The object of this course is to provide students with a conceptualization of how the normal central nervous system functions and integrates with the other systems of the body. Neuroanatomy primarily involves training in basic anatomical skills. The first of these is the development and acquisition of a spatial concept of the important, and ultimately clinically relevant, elements of the nervous system. This includes investigation of the location of important elements of the nervous system, their relationships to one another and their connectivity, and emphasizes their individual functional roles in nervous system operation. In order to acquire these skills, lectures, videotapes, and films are used.
Textual material is presented in the form of a detailed syllabus, atlases, and exercise books.
Neuroanatomy actively involves the integration of structural with physiological and biochemical concepts, as well as correlations with selected clinical cases. In addition, within the neuroanatomy classes themselves, functional, neurochemical, or clinical correlations are frequently made. Finally, consideration and integration is made with other organ systems of the body that bear directly on the normal function of the nervous system, as well as a consideration of those systems which come under nervous or neuroendocrine control.