WORKLOAD
Please note the time commitment to this course. Weekly workload will vary substantially depending on student ability and background in neuroscience. The DistanCE program expects that a MINIMUM workload of 3-4 hours per week is necessary to keep up with the course. Students who have taken the course in the past report that 5-6 hours of work per week is more common. Each week students complete online course modules that may include assigned readings and activities, discussion board questions posed by instructors, recorded lectures, and online multiple-choice questions.

OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of the course, the learner will:

1. Describe the gross anatomy of the brain, major landmarks, basic organization of the primary and secondary motor and sensory association areas, and the primary relationships between cortex and subcortical structures.

2. Identify the key elements of the neurological examination and describe how neurologists interpret results to infer location and type of disease.

3. Identify the structure and relative location of the ventricles and meninges and compare and contrast the primary clinical conditions associated with their pathology including headache, increased intracranial pressure, herniation syndromes, tumors, and hydrocephalus.

4. Describe the basic anatomy of the spinal cord, motor system, autonomic nervous system, somatosensory pathways, and structure and function of thalamus. Participants will relate these regions to signs and conditions associated with their dysfunction such as hemiparesis, unsteady gait, multiple sclerosis, paresthesias, sensory loss, and pain.

5. Examine the pathways, brainstem nuclei, and methods of assessment of the cranial nerves and list signs and symptoms of their dysfunction including anosmia, eye gaze and pupillary disorders, facial numbness, hearing loss, dizziness, dysarthria, dysphagia and pseudobulbar affect.

6. Analyze and discuss the vascular supply, cytoarchitecture, and major input and output pathways of the cerebellum and review clinical findings and localization of cerebellar lesions and differential diagnosis of ataxia.

7. Analyze the intrinsic connections and input and output pathways of the basal ganglia and describe their basic functions and signs of dysfunction, especially as related to the movement disorders including Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease.

8. List and define the major limbic system structures and their interconnections, especially the hippocampus and amygdala, and discuss how lesions of these regions affect memory, emotion, and olfaction.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

To pass course requirements and earn continuing education credits or certificates of completion students must:

• Complete all multiple-choice posttest examinations, earning a cumulative percentage >75% correct and
• Write at least one Discussion Question response per module (n=7) and post these responses to the online course discussion forum.

The DistanCE online system automatically records performance on multiple-choice exams, which may be taken multiple times.