Neuroscience Teaching Research Articles

The background and experience of neuroscience teachers in Australian universities: A cross-sectional survey.

Neuroscience is an academic discipline taught within a broad range of university degrees and programs. The expertise and experience of neuroscience teaching staff contribute to the student's learning experience and knowledge acquisition. We undertook a survey to characterize the neuroscience teaching workforce and practices in Australian universities, and to investigate access to and deficiencies in neuroscience teaching resources and training. Two hundred neuroscience teaching staff completed our anonymous online survey. The responses indicated that neuroscience is primarily being delivered by highly qualified (86% with doctoral degrees, 27% with formal qualifications in tertiary teaching), research-active (45% were recently primary supervisors of research students) teaching academics with secure employment (77% in full-time continuing positions). There were more females (61.5%) than males (38.5%) in the sample and most respondents taught neuroscience to students enrolled in a range of degrees/programs. Most survey respondents could access an anatomy laboratory for teaching (87%) but access to specialised online resources, such as augmented reality presentations, customised game-based learning approaches, and/or online brain atlases, was limited. Most survey respondents reported they would benefit from increased access to neuroscience teaching resources and/or peer-tested teaching materials (80%), an informal network of Australian neuroscience teaching peers (64%), and/or training workshops on neuroscience teaching (59%). Approximately half of survey respondents supported the creation of national guidelines for neuroscience teaching curricula. The survey results identify specific gaps in teacher training and resources and inform the development of strategies to support tertiary teachers of neuroscience and student learning.

Incorporating evolution into neuroscience teaching

Neuroscience courses can be enriched by including an evolutionary perspective. To that end, this essay identifies several concepts critical to understanding nervous system evolution and offers numerous examples that can be used to illustrate those concepts. One critical concept is that the distribution of features among today’s species can be used to reconstruct a feature’s evolutionary history, which then makes it possible to distinguish cases of homology from convergent evolution. Another key insight is that evolution did not simply add new features to old nervous systems, leaving the old features unchanged. Instead, both new and old features have changed, and they generally did so along divergent trajectories in different lineages, not in a linear sequence. Some changes in nervous system organization can be linked to selective pressures (i.e, adaptation), especially if they occurred convergently in different lineages. However, nervous system evolution has also been subject to various constraints, which is why many neural features are, in a sense, suboptimal. An overarching theme is that evolution has brought forth tremendous diversity across all levels of the nervous system and at all levels of organization, from molecules to neural circuits and behavior. This diversity provides excellent research opportunities, but it can also complicate the extrapolation of research findings across species.

Localizing Weaknesses in Pre-Clinical Neurology Education (P4-2.006)

<h3>Objective:</h3> To explore learning barriers in Neurology during pre-clinical medical school education. <h3>Background:</h3> Historically, neurology has been perceived as a difficult discipline (Flanigan et al., 2007; Schon et al., 2002). The term “neurophobia” was conceived to describe this “fear of the neural sciences and clinical neurology that is due to the student’s inability to apply their knowledge of basic sciences to clinical situations” (Jozefowicz, 1994, p. 328). Abushouk and Duk (2016) concluded that neurophobia is a negative influencer for medical students against choosing a career in neurology. A study done by Schon et al. (2002) revealed that neurology was viewed as the most difficult specialty largely due to poor teaching. <h3>Design/Methods:</h3> A secondary qualitative analysis of pre-clinical Neurology Block evaluation data was conducted at one large U.S. medical school with a sample consisting of 199 first-year medical students enrolled in 2017–2018. Students reported which areas of the Neurology Block needed improvement, each allowed to provide multiple responses. Open, axial, and selective coding were conducted. <h3>Results:</h3> There were 397 responses. Students identified learning barriers in four major categories: Education, Instructor, Organization, and Workload. The Education category (e.g. lecture content and material quality) had the largest number of deficits at 65%. Many difficulties were attributed to the lack of clinically relevant teaching and integration of neuroscience into clinical neurology. Only 7% of students reported that the quantity of material was a problem. <h3>Conclusions:</h3> Although neurology is often perceived as difficult due to the quantity of material, only a small percentage of students reported this as a problem. Most of the barriers lie within the quality of the education itself. Our study suggests that improved integration of basic neuroscience and clinical neurology may help decrease neurophobia and improve the perception of neurology among medical students. It is hoped that this will translate into better recruitment into the field. <b>Disclosure:</b> Dr. Dunaway has nothing to disclose. Dr. Vakil has nothing to disclose. The institution of Dr. Quick has received research support from NINDS. The institution of Dr. Quick has received research support from NEALS.

