Medical neurobiology: do we teach neurobiology in a format that is relevant to the clinical setting?

Abstract

During a period of unprecedented growth in technology that allows imaging of the body in elegant detail, anatomy as a discipline has, in some instances, become marginalized. This may be seen in a reduction of time allotted to anatomy, reduction or elimination of laboratory experiences, or shifting of anatomy teaching to clinical departments. One potential cause of this marginalization is the fact that anatomy is frequently taught in a format that is not useful in, or even applicable to, the clinical setting. At the University of Mississippi Medical Center, the Medical Neurobiology course stresses the functional anatomy of the brain, especially the brainstem, in a format that is directly transferable to the clinical setting. These approaches include (1) using a small neurology book as one of the required texts in the course; (2) extensive use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) as an integral part of the instructional approach; (3) teaching external and internal anatomy of the brain, particularly the brainstem and spinal cord, in a "clinical orientation" that reflects how these central nervous system (CNS) regions are viewed in the clinical setting; (4) teaching nuclei and tracts in images of stained sections and correlating this information with comparable MRI and CT images; and (5) using a large series (75 images) of vascular drawings and clinical cases, all in clinical orientation. The clinical applicability of the basic science information, therefore, is continuously reinforced and extended. It is suggested that teaching anatomy and anatomical concepts in formats that are more obviously useful in, and applicable to, the clinical setting will enhance the value of this basic science in the medical curriculum.