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The goal of Brain and Behavior I is to provide varied learning opportunities to assist the
first-year medical student in developing a strong structural, functional, and clinically-oriented
knowledge base in the neurosciences. This course is part of the 4-year longitudinal neuroscience
curriculum. It lays a solid foundation on which the second year Brain and Behavior II course,
third year psychiatry clerkship, and the fourth year neuroscience selective can build.
Length of course: 10 weeks
Total hours: 103
Fourteen credits
Offered during the spring quarter
Graduate students may take this course with permission of the course director
COURSE DIRECTOR
Bruce F. Giffin, Ph.D.
Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology, and Anatomy
Office: G-158
558-5617
bruce.giffin@uc.edu
ORGANIZATION OF LECTURE TOPICS:
BASIC CONCEPTS
- neuron structure and function
- neuronal communication
- neuropathology
- neuroimaging
GROUND PLAN OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
- development
- levels of the neuraxis
- blood supply
- CSF system
- blood-brain barrier
NEUROLOGIC EXAM
- peripheral nervous system
- somatosensory system
- principles of pain management
- auditory system
- the dizzy patient
- eyeball movements
- somatic motor system
- mental status and higher functions
SYSTEMS NEUROBIOLOGY
- somatosensory
- auditory
- visual
- eyeball movement
- motor
- neurochemical
- emotion, motivation & memory
- arousal, attention & consciousness
BEHAVIOR/PSYCHIATRY
- the brain’s reward systems
- emotions and the brain
- gender differences and the brain
- neurobiology of stress
LABORATORY
The goals of the Brain and Behavior I laboratory are to (1) reinforce the lecture material, (2) enhance the learning of three-dimensional structure and, (3) help develop skills for lesion localizing. The laboratory is organized using the open classroom model which incorporates a variety of interactive teaching strategies
CASE-BASED PROBLEMS
Case-based problems
constitute 5% of the grade for the Brain and Behavior I course. The goals of these Case-based problems are to develop:
1. a strong, clinically relevant knowledge base in the Neurosciences;
2. critical thinking skills that will lead to a consistent, methodic approach to clinical problem solving;
3. the skills and methodology for using information technology in clinical problem solving;
4. the interpersonal skills needed to work together in a team approach to problem solving;
5. effective verbal and written communication skills.
NEUROIMAGING SELF-STUDY MODULE
This self-study module introduces the students to the basic concepts and principles of neuroimaging techniques emphasizing CT scanning and MR imaging. The goal of this exercise is to:
1. Provide an introduction to the current methods, fundamental principles, and the application of neuroimaging techniques for the students in the Brain and Behavior I course;
2. Develop skill in interpreting normal radiographic anatomy;
3. Introduce the imaging characteristics of some common disorders of the nervous system;
4. Provide the necessary background information for the neuroimaging component of the second year Brain and Behavior II course to build upon.
 WEEKLY CONTENT INTEGRATION CASES
These sessions are scheduled each week of the course on Friday afternoons. Attendance is optional. The purpose of these sessions is for the students to actively participate in working through clinical cases, which emphasize the major neuroscience concepts and principles discussed in the lectures during that week. These neurologic cases, which often include neuroimaging analysis, are designed to stimulate their interest in the neurosciences by demonstrating the relevance of the basic science information to the diagnosis of nervous system diseases and pathologies. Participation in these exercises also helps the students assess what material they have learned and retained.
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