Limbic Brain Anatomy Course (2-day)

Course Overview

This is an advanced structural and functional neuroanatomy course, presented in a very clear, logical and memorable style.

• Focuses on the limbic lobe, hippocampus, amygdala, prefrontal cortex and ‘limbic’ loops of the basal ganglia
• Includes the basal forebrain / substantia innominata, ‘extended amygdala’ and diffuse neurochemical systems
• Emphasises core limbic brain structures of central importance in clinical neurology, psychiatry and the imaging neurosciences
• Ideal revision material for the neuroscience component of the MRCPsych examination

Course director:
Dr Paul Johns, BSc BM MSc FAcadMEd FRSB FRCPath

Consultant Neuropathologist

Reader in Clinical Neuroanatomy

Who is the course suitable for?

Anyone with an interest in the anatomical basis of emotion, cognition, memory and behaviour, including:

• neuroscientists, psychologists and imaging scientists interested in or conducting research in emotion, cognition, memory or behaviour
• NHS consultants and trainees (all grades), medical students and related healthcare professionals in psychiatry, clinical neurology / neurosciences
• Trainees in neurology, psychiatry and neurosurgery, including specialty trainees preparaing for the MRCPsych examination

Course Programme

This course provides a clear and focused review of the ‘limbic brain’, focusing on the anatomy of cognition, behaviour, memory and emotion.

It is ideal for delegates who have already attended the 3-day programme or who already have a good understanding of basic brain anatomy.

Topics include the history of the ‘limbic system’ concept, the limbic lobe, cingulate region (four-region model), hippocampal formation, fimbria-fornix, prefrontal cortex and orbitofrontal region, septal area and amygdala, including the concept of the ‘extended amygdala’.

The programme includes up-to-date accounts of the basal forebrain, substantia innominata, reticular formation and diffuse neurochemical systems.

It also covers the functional anatomy of the basal ganglia/ventral striatum and their relevance to neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases – including the parallel cognitive, motor and affective loops that form the interface between thought, emotion and action.