%0 Journal Article
%T Brain mapping in cognitive disorders: a multidisciplinary approach to learning the tools and applications of functional neuroimaging
%A Daniel J Kelley
%A Sterling C Johnson
%J BMC Medical Education
%D 2007
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1472-6920-7-39
%X Learning gains associated with the course were assessed using polychoric correlation analysis of responses to the SALG (Student Assessment of Learning Gains) instrument.Student gains in the functional neuroimaging of cognition as assessed by the SALG instrument were strongly associated with several aspects of the course design.Our 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.A need in medical education is to inform students about the application of a continuum of multidisciplinary imaging techniques to understand disease and to encourage physicians to take part in clinical imaging trials [1]. Higher level brain functions, such as memory, metacognition, executive abilities, language, and emotions, form the basis of adaptive and rich social interactions and their dysfunction can now be better understood through experimentation and application of advanced functional imaging techniques. With statistical analyses of images collected using functional imaging modalities, clinicians and researchers have the capability to spatially localize significant brain activation in the form of functional brain maps that convey information about the neural systems subserving aspects of cognition. 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 [2-5]. This is in contrast to radiological neuroimaging techniques like CT and MRI that are incorporated into the medical curriculum [6] and are readily used to provide information about gross structural anatomy and pathology in clinical
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6920/7/39