CIRCUITRY OF THE HUMAN BRAIN
ANAT 321
Meets:
Monday 8:30 - 9:30 a.m.
Friday 8:30 - 9:30 a.m.
Laboratory 9:30 - ll:30 a.m.
Each of the 6 laboratory exercises will be given for 2 consecutive weeks.
That half of the class whose last names begin with the letters A - J should go
to the lab the first week (Sept. 14). Those with last names beginning with the
letters K - Z should go the second week ( Sept. 21). There are a total of 4
laboratory exercises and 2 review sessions. Tutorial sessions will be held
weekly for the half of the class not in lab.
Location:
Lectures – ADAMS AUDITORIUM
Laboratories - Room 1/56 (Histology Lab), Strathcona
Tutorials – Rutherford Physics Building, room 114
Text: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:
1. Clinical Neuroanatomy Made Ridiculously Easy, by S. Goldberg
(MedMaster, Inc., Miami)
Grades and Examinations:
Midterm Exam (not for credit)
Laboratory Final Exam (Dec. 3) - 25% of
final mark
Written Final Exam - 75% of final mark
Instructor:
Dr. J.R. Brawer
Tel. 398-6331
email james.brawer@mcgill.ca
Office hours: 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. - Mon. Tues., Wed.
Strathcona room M/2
McGill University values academic integrity. Therefore all students must
understand the meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and
other academic offences under the Code of Student Conduct and
Disciplinary Procedures (see http://www.mcgill.ca/integrity/ for more
information).
ANAT 321
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Course content
ANAT 321 (Circuitry of the Human Brain) is designed to acquaint students
with the structure and function of the brain and spinal cord. The sequence of
subjects to be covered is detailed in the calendar. The course begins with the
spinal cord, in which major concepts in somatosensory/motor function,
neural architecture, and neuronal processing are introduced, and proceeds to
more complex, higher levels of the central nervous system. The course
borrows from the fields of clinical neurology and neuropsychology to
illustrate important functional implications of the structures under study.
Functional neuroanatomy is rich in philosophical implications and some of
these are identified and briefly explored.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students should be familiar with the neuronal
organization of the human central nervous system (CNS), including
pathways, neuronal architecture (nuclei, cortex) and connections. Students
should understand the interrelationships between CNS structures and how
specific anatomical systems support behaviours and functional capacities.
Instructional Method
The material covered in class will be delivered in a lecture format. There is
no required reading. A short text is recommended in the syllabus as an aid to
understanding the course material (which can be quite complex). Lecture
slides will be posted (in powerPoint and PDF formats) well in advance of
each lecture. It is highly recommend that students use printouts of the slides
on which to take notes. Lectures will be recorded and posted online.
Lectures are intended to be interactive. Don’t be shy to speak up in
class.
Weekly tutorials alternate with Labs (see page 1) Tutorials are informal open
sessions for discussing any topic of concern to students. It is highly
recommended that students attend.
Weekly Laboratory sessions (see page 1) are conducted in small groups in
the Histology laboratory of the Department. The lab exercises are digital.
Assignments
There are no assignments in this course. It should be emphasized, once
again, that the course material is quite complex and the individual subjects
are extensively interrelated. The course is arranged in a hierarchical fashion
for very sound pedagogic reasons. Students who do not have a firm
understanding of the spinal cord, don’t stand a chance with the brainstem.
Students who are not thoroughly familiar with the brainstem and ancillary
structures can’t begin to understand higher levels of neuronal organization
and processing. You get the idea.
YOUR ONLY ASSIGNMENT IS TO KEEP UP WITH THE
MATERIAL. GO TO TUTORIALS. DON’T HESITATE TO ASK THE
INSTRUCTOR (PHONE, EMAIL, OR OFFICE VISIT) ABOUT
ANYTHING THAT YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND.
Evaluations
The final written examination is based exclusively on material given in
lectures. It a 3 hour, multiple choice examination consisting of 70 to 80
questions. A sample format is posted on the course web site. The laboratory
examination consists of identification of structures that will be projected on
the screen. The examination consists of 10 slides, 5 of which are pictures of
gross brain prosections and 5 of which are of myelin-stained sections. On
each slide, the students must identify 2 indicated structures such that overall,
there are 20 questions