3) action potential generation and propagation in unmyelinated and myelinated neurons.
• Explain the clinical presentation and pathophysiology of length dependant neuropathies.
• Explain the organization of the two major sensory systems of the spinal cord.
• Differentiate peripheral versus central loss of sensation.
• Contrast upper versus lower motor neuron dysfunction.
• Recognize the anatomy and physiology of the eye; cones, rods, eye ball, optic nerve.
• Describe the anatomy of optic nerve and optic chiasm.
• Explain the basic pathophysiology and common clinical presentations of multiple sclerosis.
• Discuss the anatomy and physiology of the ear and auditory system.
• Differentiate between central and peripheral hearing loss.
• Review the methods for assessing hearing in a clinical setting.
• List some possible causes of hearing loss in a child.
• Identify major structures in the brainstem and recall their basic functions.
• Discuss the clinical presentation and pathophysiology of neurofibromatosis type II.
• Describe some basic concepts surrounding brain tumor development.
• Discuss the anatomy, physiological connections, and neurochemistry of basal ganglia.
• Describe the role of the basal ganglia in the control of movement.
• Recognize signs of basal ganglia dysfunction.
• Explain the pathophysiology and clinical presentation of Parkinsonism.
• Identify the structures that comprise the limbic system and recall their basic functions.
• Recognize the clinical signs that suggest limbic system dysfunction.
• Explain how the brain protects itself against infection.
• Differentiate encephalitis from meningitis.
• Define seizures, epilepsy, and status epilepticus.
• Review the classification of seizures.
• Describe the basic anatomical substrate of memory.
• Review the basic organization of the cerebral hemispheres, in particular language.
• Recognize major cerebral blood vessels.
• Discuss the mechanisms and consequences of cerebral ischemia.
• Identify the clinical symptoms of stroke.
• Describe the structure of the neuron, axon, and synapse.
• Review the basic organization of the cerebral hemispheres.
• Explain the pathophysiology and clinical presentation of dementia.
• Recall major normal neurodevelopmental milestones in child development.
• Define “developmental delay” and “neurodevelopmental disorders”.
• Describe the genetic concept of trinucleotide repeats, expansions and anticipation.
• Establish a differential diagnosis for pain and numbness in the hand.
• Describe the standard investigations for a child diagnosed with non-syndromic hearing loss.
• Review the mechanisms of action of the different anti-Parkinsonian therapies, their indications, and their adverse effects.
• Discuss why some drugs can cause Parkinsonism.
• Discuss the situations in which genetic testing for Parkinson disease has clinical utility and contrast these situations with consumers participating in direct to consumer testing and the pitfalls of interpreting the DTC test results.
• Identify the different categories of commonly used anti-convulsant therapies, including phenytoin, carbamazepine, valproate, levetiracetam. Discuss their adverse effects and contraindications.
• Discuss how to assess genetic risks that can lead to dementia, especially early onset disease.
• Distinguish between inactivation of the FMR 1 gene due to expansion and X inactivation in females.
• Recognize the lived experience for patients with developmental delay and their families, and the need for effective communication within that lived context. Describe methods that foster such communication.
• Review the mechanisms of action, indications for use and adverse effects of the commonly used medications in in halting (i.e. thrombolytics such as TPA, TNK), mitigating (e.g. statins, anti-hypertensives, etc.), or preventing further (e.g. antiplatelets, etc.) ischemic damage.
• Review the mechanism of action, indications for use, and adverse effects of Galantamine, Donepezil and Memantine.
• Describe the mechanism of action for the drugs that are frequently used in the treatment of seizures.