Brain mapping in cognitive disorders: a multidisciplinary approach to learning the tools and applications of functional neuroimaging

Daniel J Kelley,Sterling C Johnson

doi:10.1186/1472-6920-7-39

Abstract

BackgroundWith rapid advances in functional imaging methods, human studies that feature functional neuroimaging techniques are increasing exponentially and have opened a vast arena of new possibilities for understanding brain function and improving the care of patients with cognitive disorders in the clinical setting. There is a growing need for medical centers to offer clinically relevant functional neuroimaging courses that emphasize the multifaceted and multidisciplinary nature of this field. In this paper, we describe the implementation of a functional neuroimaging course focusing on cognitive disorders that might serve as a model for other medical centers. We identify key components of an active learning course design that impact student learning gains in methods and issues pertaining to functional neuroimaging that deserve consideration when optimizing the medical neuroimaging curriculum.MethodsLearning gains associated with the course were assessed using polychoric correlation analysis of responses to the SALG (Student Assessment of Learning Gains) instrument.ResultsStudent gains in the functional neuroimaging of cognition as assessed by the SALG instrument were strongly associated with several aspects of the course design.ConclusionOur implementation of a multidisciplinary and active learning functional neuroimaging course produced positive learning outcomes. Inquiry-based learning activities and an online learning environment contributed positively to reported gains. This functional neuroimaging course design may serve as a useful model for other medical centers.

Highlights

With rapid advances in functional imaging methods, human studies that feature functional neuroimaging techniques are increasing exponentially and have opened a vast arena of new possibilities for understanding brain function and improving the care of patients with cognitive disorders in the clinical setting
This is in contrast to radiological neuroimaging techniques like CT and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) that are incorporated into the medical curriculum [6] and are readily used to provide information about gross structural anatomy and pathology in clinical diagnosis
Student responses to the Student Assessment of Learning Gains (SALG) questions focusing on student neuroimaging cognition and course design are reported in Table 1 as means (+/- SD) and percentage frequency of Likert scaled responses

Summary

Introduction

With rapid advances in functional imaging methods, human studies that feature functional neuroimaging techniques are increasing exponentially and have opened a vast arena of new possibilities for understanding brain function and improving the care of patients with cognitive disorders in the clinical setting. Functional brain mapping topics have yet to be incorporated into the curriculum at most medical centers even though these techniques have demonstrated great clinical potential for advancing medical practice by informing physicians about the function of scanned brain structures [2,3,4,5]. In order to understand the distinctive features of structural and functional imaging methodologies and to catalyze the translation of functional neuroimaging techniques from the research laboratory into clinical applications for patient care, physicians require a practical understanding of the entire functional imaging process from experimental design to the interpretation of statistical brain activation maps [7]

Methods

Results

Conclusion