How to study neuroscience???

[F/A-18]

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Hi, I'm going to be taking neurophys in the fall. Any suggestions on how to approach studying for this topic? Key themes to focus on? Any help would be great.

 

[PublicHealth]

Start reading Kandel. Keep going until the semester is over.

 

[nrosigh]

that's exactly what i was going to say! kandel rocks...

1400 pages/100 pages a day = 2 fun-filled weeks!

 

[uclacrewdude]

draw out the pathways. once you have the pathways memorized (if only through the muscle movements used to draw em) then you can usually figure out 70% of what you need to know. example:

supp/premotor cortex
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V
putamen
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GPi/SNr
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VA/VL
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V
1 motor cortex


supp/premotor cortex
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V
putamen
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GPe
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subthalamic nuke
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V
GPi/SNr
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VA/VL

this lets you know quick and easy how the basal ganglia enhance the movements you want while repressing the movements you dont. it was too hard to put SNc in there, but when you do, youll be able to explain very plainly why parkinsons presents the way it does.

do the same with the spinal cord especially

 

[jed2023]

Are you guys kidding? I go the school at which Kandel lectures and few people read the complete text, although many people will read bits and pieces and all the diagrams that correspond to the lecture schedule.

 

[indianboy]

Are you guys kidding? I go the school at which Kandel lectures and few people read the complete text, although many people will read bits and pieces and all the diagrams that correspond to the lecture schedule.

Thanks for the suggestion, mung-meister! Your comment is widely applicable to those studying neuroscience. Any other insightful comments, James?

Hope that Helps

P 'Name-dropping thread is on page2' ShankOut

 

[Entei]

I agree with jed2023 that Kandel is way too long and wordy to be useful, but I don't really have any other suggestions about what books to use. I'm looking for suggestions too.

 

[Habari]

we use this book primarily; the aforementioned for reference -

Kingsley, R.E. Concise Text of Neuroscience, 2nd ed. 2000. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. (This is a smaller book with good clinical problems as well as anatomical and physiological information.)

 

[jaeida8]

BRS Neuro is pretty good at keeping you focused on the important stuff. I aced the class using BRS neuro and a good atlas for cross-sections of the spinal cord, brainstem, medulla etc. We also had Kandel as a required text but no one used it. We used The Human Brain by Nolte. I read Nolte only when BRS wasn't enough detail-wise.

 

[Samoa]

I second the crewdude's suggestion. If you can draw the pathways, and you know where the major blood vessels of the brain and spinal cord run, and have a general idea what's located where in the brain, you can pretty much figure out 90% of the answers. I mean, yeah, there are some things you need to know about peripheral nerves and reflex arcs, etc., but in comparison, those are pretty straightforward.

 

[jed2023]

Originally posted by jaeida8
BRS Neuro is pretty good at keeping you focused on the important stuff. I aced the class using BRS neuro and a good atlas for cross-sections of the spinal cord, brainstem, medulla etc. We also had Kandel as a required text but no one used it. We used The Human Brain by Nolte. I read Nolte only when BRS wasn't enough detail-wise.

I think we should make clear the distinction between neuroanatomy and neuroscience. Both of the terms overlap, but neuroanatomy is primarily about pathways and brain regions, literally the anatomy of the nervous system. Neuroscience is more about the basic science behind nervous system function, sort of like the physiology of the nervous system. Structure versus function is one way to think of it.

So, BRS Neuroanatomy is might be good for the neuroanat part but it would be totally inadequate, if your course has a large neurophysiology/neuroscience component. At my school, we had a 50/50 split, so both were important.

In response to Indianboy's comments earlier, I don't know what to make of them. Mung-meister? Haven't come across that term. Perhaps someone could enlighten me.