Overview

Most of the course is focused mainly on neurological and psychiatric disorders affecting adult populations. The list of disorders reviewed include:

1. Dementia, including Alzheimer's Disease, Lewy Body Dementia, Vascular Dementia, Fronto-Temporal Dementias.
2. Traumatic Brain Injury.
3. Epilepsy.
4. Stroke
5. Autism Spectrum Disorders.
6. Neurorehabilitation

Additional two lectures are specifically dedicated to the discussion of principles of Neurorehabilitation.

Most of the course is focused mainly on neurological and psychiatric disorders affecting adult populations. The list of disorders reviewed include: 1. Dementia, including Alzheimer's Disease, Lewy Body Dementia, Vascular Dementia, Fronto-Temporal Dementias. 2. Traumatic Brain Injury. 3. Epilepsy. 4. Stroke 5. Autism Spectrum Disorders. 6. Neurorehabilitation

Additional two lectures are specifically dedicated to the discussion of principles of Neurorehabilitation.

Assessment Strategy

-threshold -(C) The student will be able to summarise the main point of a published clinical papers published in the peer-reviewed literature. The student will know the main epidemiological features of common disorders. The student will be able to detail the causes of various neurocognitive disorders. The student will be able to report the major diagnostic criteria of various neurocognitive disorders. The student will be able to differentiate among main cognitive disturbances of memory, attentional and language. The student will have general understanding of the main pathways to recovery in brain injured patients.

-good -(B) The student will demonstrate the ability to summarise the main rationale, findings and conclusions of studies published in the peer-reviewed literature concerning the consequences of brain disorders on cognitive, physical and emotional function, their treatment and assessment. The student will recognize common major confounds in clinical studies. The student will demonstrate understanding of the research criteria used in the differential diagnosis of major neurocognitive disorders. The student will demonstrate knowledge of the epidemiology, pathology and anatomy pertinent to different brain disorders. The student will demonstrate a good grasp of the main neuropsychological assessments available to determine the integrity of different cognitive and emotional domains. The student will understand and be able to relate major neurocognitive disorders to their most frequently encountered neuropsychological sequelae.

-excellent -(A) The student will demonstrate the ability to summarise and critically appraise the rationale, findings and conclusions of studies published in the peer-reviewed literature concerning the consequences of brain disorders on cognitive, physical and emotional function, their treatment and assessment. The student will demonstrate full grasp of research criteria used in the differential diagnosis of major neurocognitive disorders and their use in specific cases. The student will demonstrate detailed knowledge of the epidemiology, pathology and network anatomy pertinent to different brain disorders. The student will demonstrate a good understanding of how neuropsychological assessments can be used to determine the integrity, or lack thereof, of different cognitive and emotional domains. The student will understand and be able to relate major neurocognitive disorders to their most frequently encountered neuropsychological sequelae.

Learning Outcomes

• Be able to search the published medical literature for evidence relevant to clinical practice and assess it critically.

• Demonstrate knowledge of the basic facts concerning the epidemiology of major neuro-behavioral disorders. Epidemiological concepts such as incidence, prevalence etc are explained and used throughout the course. Similarly, indexes of diagnostic quality such as sensitivity, specificity, negative and positive predictive value are used to define the quality of diagnostic criteria and tools.

• Demonstrate knowledge of the common cognitive and psychiatric consequence of major neurological disorders. Major neurological disorders are commonly associated with a number of cognitive and psychological abnormalities, including mood disorders, psychosis anxiety etc. Studnets are introduced to the diagnostic criteria used in identifying these conditions and recognising their features.

• Understand the natural history of neurological disorders. Most neurological disorders change over time, either because of progression of the underlying pathology or neural plasticity.

• Understand the principles underlying functional recovery from CNS injury. Neural recovery and adaptation to brain injury is a universal aspect of the natural course of disorders such as TBI< stroke and focal epilepsy. Students need to be aware of general principles of neural plasticity and their implication for neural recovery.

• Understand the role of diagnostic criteria in clinical assessments. All major neurological disorders have had diagnostic criteria drawn up, to help clinicians reach consistent diagnosis. Students are familiarised with a number of such criteria and their evolution over time.