Medical Neuroscience

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Medical Neuroscience

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About this course: Medical Neuroscience explores the functional organization and neurophysiology of the human central nervous system, while providing a neurobiological framework for understanding human behavior. In this course, you will discover the organization of the neural systems in the brain and spinal cord that mediate sensation, motivate bodily action, and integrate sensorimotor signals with memory, emotion and related faculties of cognition. The overall goal of this course is to provide the foundation for understanding the impairments of sensation, action and cognition that accompany injury, disease or dysfunction in the central nervous system. The course will build upon knowled…

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When you enroll for courses through Coursera you get to choose for a paid plan or for a free plan

  • Free plan: No certicification and/or audit only. You will have access to all course materials except graded items.
  • Paid plan: Commit to earning a Certificate—it's a trusted, shareable way to showcase your new skills.

About this course: Medical Neuroscience explores the functional organization and neurophysiology of the human central nervous system, while providing a neurobiological framework for understanding human behavior. In this course, you will discover the organization of the neural systems in the brain and spinal cord that mediate sensation, motivate bodily action, and integrate sensorimotor signals with memory, emotion and related faculties of cognition. The overall goal of this course is to provide the foundation for understanding the impairments of sensation, action and cognition that accompany injury, disease or dysfunction in the central nervous system. The course will build upon knowledge acquired through prior studies of cell and molecular biology, general physiology and human anatomy, as we focus primarily on the central nervous system. This online course is designed to include all of the core concepts in neurophysiology and clinical neuroanatomy that would be presented in most first-year neuroscience courses in schools of medicine. However, there are some topics (e.g., biological psychiatry) and several learning experiences (e.g., hands-on brain dissection) that we provide in the corresponding course offered in the Duke University School of Medicine on campus that we are not attempting to reproduce in Medical Neuroscience online. Nevertheless, our aim is to faithfully present in scope and rigor a medical school caliber course experience. This course comprises six units of content organized into 12 weeks, with an additional week for a comprehensive final exam: - Unit 1 Neuroanatomy (weeks 1-2). This unit covers the surface anatomy of the human brain, its internal structure, and the overall organization of sensory and motor systems in the brainstem and spinal cord. - Unit 2 Neural signaling (weeks 3-4). This unit addresses the fundamental mechanisms of neuronal excitability, signal generation and propagation, synaptic transmission, post synaptic mechanisms of signal integration, and neural plasticity. - Unit 3 Sensory systems (weeks 5-7). Here, you will learn the overall organization and function of the sensory systems that contribute to our sense of self relative to the world around us: somatic sensory systems, proprioception, vision, audition, and balance senses. - Unit 4 Motor systems (weeks 8-9). In this unit, we will examine the organization and function of the brain and spinal mechanisms that govern bodily movement. - Unit 5 Brain Development (week 10). Next, we turn our attention to the neurobiological mechanisms for building the nervous system in embryonic development and in early postnatal life; we will also consider how the brain changes across the lifespan. - Unit 6 Cognition (weeks 11-12). The course concludes with a survey of the association systems of the cerebral hemispheres, with an emphasis on cortical networks that integrate perception, memory and emotion in organizing behavior and planning for the future; we will also consider brain systems for maintaining homeostasis and regulating brain state.

Who is this class for: This course is designed for first-year students in graduate-level health professions programs. You may take this course with confidence if you are currently enrolled in a health professions curriculum or are preparing to do so having satisfied the usual prerequisites. This course will provide you with the foundational knowledge you will need in basic neuroscience and clinical neuroanatomy. If you are pursuing advanced studies in the brain sciences or a related biomedical or bioengineering field, then you will take away an understanding of human brain anatomy and insight into how ongoing discovery in neuroscience is shaping clinical practice. If you are a health professional, this course will provide a productive means for reviewing and updating your knowledge or foundational neuroscience. Lastly, if you are simply curious about the structure and function of the human brain, but have no aspirations to apply this knowledge in the health or research professions, you too can have an engaging and fulfilling experience, provided that you are willing to commit to all assigned readings, lectures, and assessments.

