Scared for Neuro

[MCATISEZ]

M1 here. We are about half way through our first organ system module - Cardio.

Cardio isn't too bad (time consuming like most of medical school but not "hard"). But I find myself quite a lot more busy for it than Biochem, Immuno, Pharmaco etc. The courses before we began organ systems.

I am a bit scared for Neuro. I was terrible at anatomy and it took my soul for the 8 weeks we had. Same faculty member teaches Neuro at our school as anatomy.

I was never too terrible at the multiple choice portions of our tests, but I was horrible at the lab practical exams.

Things cut in different planes, displayed in different angles and covered up in odd ways to throw off your orientation. Then I am left with 1 minute to answer the question while being disoriented for so long. It was also our first block in medical school (before I discovered my lord and savior Anki). It wasn't just time consuming, it was legitimately hard for me.

Anyhow, we are ending with M1 Neuro.

For what its worth head and neck anatomy was my best (I understand thats odd). Tracing out lesions was interesting. I am fairly good at understanding complex Biochemical pathways and recognizing upstream/downstream affects.

I have been doing very well in all the blocks after anatomy.

A little venting, but

Do most schools have lab practicals for Neuro? What should I expect? How do I survive? Any tips?

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[deleted707454]

Dr Najeeb; start now

 

[luxaeterna6]

UBC Neuroanatomy is a great resource! Especially the interactive modules

 

[Save a life]

My school had neuroanatomy pictures on exams. No practicals like anatomy. We also had neuroanatomy lectures. It’s wasn’t that bad. I made my own Anki cards with image occlusion and the lectures and crushed it.

 

[mrbreakfast]

First, the majority of your M1 neuro block will probably not be anatomy. If you were good at head/neck (and like pathways) and are good at visualizing vague structures in space, you'll probably do fine.

For the practical: would recommend a neuroanatomy manual. I liked Haines. You should expect to see the brain cut into sections, seeing the brainstem a bunch (grossly or microscopically), maybe the skull (if you didn't already cover it), and photos of lesions or of histology. I'd focus on learning where obvious large objects are (e.g. ventricles) in every possible section of the brain, and then learning where smaller things are relative to those. If vascular is emphasized, look at angiography pictures, even if they won't be on the test. I always spent a few hours on google image for histology, looking at tons of different pictures of the same things, and considered histology questions free points.

Again, if you were good at head/neck, I think you'll do OK on this.

 

[theonlytycrane]

Clinically relevant neuro -> you'll enjoy it

Neuro path - > still pretty cool

Neuro anatomy / cross-sections / random gray **** that is called some random name -> trash

gl homie (you'll be fine)

 

[Neopolymath]

The enjoyment of neuro is directly related to how pedantic your ****head PhD lecturers are more than any course bar embryo and cell bio/genetics. Also, I suppose if your labs are not 10000 cross sections of suck.

 

[NicMouse64]

Blood pressure shot up by just reading this thread. Like many things in medicine, it f***ing sucked. Embrace the suck.

 

[Melanogaster]

You master anki yet? I found that making my own cards very helpful; first I would make the image card then make another card that had a written description of the neuro pathway/whatever.

 

[afib123]

Ya memorizing the arduous neuroanatomy sucks but we didn't really have a practical on it other than identifying structures on a skull. Identifying stuff on cross sections was done just as multiple choice.
But rest assured, clinical neurology or even neurosurgery is very unlike the dry nature of the 1st year neuro course, so don't worry too much. It is also much easier than gross anatomy

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

I’m pretty sure I go to your school and am in Neuro now (MD/MPH)- we don’t have lab practicals for neuro, if that’s what you’re concerned about?

You’ll definitely need to be good at lesions and tracts/pathways/etc. also the faculty member you mention teaches a huge chunk of the beginning of neuro (the neuroanatomy part) but now we’ve moved on to other lecturers, so you won’t be stuck with him for the whole module if he’s not your jam.

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

For the practical: would recommend a neuroanatomy manual. I liked Haines.

The faculty OP mentioned quite literally wrote a book on neuroanatomy - if you’re gonna get a textbook, definitely get that one. It’s basically a written version of his lectures.

 

[MCATISEZ]

I’m pretty sure I go to your school and am in Neuro now (MD/MPH)- we don’t have lab practicals for neuro, if that’s what you’re concerned about?

You’ll definitely need to be good at lesions and tracts/pathways/etc. also the faculty member you mention teaches a huge chunk of the beginning of neuro (the neuroanatomy part) but now we’ve moved on to other lecturers, so you won’t be stuck with him for the whole module if he’s not your jam.

Awesome. I got a lot of help from people in my school from SDN - what a small world. That's wonderful to hear. Thanks!

 

[Robin-jay]

Drawing out the pathways or seeing them illustrated is helpful. Trying to do word association with that course is not the best idea imo. Neuro is a weird course.

 

[7331poas]

Dr Najeeb; start now

wrong. boards and beyond + pathoma + anki is always the answer