The Promise of Labor-Based Grading Contracts for the Teaching of Psychology and Neuroscience

Introduction: Instructors assign grades to communicate to students how well they are learning the course content. However, students and instructors are often displeased with the process and outcome of grading. Statement of the Problem: We contend that conventional grading inadvertently detracts from student learning and simultaneously replicates systems of oppression in academia. We discuss Labor-Based Grading Contracts (LBGCs) as an alternative to conventional grading. Literature Review: We review the conceptual and empirical literature on LBGCs as an alternative method of assessing student work and extend its application to psychology and neuroscience courses. Teaching Implications: We present recommendations for implementing LBGCs and address common concerns instructors have about this approach. We also make a call for more research on LBGCs in psychology and neuroscience teaching and learning. Conclusion: LBGCs represent a promising shift in the purpose and approach to assessing student work and learning by centering laboring to learn and developing skills. LBGCs also create a more equitable grading structure for all students.

Are UK medical schools using recommended national curricula for the teaching of clinical neuroscience?

BackgroundMedical schools are responsible for training medical students to recognise and commence management for a broad spectrum of diseases, including clinical neuroscience conditions. To guide medical schools on topics that should be taught, speciality bodies have produced speciality-based core curricula. It is unknown to what extent these guidelines are used in designing each medical school’s curriculum. This survey aimed at assessing the use of these guidelines in designing clinical neuroscience curricula. MethodsThis is a national survey. A 21-item questionnaire was sent to faculty members involved in the development of the clinical neuroscience curriculum in each medical school in the UK. Data collection occurred from1st September 2020–31 st August 2021. The Association of British Neurologists (ABN) and the Royal College of Surgeons England (RCSEng) guidelines were used as a benchmark. Descriptive statistics are reported. ResultsData was collected from 91.9% of eligible UK medical schools. 61.8% respondents were aware of ABN guidelines and 35.3% were aware of RCSEng guidelines. 17/28 (60.7%) topics recommended by the guidelines were taught in the neuroscience curricula of over 90% of the medical schools. Neurologists were involved in the design of the clinical neuroscience curriculum in 94.1% (n = 32/34) of medical schools, and neurosurgeons in 61.8%. Tutorials/seminars were used by all medical schools to teach clinical neuroscience content. Neurologists were involved in teaching at all schools and neurosurgeons in 70.6%. Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)/oral examinations and single best answer (SBA)/multiple-choice question (MCQ) tests were used in all medical schools as methods of assessment. ConclusionsThere is variation between medical schools on what clinical neuroscience topics are taught and by whom. Multi-modality educational delivery was evident. Some medical schools did not currently use, advertise, or recommend external clinical neuroscience educational resources; but there was support for future use of external resources including guidelines.

Are UK medical schools using recommended national curricula for the teaching of clinical neuroscience?

Are UK medical schools using recommended national curricula for the teaching of clinical neuroscience?

Lessons Learned in Developing Virtual Neuroscience Labs.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on teaching approaches across higher education institutions. In this article, we reflect on the lessons learned designing and developing two virtual neuroscience labs and how they can positively contribute to Neuroscience teaching beyond this pandemic.

The FUN Exchange: A Community-Driven Repository of Resources for Neuroscience Educators.

Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education was facing pressure both to modify traditional instruction practices to more learner-centered instruction and to meet the increased demand for flexible instruction (including hybrid and online). These pressures have increased the need for high quality, engaging content for instruction across all modalities (including in-person, hybrid, and online). To address this need of neuroscience educators, we developed the FUN Exchange, an online repository that is accessible to educators without a paid membership and that is endorsed by the Faculty of Undergraduate Neuroscience organization. Furthermore, the resource is community-driven, allowing educators to contribute and vet submissions to the Exchange. Hosted on AirTable, there are currently more than 475 resources available that are organized by resource type ranging from Class Activities to Simulation Exercises and that can be searched by subject area as well as key words. We believe the FUN Exchange can be a one-stop shop for educators interested in high-quality neuroscience teaching resources useful for all teaching modalities-in-person, hybrid, and online.