Created by:  Duke University
  • Taught by:  Leonard E. White, Ph.D. , Associate Professor

    Othropaedic Surgery, Neurobiology, Duke University School of Medicine; Duke Institute for Brain Sciences
Level Advanced Language English How To Pass Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. User Ratings 4.9 stars Average User Rating 4.9See what learners said Coursework

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Duke University Duke University has about 13,000 undergraduate and graduate students and a world-class faculty helping to expand the frontiers of knowledge. The university has a strong commitment to applying knowledge in service to society, both near its North Carolina campus and around the world.

Syllabus


WEEK 1


Getting Started in Medical Neuroscience



<p>Let's get started in Medical Neuroscience! Each module in Medical Neuroscience will begin with a brief description like this that provides you with an overview of the module. In this first module, you will get to know something about Prof. White and his career in neuroscience; you will understand the scope of Medical Neuroscience, its learning resources, your responsibilities for maximizing your benefit in this course, and you will learn Prof. White's tips on how best to study and learn.</p><p> At the end of this module, please take the ungraded preliminary quiz, "Are you ready for Medical Neuroscience", to self-assess your background knowledge. Your score on this quiz will not count toward your overall score in this course. However, you should be able to pass this quiz (score 70% or better) if you are ready for the academic challenge of this course. Students who are likely to achieve their goals in Medical Neuroscience should be able to successfully answer nearly all of the quiz questions on their first attempt and feel comfortable with assessment questions at this level of knowledge.</p>


5 videos, 2 readings, 1 practice quiz expand


  1. Reading: Learning Objectives
  2. Video: Professor White's Career in Neuroscience
  3. Video: The Scope of Medical Neuroscience
  4. Video: Learning resources for Medical Neuroscience
  5. Video: Your Part!
  6. Video: "Neur-run" with Professor White
  7. Reading: Your Mentor Team
  8. Practice Quiz: Preliminary Quiz: Are you ready for Medical Neuroscience?


Neuroanatomy: Introducing the Human Brain
Your introduction to Medical Neuroscience continues as you experience in this module a brief introduction to the human brain, its component cells, and some basic anatomical conventions for finding your way around the human central nervous system.


4 videos, 1 reading expand


  1. Reading: Learning Objectives / Recommended Reading
  2. Video: Professor White's Favorite Places in the Human Brain
  3. Video: Functional Microanatomy of Neurons
  4. Video: Non-Neural Cells of the CNS
  5. Video: Basic Orientation in the Human CNS

Graded: Cells of the CNS and Basic Orientation

WEEK 2


Neuroanatomy: Surface Anatomy of the Human CNS



We now begin in earnest our lessons on neuroanatomy with the surface of the human brain, including a brief run through the cranial nerves and the blood supply to the CNS. In this module, you will learn the basic subdivisions of the vertebrate nervous system; however, your focus should be on the cerebral cortex. Along the way, you will be challenged to "build a digital brain" that should help you generate and improve your mental “model” of the cerebral hemispheres of the human brain. Another great way to refine your mental model is through sketching and crafting, so please do the learning objectives that are designed to help you make visible (and tangible) your understanding of the cerebral hemispheres.


12 videos, 2 readings expand


  1. Reading: Learning Objectives / Recommended Readings
  2. Video: Lateral Surface of the Brain
  3. Video: Medial Surface of the Brain
  4. Video: Finding the Central Sulcus
  5. Video: Ventral Surface of the Brain
  6. Video: Building a Digital Brain (Fingers to Gyri)
  7. Discussion Prompt: Let's Discuss: Is Bigger Better?
  8. Video: Surface Anatomy of the Brainstem
  9. Video: Blood Supply to the Brain
  10. Discussion Prompt: Visualize Your Knowledge: Surface Features of the Cerebral Hemispheres
  11. Reading: Learning Objectives / Recommended Readings
  12. Video: Overview of the Cranial Nerves
  13. Video: Overview of the Spinal Nerves
  14. Video: Localizing the Cranial Nerves
  15. Video: Cranial Nerve Function, part 1
  16. Video: Cranial Nerve Function, part 2
  17. Discussion Prompt: Let's #GetNeuro: Doing Medical Neuroscience

Graded: Cerebral Cortex, Brainstem, and Blood Supply
Graded: Cranial and Spinal Nerves

