Veterinary Neurobiology is a two-credit core course in the veterinary curriculum. It is taught to first-year veterinary students during the first six weeks of the second semester. The course consists of 18 lectures, 8 labs (22 hours), and two exams. Approval of instructors is required for CVM 6120 registration.

Veterinary Neurobiology focuses on the anatomy and physiology of the central nervous system (brain & spinal cord) and special senses (eye, ear, olfaction, & taste). The canine brain is used to present neuronatomy, with particular reference to clinical localization of lesions. Following neurohistology and neuroembryology considerations, neuroanatomy is studied on sections of canine brains and embalmed canine and sheep brains. (Peripheral nervous system is studied in gross anatomy, a prerequisite course.)

 

Course Administration:
         Instructors
         Class Schedule & Syllabus
         Textbooks
         Examinations
         Grading
         Lecture and Lab Presentations
         Computer-Assisted Instruction

 

Instructors:

         A. J. Beitz, PhD (Office: 235b AS/VM; Phone: 624-1768; E-mail: beitz001@umn.edu)  

        T. F. Fletcher, DVM, PhD (Office: 235c AS/VM; Phone: 624-9765; E-mail: fletc003@umn.edu)

        C. Pacharinsak, DVM (Office: 235b AS/VM; Phone: 624-1768; E-mail: pacha003@umn.edu)

        P. J. Skinner, PhD (Office: 339 VetSci; Phone: 624-2644; E-mail: skinn002@umn.edu)

        L. Vulchanova-Hart, PhD (Office: 235c AS/VM; Phone: 624-2644; E-mail: vulch001@umn.edu)

 

Class schedule and Syllabus:
CVM 6120 Veterinary Neurobiology is taught during the first six weeks of the second semester. Classes meet Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 1:00 PM in room 125 AS/VM. Labs are held in 104 AS/VM on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. The CVM 6120 Schedue lists topics per class period. Schedule of Classes). The CVM 6120 Syllabus presents information repeated on this web page.

Click to view (as pdf files) the following administrative handouts that students receive:
       Schedule of Classes
       Syllabus

 

Textbooks:
A text book is not neccessary for this course, aside from the Class Notes and Laboratory Guide that students purchase and Guide to the Dissection of the Dog (sixth edition, 2004, by H.E. Evans and A. deLahunta. W.B. Saunders Company, Philadelphia).
The following textbook resources are available on reserve in the Veterinary Library:

• DeLahunta A, Veterinary Neuroanatomy and Clinical Neurology (1983). Because this book is organized somewhat differently than the course, it offers another perspective. A strength of the book is its clinical content which is useful later in the curriculum.
• Jenkins TW, Functional Mammalian Anatomy (1978). This text is nicely organized and offers comprehensive presentation of neuroanatomy, but it is now out of print.
• Beitz AJ & Fletcher TF, Brain and Spinal Cord Chapters in Anatomy of the Dog course, but it has some nice illustrations.
• Any anatomy or physiology text will present nervous system function and structure.

 

Examinations:
There will be two examinations in the course a midterm and a final, each accounting for 50% of the course grade. Each exam will consist of a written test worth 30% of the course grade and a practical test (on gross brain and glass slide material) worth 20%.

 

Grading:
       Letter grades will be assigned on a percentage basis as follows:
             A = 90-100%
             B = 80-89%
             C = 70-79%
             D = 65-69%
             F = below 65%

 

Lecture and Lab Presentations:

       Lecture:             

1. You will be tested on the content of the printed lecture notes produced by CVM 6120 faculty.
   Small-type item are less likely to be on the exam than large-type items.
         (You may click to view the lecture notes as pdf files at screen resolution (72 ppi): Neurobiology Lecture Notes)
2. You will not be tested on the Clinical Neurology session presented by Dr. Hardy from the Small Animal Clinical Science Department.

       Laboratory:

1. Lab introductions will be given in Rm. 125 at the start of each lab.
2. For each Laboratory, the CVM 6120 Laboratory Guide that you purchased provides instructions regarding the subject matter to be studied on gross brains and glass slides. You will be tested on the underlined & bold terms in the Guide. The terms your must know are summarized in a Neuroanatomy Lab Terms List.
3. Lab demonstration material will be displayed during each Lab period for purposes of subject matter clarification and enrichment.

      You may click to view (as 72 ppi screen-resolution pdf files) the following Lab documents that students purchase:
       Laboratory Guide
       Neuroanatomy Lab Terms

 

Computer-Assisted Instruction:

Web-based Courseware:
The following web sites are available for independent study. They are accessed via the Veterinary Anatomy Web Site.

Canine Brain Transections
A web site presenting sixteen transverse sections through a canine brain with dynamic labels depicting structures that students are expected to identify per brain section. Two modes of identification are available: select a name & see the structure or select a structure & see its name.

Brain Gross Anatomy
A web site presenting a variety of gross anatomical images of brains of domestic animals. Images are organized by anatomical region and by viewing perspective. Each image has an accompanying caption. Labels can be toggled on/off.

Neurohistology ATLAS
A web site that presents a variety of neurohistology images with captions. Via two-way links, a catalog of small images is available to locate large images with full captions.

Video-clips of Clinical Neurology Cases
A web site that makes video-clips of patients exhibiting neurology disorders available to faculty and students.

CVM 6120 Neurobiology Labs — Preview & Review Images
A a web site presenting neuroanatomy information related to each of eight Neurobiology Labs. Content in the form of images with captions, including links to other images, is organized per Lab.

CVM 6120 Lab1: Neurohistology
A web site that duplicates Lab I of the CVM 6120 Laboratory Guide, presenting color images that correspond to the black & white images included in the Lab Guide. Each section of the Lab Guide is a page in the web site.

CVM 6120 Lab2: Spinal Cord Anatomy
A web site that corresponds to Lab 2 of the CVM 6120 Laboratory Guide, developed to present spinal cord anatomy via color images, including gross anatomy, segment-vertebrae relationships, meninges, blood supply, histology of spinal gray and white matter, and spinal tracts.

CVM 6120 Lab3: Brain Anatomy Introduction
A web site that corresponds to Lab 3 of the CVM 6120 Laboratory Guide, developed to present beginning brain anatomy from different perspectives via a variety of color images of brain dissections and transections. The site is regionally organized corresponding to sections of the printed Lab Guide.

CVM 6120 Lab6: Cerebellum
A web site that expands Lab 6 of the CVM 6120 Laboratory Guide, developed to present cerebellar anatomy and function via diagrams and images of brain dissections and tissue sections.

CVM 6120 Neurobiology Lectures
CVM 6120 Neurobiology lecture presentations in PDF file format are made available temporarily for the benefit of students who missed class.

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