Systemic and adipocyte transcriptional and metabolic dysregulation in idiopathic intracranial hypertension.

BACKGROUNDIdiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a condition predominantly affecting obese women of reproductive age. Recent evidence suggests that IIH is a disease of metabolic dysregulation, androgen excess, and an increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity. Here we evaluate systemic and adipose specific metabolic determinants of the IIH phenotype.METHODSIn fasted, matched IIH (n = 97) and control (n = 43) patients, we assessed glucose and insulin homeostasis and leptin levels. Body composition was assessed along with an interrogation of adipose tissue function via nuclear magnetic resonance metabolomics and RNA sequencing in paired omental and subcutaneous biopsies in a case-control study.RESULTSWe demonstrate an insulin- and leptin-resistant phenotype in IIH in excess of that driven by obesity. Adiposity in IIH is preferentially centripetal and is associated with increased disease activity and insulin resistance. IIH adipocytes appear transcriptionally and metabolically primed toward depot-specific lipogenesis.CONCLUSIONThese data show that IIH is a metabolic disorder in which adipose tissue dysfunction is a feature of the disease. Managing IIH as a metabolic disease could reduce disease morbidity and improve cardiovascular outcomes.FUNDINGThis study was supported by the UK NIHR (NIHR-CS-011-028), the UK Medical Research Council (MR/K015184/1), Diabetes UK, Wellcome Trust (104612/Z/14/Z), the Sir Jules Thorn Award, and the Midlands Neuroscience Teaching and Research Fund.

Controlling the behaviour of Drosophila melanogaster via smartphone optogenetics

Invertebrates such as Drosophila melanogaster have proven to be a valuable model organism for studies of the nervous system. In order to control neuronal activity, optogenetics has evolved as a powerful technique enabling non-invasive stimulation using light. This requires light sources that can deliver patterns of light with high temporal and spatial precision. Currently employed light sources for stimulation of small invertebrates, however, are either limited in spatial resolution or require sophisticated and bulky equipment. In this work, we used smartphone displays for optogenetic control of Drosophila melanogaster. We developed an open-source smartphone app that allows time-dependent display of light patterns and used this to activate and inhibit different neuronal populations in both larvae and adult flies. Characteristic behavioural responses were observed depending on the displayed colour and brightness and in agreement with the activation spectra and light sensitivity of the used channelrhodopsins. By displaying patterns of light, we constrained larval movement and were able to guide larvae on the display. Our method serves as a low-cost high-resolution testbench for optogenetic experiments using small invertebrate species and is particularly appealing to application in neuroscience teaching labs.

An Exploratory Study of Prevalence and Predictors of Neuromyths Among Potential Mental Health Counselors

Current neuroscience research demonstrates that counseling changes the mind and the brain. Several clinical mental health counseling (CMHC) programs are infusing neuroscience information into their curriculum. Learning about potential students' knowledge and attitudes about neuroscience could help guide these efforts. This study investigated general neuroscience knowledge, attitudes toward neuroscience, presence of neuromyths, and intention to apply neuroscien-tific knowledge among undergraduate students in the helping professions. Participants included 125 undergraduates enrolled in rehabilitation counseling, psychology, or education programs. Descriptive statistics and hierarchical regression analysis revealed the existence of neuromyths and high intention to apply correct and incorrect neuroscience knowledge. General knowledge was significantly associated with more neuromyths, but additional learning reduced neuromyths. Practical implications to improve the teaching of neuroscience to students in helping professions and to guide infusion of neuroscience in CMHC programs are discussed.