Neuroanatomy: Internal Anatomy of the Human CNS



12 videos, 2 readings expand


  1. Reading: Learning Objectives / Recommended Readings
  2. Video: Internal Anatomy of the Brainstem
  3. Video: Cranial Nerve Nuclei, part 1
  4. Video: Cranial Nerve Nuclei, part 2
  5. Video: Cranial Nerve Nuclei, part 3
  6. Video: Cranial Nerve Nuclei, part 4
  7. Video: Internal Anatomy of the Spinal Cord - Gray and White Matter
  8. Video: Internal Anatomy of the Spinal Cord -Longitudinal Organization
  9. Video: Internal Anatomy of the Spinal Cord In Cross Sections
  10. Reading: Learning Objectives / Recommended Readings
  11. Video: Ventricles
  12. Video: Overview of the Internal Capsule and Deep Gray Matter
  13. Video: Localizing the Internal Capsule and Deep Gray Matter In Brain Slabs
  14. Video: Localizing the Internal Capsule and Deep Gray Matter In Sylvius Atlases
  15. Discussion Prompt: Let's Discuss: What Makes Us Human?

Graded: Brainstem and Spinal Cord
Graded: Forebrain

WEEK 3


Neural Signaling: Electrical Excitability and Signal Propagation



We now turn our attention from the tangible (human neuroanatomy) to the physiological as we explore the means by which neurons generate, propagate and communicate electrical signals. After exploring those structures in the human brain that are visible to the unaided eye, we must now sharpen our focus and zoom-in, as it were, to the unitary level of organization and function in the central nervous system: to the level of individual neurons and their component parts that are crucial for neural signaling.


9 videos, 1 reading expand


  1. Discussion Prompt: Let's #GetNeuro: Neuroscience in Nature
  2. Reading: Learning Objectives / Recommended Readings
  3. Video: Overview of Neuronal Signaling
  4. Video: Ionic Basis of the Resting Membrane Potential, part 1
  5. Video: Ionic Basis of the Resting Membrane Potential, part 2
  6. Video: Ionic Basis of the Action Potential, part 1
  7. Video: Ionic Basis of the Action Potential, part 2
  8. Video: Ionic Basis of the Action Potential, part 3
  9. Video: Molecular Mechanisms of Action Potential Generation, part 1
  10. Video: Molecular Mechanisms of Action Potential Generation, part 2
  11. Video: Propagation of Action Potentials
  12. Discussion Prompt: Let's Discuss: A Moment in Time
  13. Discussion Prompt: Clinical Case Studies: An Older Woman with a Transient Ischemic Attack

Graded: Generating and Propagating Electrical Signals

WEEK 4


Neural Signaling: Synaptic Transmission and Synaptic Plasticity
Let’s continue our studies of neural signaling by learning about what happens at synaptic junctions, where the terminal ending of one neuron meets a complementary process of another excitable cell.


13 videos, 2 readings expand


  1. Reading: Learning Objectives / Recommended Readings
  2. Video: Synaptic Transmission, part 1
  3. Video: Synaptic Transmission, part 2
  4. Video: Neurotransmitters, part 1
  5. Video: Neurotransmitters, part 2
  6. Video: Ionotropic Neurotransmitters Receptors, part 1
  7. Video: Ionotropic Neurotransmitters Receptors, part 2
  8. Video: Metabotropic Neurotransmitters Receptors and Postsynaptic Mechanisms
  9. Video: Synaptic Integration
  10. Reading: Learning Objectives / Recommended Readings
  11. Video: Long-Term Potentiation and Depression, part 1
  12. Video: Long-Term Potentiation and Depression, part 2
  13. Video: Long-Term Potentiation and Depression, part 3
  14. Video: Spike-Timing Dependent synaptic Plasticity
  15. Video: Hebb's Postulate
  16. Discussion Prompt: Lets' Discuss: Use it or Lose It?

