Neuroanatomy
Full course description
In this skill course, students will be introduced to the anatomy of the central and peripheral nervous systems. Students will learn about both the macro- and the microanatomy of the brain through a series of practical meetings. While the focus is on the human brain, students will also make comparisons with the anatomy of the sheep and rodent brain and other species, since these serve as important models in contemporary neuroscience. In these practical meetings, students will literally put their hands on the brain. They will get the chance to acquire hands-on experience in making sheep brain preparations. During a virtual microscopy training students will study the histology of different parts of the human and rodent brain. Furthermore, students will study real human and/or rodent brain sections performing an immunohistochemical staining. This will be a unique experience in which students will study and compare brain cells in different brain structures.
The final assessment for this course is a numerical grade between 0,0 and 10,0.
Course objectives
- describe the structural organization of the central nervous system
- localize the different subcortical structures, ventricles and main fibre tracts in 3D models and in 2D images or sections
- explain the cellular organization of the cerebral cortex and of the diffuse modulatory system
- specify the neuroanatomic differences between the human, sheep and rodent brain
- understand the principles of the different staining methods for microscopic analysis of brain sections, and specifically describe the procedure of an immunohistochemical staining
- understand and solve problems with equipment or procedures, report observations, and honestly report on possible problems with equipment, procedures or observations;
- work together in a small group to operate equipment and perform procedures in the anatomy laboratory, while addressing feedback from the supervisor (and from peers) constructively.