Neuromyths as a Challenge and Opportunity for the Learning and Teaching of Neuroscience

Noromitler; kritik donemler, cift dillilik ve yanallasma gibi cesitli konularda norobilim tarafindan ortaya konan olgularin yanlis anlasilmasi veya yanlis yorumlanmasiyla ortaya cikan kavram yanilgilaridir. Cesitli geleneksel ve yeni medya organlari araciligiyla saibeli icerigin erisilebilirligi ve yayilmasi, noromit iceren fikirlerin cogalmasini koruklemektedir. Dunyanin farkli bolgelerinden pek cok ogretmen ve ogrencinin bu noromitlere inanmasi norobilimsel bilginin anlamli bir sekilde ogrenilmesi ve kullanimi acisindan buyuk bir tehdit ve ayni zamanda bir firsat sunmaktadir. Bu calismada noromitler hakkinda son 15 yilda yayinlanan arastirmalar uzerinden yaygin noromitler, bunlarin yordayicilari ve sonuclari ozetlenmekte arastirma ve egitim camiasi icin noromitlerle basa cikmanin yollari sunulmaktadir. Yaygin noromitler, beynin %10'unun kullanimi, sag ve sol beyinle ogrenme, ogrenme stilleri, disleksi, klasik muzik ve dikkat gibi konulari icermektedir. Bilgi eksikligi, yuksek duzeyde ilgi ile etkisiz ogrenme ve ogretme stratejileri noromitlerin cogalmasina neden olmaktadir. Temel bilimler ile ilgili esasli bilgi birikimi olan, bilgi okuryazarligi becerisi ve etkili ogretim tekniklerine sahip ogrenci ve ogretmenler noromitlerin saptanmasi ve ortadan kaldirilmasinda daha yeterli olabilirler. Noromitlerle savasmak ve onlari bastirmak icin norobilimciler ve egitimciler isbirliklerini gelistirmeli ve ogrenciler ile ogretmenler daha etkili ogrenme ve ogretme stratejileri benimsemelidir.

Spikeling: A low-cost hardware implementation of a spiking neuron for neuroscience teaching and outreach.

Understanding how neurons encode and compute information is fundamental to our study of the brain, but opportunities for hands-on experience with neurophysiological techniques on live neurons are scarce in science education. Here, we present Spikeling, an open source in silico implementation of a spiking neuron that costs £25 and mimics a wide range of neuronal behaviours for classroom education and public neuroscience outreach. Spikeling is based on an Arduino microcontroller running the computationally efficient Izhikevich model of a spiking neuron. The microcontroller is connected to input ports that simulate synaptic excitation or inhibition, to dials controlling current injection and noise levels, to a photodiode that makes Spikeling light sensitive, and to a light-emitting diode (LED) and speaker that allows spikes to be seen and heard. Output ports provide access to variables such as membrane potential for recording in experiments or digital signals that can be used to excite other connected Spikelings. These features allow for the intuitive exploration of the function of neurons and networks mimicking electrophysiological experiments. We also report our experience of using Spikeling as a teaching tool for undergraduate and graduate neuroscience education in Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

Neurociência cognitiva na sala de aula: estratégias de ensino de Língua Espanhola

Apresentamos, neste artigo, uma análise de atividades de um material didático elaborado para o ensino de leitura em Língua Espanhola (PINHO, 2015b) que tem como base conceitos da Neurociência Cognitiva (COSENZA; GUERRA, 2011) e do ensino e aprendizagem de leitura (LEFFA, 1996; SCHLATTER, 2009). O objetivo deste trabalho é analisar algumas atividades e estratégias de ensino de Língua Espanhola utilizadas em aulas aplicadas pela pesquisadora na referida pesquisa e observar como elas contribuem com o ensino e a aprendizagem de leitura em língua espanhola. A análise das atividades foi feita com base nos conceitos neurocientíficos de funções cognitivas (percepção, memória, funções executivas e funções expressivas) e em estudos sobre o desenvolvimento da habilidade da leitura. Foi possível verificar que as atividades de compreensão leitora analisadas buscam desenvolver as funções cognitivas durante o processo de aprendizagem da leitura em língua espanhola, além de estimularem o uso de estratégias de leitura.

Life science-based neuroscience education at large Western Public Universities.