Graded: Synaptic Transmission
Graded: Synaptic Plasticity

WEEK 5


Sensory Systems: General Principles and Somatic Sensation



We have reached a significant juncture in Medical Neuroscience as we turn our attention to the organization and function of the sensory systems. We will begin our studies with the somatic sensory systems, which includes subsystems for mechanical sensation and pain/temperature sensation. But before we get there, it is worth considering first some organizing principles that will set the stage for studies of somatic sensation and all the other sensory systems of the body.


16 videos, 2 readings expand


  1. Reading: Learning Objectives / Recommended Readings
  2. Video: The Thalamus
  3. Video: Overview and Origins of Cortical Circuits, part 1
  4. Video: Overview and Origins of Cortical Circuits, part 2
  5. Video: General Principles of Sensory Systems, part 1
  6. Video: General Principles of Sensory Systems, part 2
  7. Discussion Prompt: Lets' Discuss: How Many Senses?
  8. Reading: Learning Objectives / Recommended Readings
  9. Video: Mechanosensation, part 1
  10. Video: Mechanosensation, part 2
  11. Video: Mechanosensation, part 3
  12. Video: Mechanosensory Pathways, part 1
  13. Video: Mechanosensory Pathways, part 2
  14. Video: Mechanosensory Pathways, part 3
  15. Video: Pain Systems, part 1
  16. Video: Pain Systems, part 2
  17. Video: Pain Systems, part 3
  18. Video: Pain and Temperature Pathways, part 1
  19. Video: Pain and Temperature Pathways, part 2
  20. Discussion Prompt: Clinical Case Studies: Frequent Finger Burns

Graded: Organizing Principles
Graded: Somatic Sensation

WEEK 6


Sensory Systems: The Visual System



This module will provide lessons that are designed to help you understand the basic mechanisms by which light is transduced into electrical signals that are then used to construct visual perceptions in the brain. Your studies of the visual system will benefit you at this point in the course, but also in later studies when we use the visual system as a model for understanding general principles of developmental plasticity. Lastly, it is worth noting how much of the forebrain contains elements of the visual pathways. Thus, injuries and disease in widespread regions of the brain may have a clinically important impact on visual function. All the more reason to learn these lessons well as you progress in Medical Neuroscience.


12 videos, 2 readings expand


  1. Reading: Learning Objectives / Recommended Readings
  2. Video: Basic Structure of the Eye and Retina
  3. Video: Photoreceptors and Phototransduction, part 1
  4. Video: Photoreceptors and Phototransduction, part 2
  5. Video: Ganglion Cell Receptive fields, part 1
  6. Video: Ganglion Cell Receptive fields, part 2
  7. Reading: Learning Objectives / Recommended Readings
  8. Video: Central Visual Processing, part 1
  9. Video: Central Visual Processing, part 2
  10. Video: Central Visual Processing, part 3
  11. Video: Central Visual Pathways, part 1
  12. Video: Central Visual Pathways, part 2
  13. Video: Visual Field Deficits
  14. Video: Pupillary Light Reflex

Graded: The Eye
Graded: Central Visual Processing

WEEK 7


Sensory Systems: Audition, Vestibular Sensation and the Chemical Senses



Our survey of the sensory systems continues as we now turn our attention to the auditory system, the vestibular system, and the chemical sensory systems. As you study this content, notice the similarities and the differences that pertain to the general mechanisms of sensory transduction and the broad organization of the central pathways in each of these sensory systems. In particular, note the similarity in transduction mechanisms for audition and vestibular sensation; and note the “logic” of sensory coding in the chemical sensory systems.


22 videos, 3 readings expand


  1. Reading: Learning Objectives / Recommended Readings
  2. Video: Peripheral Auditory Mechanisms, part 1
  3. Video: Peripheral Auditory Mechanisms, part 2
  4. Video: Peripheral Auditory Mechanisms, part 3
  5. Video: Central Auditory Processing, part 1
  6. Video: Central Auditory Processing, part 2
  7. Video: Central Auditory Processing, part 3
  8. Reading: Learning Objectives / Recommended Readings
  9. Video: Peripheral Vestibular Mechanisms, part 1
  10. Video: Peripheral Vestibular Mechanisms, part 2
  11. Video: Peripheral Vestibular Mechanisms, part 3
  12. Video: Central Vestibular Processing, part1
  13. Video: Central Vestibular Processing, part 2
  14. Video: Central Vestibular Processing, part 3
  15. Video: Central Vestibular Processing, part 4
  16. Discussion Prompt: Lets' Discuss: Synesthesia
  17. Reading: Learning Objectives / Recommended Readings
  18. Video: Overview of the Chemical Senses
  19. Video: Olfaction, part 1
  20. Video: Olfaction, part 2
  21. Video: Olfaction, part 3
  22. Video: Olfaction, part 4
  23. Video: Gustation, part1
  24. Video: Gustation, part 2
  25. Video: Gustation, part 3
  26. Video: Trigeminal Chemoreception

