Neuroanatomy - what to teach?

[panch]

fourth year med student acting as a TA in neuroanatomy lab (first year med students).

To residents and med students:
What to stress and how? What is truly helpful when you hit the floors? (For most ppl it's a soup of odd names and dozens of wiring diagrams) I lean towards important functions and their disruption by disease (e.g. teaching the anatomy of the pons in relation to the 'locked in' state). I'm at a traditional institution where there is no real PBL.

Also, what texts/review book do y'all recommend? I suggest the Lange 'Clinical Neuroanatomy' text, or BRS for those that just want to pass.

Thanks.

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[Neurogirl]

I think it's best to stay focused on the big picture and avoid the zebras. Few people will see pts with Locked In Syndrome, but almost everyone will see stroke, status epilepticus, coma, MS, Parkinsons, delerium, etc. Also, everyone should have a solid understanding of basic localization principles: UMN vs LMN, hemisphere vs brainstem vs cord patterns, etc. And don't forget localization in the peripheral system (plexus vs root vs nerve vs muscle). It's also helpful to have a solid understanding of vascular territories. ER and critical care principles are extremely important on the wards. Everyone should have some unstanding of seizure mgmt (how to manage status), how to determine when a patient is deteriorating neurologically and how to monitor the comatose pt.

Regarding text books, Lange's is very good. However, I always tell people to read "Neuroanatomy Made Ridiculously Simple". It IS ridiculously simple, but it provides an easy to understand framework for more detailed study.

 

[daisygirl]

Hi Panch,
I'm a first year med student and I am presently taking Neuroanatomy. I highly recommend the second edition of Neuroscience by Dale Purves (and a bunch of others). I also really love High Yield Neuroanatomy by James Fix and the BRS for Neuroanatomy. I heavily depend on the Purves text and the High Yield book. I am just starting to use the BRS book to help me solidify some stuff for my upcoming final. Hope this helps!