The last 40 years have seen a remarkable increase in the teaching of neuroscience at the undergraduate level. From its origins as a component of anatomy or physiology departments to its current status as an independent interdisciplinary field, neuroscience has become the chosen field of study for many undergraduate students, particularly for those interested in medical school or graduate school in neuroscience or related fields. We examined how life science-based neuroscience education is offered at large public universities in the Western United States. By examining publicly available materials posted online, we found that neuroscience education may be offered as an independent program, or as a component of biological or physiological sciences at many institutions. Neuroscience programs offer a course of study involving a core series of courses and a collection of topical electives. Many programs provide the opportunity for independent research, or for laboratory-based training in neuroscience. Features of neuroscience programs at Western universities closely matched those seen at the top 25 public universities, as identified by U.S. News & World Report. While neuroscience programs were identified in many Western states, there were several states in which public universities appeared not to provide opportunities to major in neuroscience. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Improving the quality of psychiatry teaching within the UK undergraduate medical curriculum.

Dear editor We read with great interest the article by Shah,1 which outlines various approaches to increase the exposure of undergraduate medical students to specialties such as psychiatry. While Shah1 makes valid suggestions to tackle this issue without altering the undergraduate medical school curriculum, we believe that there is scope for significant improvements within the curriculum for psychiatry in particular. To initiate this process, the first step may be to acknowledge the intrinsic attitudes of medical students toward psychiatry. Misconceptions among medical students include perceiving psychiatry as emotionally challenging with difficult patients, being taught from an insufficient evidence base, and having a lack of prestige within the medical profession.2 The extracurricular exposure to psychiatry proposed by Shah1 would mainly target students with a pre-existing interest in psychiatry. In comparison, fundamental changes within the psychiatry curriculum of medical schools may have an impact on a larger proportion of the student body. Typically, psychiatry is taught in the later years of medical school. However, an early exposure to this vital specialty can be achieved via the integration of psychiatric components into teaching of other specialties. For example, medical students can be encouraged to adopt a more holistic approach during problem-based learning (PBL) sessions by considering the pertinent psychiatric aspects as learning objectives. McParland et al3 compared the effectiveness of PBL with traditional undergraduate psychiatry teaching at University College London and concluded that students showed better academic performance with the PBL course. In this case, although the attitudes of students toward psychiatry remained largely unchanged, the PBL teaching style enabled more effective learning of the subject, which translated into an improved clinical performance and knowledge base. Additionally, teaching of psychiatric conditions could be incorporated into the preclinical neuroscience course in order to explore the scientific basis of psychiatry. With the development of psychiatric neuroscience, residency training programs in the US have also started placing more importance on neuroscience education within psychiatry.4 Similar incorporation of psychiatry into neuroscience teaching in medical schools would allow students to appreciate the role of neuroscience in psychiatric practice early in their medical training. Importantly, this may also allow misconceptions about psychiatry to be dispelled early in medical school. Furthermore, Manassis et al5 highlighted that initial interest is a major factor influencing the choice of psychiatry as a specialty. Thus, early exposure to psychiatry in medical schools would also enable earlier identification of interested students, who can then be encouraged to pursue psychiatry. Other novel teaching techniques include the use of popular media such as clips from television programs6 to encourage discussion about the widespread presence of mental illness, alongside textbooks to consolidate learning. This was adopted in the development of a seminar program, at the University of Nebraska by McNeilly and Wengel,6 utilizing short vignettes from the television program “ER” to effectively demonstrate the practical applications of psychotherapeutic techniques and communication skills to medical students. Finally, an effective way to enhance the quality of psychiatry placements would be to involve teaching-oriented psychiatrists, without necessarily increasing the length of placements. To support this, a survey conducted among medical students reported that their attitudes toward psychiatry improved with encouragement from senior psychiatrists or if they were particularly inspired by a member of the psychiatric team during clinical attachments.7 Hence, practising physicians may be encouraged to reflect upon their impact on the attitudes of students and their future interest in pursuing psychiatry. We believe these suggestions would ultimately have minimal logistical and financial implications and can be easily incorporated into the curriculum of medical students. As junior doctors, we are highly likely to encounter patients with mental illnesses, as it affects over 25% of the population.8 Therefore, a solid understanding of psychiatry is crucial, regardless of the speciality that we ultimately pursue.

Deficient neuroscience teaching in the basic science curriculum, is this the origin of the neurophobia?

Deficient neuroscience teaching in the basic science curriculum, is this the origin of the neurophobia?

"The time is now": Integrating neuroscience into psychiatry training.