Graded: Audition
Graded: Vestibular Sensation
Graded: Chemical Senses

WEEK 8


Movement and Motor Control: Lower and Upper Motor Neurons



We come now to another pivot in Medical Neuroscience where our focus shifts from sensation to action. Or to borrow a phrase made famous by C.S. Sherrington more than a century ago (the title of his classic text), we will now consider the “integrative action of the nervous system”. We will do so in this module by learning the basic mechanisms by which neural circuits in the brain and spinal cord motivate bodily movement.


18 videos, 2 readings expand


  1. Reading: Learning Objectives / Recommended Readings
  2. Video: Overview of the Motor System
  3. Video: Overview of Motor Units
  4. Video: Muscle Spindles and Myotatic Reflexes, part 1
  5. Video: Muscle Spindles and Myotatic Reflexes, part 2
  6. Video: Golgi Tendon Organs
  7. Video: Spindles Versus GTOs, and Withdrawal Reflexes
  8. Video: Central Pattern Generation
  9. Video: Lower Motor Syndrome
  10. Discussion Prompt: Lets' Discuss: Muscle Memory
  11. Reading: Learning Objectives / Recommended Readings
  12. Video: Primary Motor Cortex, part 1
  13. Video: Primary Motor Cortex, part 2
  14. Video: Primary Motor Cortex, part 3
  15. Video: Premotor Cortex
  16. Video: Brainstem Upper Motor Neurons
  17. Video: Emotional Motor System
  18. Video: Control of Facial Expressions
  19. Discussion Prompt: Clinical Case Studies: NeuroLogical Case No. 1 (University of Utah) - The Upset Office Manager
  20. Video: Upper Motor Neuron Syndrome
  21. Video: Corticospinal and Corticobulbar Pathways, part 1
  22. Video: Corticospinal and Corticobulbar Pathways, part 2
  23. Discussion Prompt: Lets' Discuss: Decussations
  24. Discussion Prompt: Clinical Case Studies: Right Arm and Leg Paralysis, with Tongue Weakness

Graded: Lower Motor Neuronal Control of Movement
Graded: Upper Motor Neuronal Control of Movement

Movement and Motor Control: Understanding the Paradigm of Eye Movements
At this juncture in our exploration of motor control, let’s focus on one of the best studied paradigms for understanding the neural control of movement: the eye movement system.


6 videos, 1 reading expand


  1. Reading: Learning Objectives / Recommended Readings
  2. Video: Muscles and Nerves
  3. Video: Overview of Eye Movements
  4. Video: Conjugate Eye Movements
  5. Video: Disconjugate Eye Movements and Eye Movement Physiology
  6. Video: Neural Control of Saccades, part 1
  7. Video: Neural Control of Saccades, part 2

Graded: Eye Movements

WEEK 9


Movement and Motor Control: Modulation of Movement



Next, we will consider two major brain systems that modulate the output of upper motor neuronal circuits: the basal ganglia and the cerebellum. Take note: the output of these systems is NOT directed at lower motor circuits directly; rather, their output engages the motor thalamus and brainstem upper motor neuronal circuits. Thus, the actions of the basal ganglia and cerebellum are to modulate, rather than command, the activities of upper motor neurons. As you study the lessons in this module, appreciate how the basal ganglia and cerebellum function in a somewhat complementary fashion to modulate the initiation and coordination of movement, respectively.


11 videos, 2 readings expand


  1. Reading: Learning Objectives / Recommended Readings
  2. Video: Circuitry of the Basal Ganglia, part 1
  3. Video: Circuitry of the Basal Ganglia, part 2
  4. Video: Circuitry of the Basal Ganglia, part 3
  5. Video: Function of Basal Ganglia Circuitry
  6. Video: Basal Ganglia Function In Normal and Abnormal Movement
  7. Reading: Learning Objectives / Recommended Readings
  8. Video: Overview of the Cerebellum, part 1
  9. Video: Overview of the Cerebellum, part 2
  10. Video: Cerebellar Circuits, part 1
  11. Video: Cerebellar Circuits, part 2
  12. Video: Cerebellar Circuits, part 3
  13. Video: Cerebellar Function In Normal and Abnormal Movement
  14. Discussion Prompt: Lets' Discuss: Is Bigger Better?
  15. Discussion Prompt: Clinical Case Studies: NeuroLogical Case No. 3 (University of Utah) - Woman with Unsteadiness

Graded: Modulation of Movement by the Basal Ganglia
Graded: Modulation of Movement by the Cerebellum

Movement and Motor Control: Visceral Motor Control



We conclude our survey of movement and motor control by considering the visceral motor system, perhaps better known as the autonomic nervous system. As you study this lesson, consider how the disparate physiology of the viscera has impact not only on the internal state of the body, but also on implicit processing in the forebrain. We will return to this matter when we consider the neurobiology of emotions near the conclusion of Medical Neuroscience


8 videos, 1 reading expand


  1. Reading: Learning Objectives / Recommended Readings
  2. Video: Functional and Anatomical Divisions of the Visceral Motor System, part 1
  3. Video: Functional and Anatomical Divisions of the Visceral Motor System, part 2
  4. Video: Functional and Anatomical Divisions of the Visceral Motor System, part 3
  5. Video: Central Integration of Visceral Sensory and Motor Signals, part 1
  6. Video: Central Integration of Visceral Sensory and Motor Signals, part 2
  7. Video: Hypothalamus, part 1
  8. Video: Hypothalamus, part 2
  9. Video: Micturition
  10. Discussion Prompt: Clinical Case Studies: Awoke to Ptosis, Hoarseness, and Difficulty Swallowing

Graded: Visceral Motor System

WEEK 10


The Changing Brain: The Brain Across the Lifespan



This module represents another turning point in Medical Neuroscience. Now that we have surveyed human neuroanatomy and our sensory and motor systems, we are ready to take a step back and consider how this magnificent central nervous system came to be the way that it is. We will also learn how the brain re-wires itself across the lifespan as genetic specification, experience-dependent plasticity and self-organization continue to interact, re-shaping the structure and function of neural circuits throughout the central nervous system.


23 videos, 3 readings expand


  1. Reading: Learning Objectives / Recommended Readings
  2. Video: Embryological Subdivisions of the Human CNS
  3. Video: Major Forces In Early Brain Development
  4. Video: Neurulation
  5. Video: Formation of the Early CNS
  6. Video: Inductive Signaling In CNS Formation
  7. Video: Proliferation and Migration, part 1
  8. Video: Proliferation and Migration, part 2
  9. Video: Growth Cones
  10. Video: Molecular Signals for Axon Guidance, part 1
  11. Video: Molecular Signals for Axon Guidance, part 2
  12. Video: Neurotrophins
  13. Video: Neurotrophin Receptors and Synapse Formation
  14. Reading: Learning Objectives / Recommended Readings
  15. Video: Lessons from Studies of Ocular Dominance Columns, part 1
  16. Video: Lessons from Studies of Ocular Dominance Columns, part 2
  17. Video: Lessons from Studies of Orientation and Direction Preference, part 1
  18. Video: Lessons from Studies of Orientation and Direction Preference, part 2
  19. Video: Lessons from Studies of Orientation and Direction Preference, part 3
  20. Video: Neurotrophins In Developmental Plasticity
  21. Reading: Learning Objectives / Recommended Readings
  22. Video: Brain Development Across the Lifespan, part 1
  23. Video: Brain Development Across the Lifespan, part 2
  24. Video: Functional Plasticity In Cortical Maps
  25. Video: Repair and Regeneration, part 1
  26. Video: Repair and Regeneration, part 2
  27. Discussion Prompt: Clinical Case Studies: NeuroLogical Case No. 2 (University of Utah): Girl with Sudden Weakness