This is an extraordinary time for psychiatry, as new research in neuroscience is re-defining the essence of how we conceptualize psychiatric illness. In this issue, Torous et al. (2015) have written a significant paper that captures at once the excitement of new work in the field and the importance of meaningfully incorporating this perspective into both clinical and educational settings. The authors also review some of the many challenges to doing so effectively. The authors’ work comes at a time when many academics are wrestling with this same question and the authors refer to various ongoing efforts seeking to address this practice gap. One such program is the National Neuroscience Curriculum Initiative (Ross et al., 2015; www.NNCIonline.org). The NNCI was formally launched in March of 2014 with the overarching goal of creating a set of open resources that will help improve the teaching of neuroscience in psychiatry. Similar to Torous et al.’s goal of helping trainees ‘‘bridge, in real-time, brain-symptom relationships in psychiatry’’, the NNCI sets as a central objective that ‘‘residents will incorporate a modern neuroscience perspective as a core component of every formulation and treatment plan.’’ Additional learning objectives relate to relevant knowledge, attitudes towards neuroscience, and specific behavioral skills – including that residents will be able to serve as Ambassadors of Neuroscience who can thoughtfully communicate findings from the field to different audiences. The core work of the NNCI has been the creation of educational resources that can be used as in-class teaching and learning activities for residency programs. The guiding principles for these resources are: to maintain an integrative, patient centered approach; to teach well, by applying adult learning theory; and

The importance of teaching neuroscience to psychiatric residents in the context of psychological formulations.

Drs. Torous, Stern, Padmanabhan, Keshavan and Perez are to be congratulated for defining and describing a psychiatric resident training program to encourage neuroscience learning. As these authors eloquently describe, specific knowledge of brain function is beginning to clarify our understanding of some, if not many, psychiatric disorders. The authors are careful to point out that our expanding neuroscience information base has not yet yielded reliable and always reproducible clinical treatment results, but the emerging data are encouraging. As the authors indicate, we now understand specific functions of many brain anatomical sites, their inter-site circuitry, their genetic origin, as well as the microcircuitry that is necessary for the extraordinary communication between neuronal pathways throughout the brain. The authors then provide a clinical example of neuroscience teaching using a clinical example: the neurological basis of symptoms of a depressed patient and the application of this information to suggest new and more specific therapeutic approaches. I was particularly taken by the analogy of impaired brain circuitry with an urban traffic jam that may have many causes: dysfunctional traffic signals (circuit nodes), street and highway construction (pathways), impaired road materials (neurotransmitters), and planning (genes). Together, dysfunction in these areas can bring traffic to a standstill, somewhat like some psychiatric disorders. Other traffic problems may contribute to broken restraints and traffic guidelines leading to wild and disorganized driving and potential mayhem. But here is where the analogy may become simplistic and potentially misleading, as is, I believe, the forecast of neuroscience based treatment that will finally bring about development of more effective psychiatric treatments. Automobile traffic may be halted by many different

Evaluation of the contribution of theatre attendance to medical undergraduate neuroscience teaching – A pilot study

Introduction. Medical students often attend the neurosurgical theatre during their clinical neurosciences attachment. However, few studies have been performed to objectively assess the value of this theatre-based learning experience. The main aim of this study was to explore student perceptions on the contribution of neurosurgical theatre attendance to clinical neuroscience teaching. Materials and methods. Third-year medical students undergoing their 2-week clinical neurosciences rotation at the Royal Hospitals Belfast were invited to participate in this study. A multi-method strategy was employed using a survey questionnaire comprising of closed and open-ended questions followed by semi-structured interviews to gain a greater ‘in-depth’ analysis of the potential contribution of neurosurgical theatre attendance to neuroscience teaching. Results. Based on the completed survey responses of 22 students, the overall experience of neurosurgical theatre-based learning was a positive one. ‘In-depth’ analysis from semi-structured interviews indicated that students felt that some aspects of their neurosurgical theatre attendance could be improved. Better preparation such as reading up on the case in hand and an introduction to simple theatre etiquette to put the student at ease (in particular, for students who had never attended theatre previously), would improve the learning experience. In addition, having an expectation of what students are expected to learn in theatre making it more learning outcomes-based would probably make it feel a more positive experience by the student. Conclusions. The vast majority of students acknowledged the positive learning outcomes of neurosurgical theatre attendance and felt that it should be made a mandatory component of the curriculum.