Graded: Early Brain Development
Graded: Developmental Plasticity of Neural Circuits In Early Life
Graded: Development, Repair and Regeneration Across the Lifespan

WEEK 11


Complex Brain Functions: Associational Cortex



It may surprise you to know that in all of our studies of the neural systems for sensation and action, we have yet to properly account for the organization and function of roughly 75% of the entire cerebral mantle. Thus, only 25% of the cerebral cortex is accounted for by the modal sensory and motor cortical areas. The majority of the human cerebral cortex is multi-modal cortex that associates signals derived from one or more modal systems. We now turn our attention to this “associational cortex” as we consider more complex aspects of brain function.


11 videos, 1 reading expand


  1. Discussion Prompt: Let's #GetNeuro: In Poetic Forms
  2. Reading: Learning Objectives / Recommended Reading
  3. Video: Overview of Cognition
  4. Video: Overview of the Associational Cortex
  5. Video: Parietal Associational Cortex, part 1
  6. Video: Parietal Associational Cortex, part 2
  7. Video: Temporal associational Cortex: Visual Recognition
  8. Video: Temporal Associational Cortex: Memory, part 1
  9. Video: Temporal Associational Cortex: Memory, part 2
  10. Video: Temporal Associational Cortex: Language, part 1
  11. Video: Temporal Associational Cortex: Language, part 2
  12. Discussion Prompt: Clinical Case Studies: ILE@D Neurological Exam Simulated Stroke Case
  13. Video: Frontal Associational Cortex: Working Memory
  14. Video: Frontal Associational cortex: Exeutive Function
  15. Discussion Prompt: Lets' Discuss: Grounded Cognition

Graded: Associational Cortex

WEEK 12


Complex Brain Functions: Sleep, Emotion and Addiction



In this concluding module of Medical Neuroscience, we will consider the neurobiology of sleep and the neurobiology of emotion, including addiction. Both topics involve explorations of complex, widely distributed systems in the forebrain and brainstem that modulate states of body and brain.


13 videos, 2 readings expand


  1. Reading: Learning Objectives / Recommended Readings
  2. Video: Overview of Sleep and Wakefulness
  3. Video: Circadian Rhythms
  4. Video: Brain Waves and Sleep Stages
  5. Video: Neural Circuits That Govern Sleep and Wakefulness, part 1
  6. Video: Neural Circuits That Govern Sleep and Wakefulness, part 2
  7. Video: Sleep Disorders
  8. Discussion Prompt: Lets' Discuss: "Higher" Brain Function
  9. Reading: Learning Objectives / Recommended Readings
  10. Video: Amygdala and Hippocampus In the Human Brain
  11. Video: Neurobiology of Emotion, part 1
  12. Video: Neurobiology of Emotion, part 2
  13. Video: Neurobiology of Emotion, part 3
  14. Video: Neurobiology of Emotion, part 4
  15. Video: Reward and Addiction, part 1
  16. Video: Reward and Addiction, part 2

Graded: Sleep and Wakefulness
Graded: Limbic Forebrain, Emotion, and Addiction

WEEK 13


Comprehensive Final Exam
This module contains materials that will help you prepare for the final challenge in Medical Neuroscience: our clinical case-based, Comprehensive Final Exam.


1 video, 1 reading, 1 practice quiz expand


  1. Reading: Preparation Notes
  2. Video: Preparing for the Comprehensive Final Exam
  3. Practice Quiz: Example Clinical Case Quiz (UNGRADED, 11 questions)

Graded: Comprehensive Final Exam, part 1 (2 cases, 13 questions)
Graded: Comprehensive Final Exam, part 2 (2 cases, 7 questions)
Graded: Comprehensive Final Exam, part 3 (2 cases, 11 questions)
Graded: Comprehensive Final Exam, part 4 (2 cases, 12 questions)

Closing Remarks
Please allow me a few more moments of your time to express my thanks for all your efforts to make it through Medical Neuroscience, and to wish you well on all your future endeavors!


1 video expand


  1. Video: Closing Remarks from Dr. White (05:44)
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