HEALTH SCIENCES

Functional Neuroanatomy
Contents
03 Why Cambridge
Advance Online?
04 Welcome to Functional
Neuroanatomy
05 What you will learn 
on the course?
08 The learning journey 
10 Learning breakdown 
11 Course modules 
13 Meet your tutor 
14 Technical requirements 
14 Course certification

advanceonline.cam.ac.uk
Why Cambridge
Advance Online?
We are delighted to offer this exciting programme of short online courses for
03

FUNCTIONAL NEUROANATOMY
professionals, giving you the opportunity to harness the latest research, innovation
and thinking that the University of Cambridge has to offer.

Cambridge Advance Online brings together the academic strength of the

University, and the publishing and assessment strengths of Cambridge University
Press and Cambridge Assessment, allowing you to develop your skills and
specialise in emerging areas that address global challenges.

Our certificated courses will reflect the Cambridge experience and values, with
low student to tutor ratios and academically rigorous standards. They will allow
you to engage directly with academics at Cambridge and are centred on rich
interaction between students and subject experts. Each course will offer you
the opportunity to join live sessions with academics and interact in collaborative
exercises with learners worldwide.

The University of Cambridge is committed to supporting lifelong learning

and, through Cambridge Advance Online, has invested in the latest education
technology to provide professionals with the very best experience wherever they
are in the world and at any stage of their career.

We look forward to welcoming you onto one of our courses and to our global
community of learners.

Professor Andy Neely OBE

Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Enterprise and Business Relations
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Welcome to
Functional Neuroanatomy

04
The human brain is fascinating, with extraordinary breadth of function.
But it is also complex, and there are devastating consequences in
brain injury and disease. In this course we focus on the organisation
and structure of important functional systems in the human brain
and spinal cord, and their clinical significance.
If you are a medical student then a deep understanding of human neuroanatomy will
be essential if you are considering a future in neurosurgery, neurology, psychiatry or
neuroradiology. A confident knowledge of neuroanatomy will also help you in general
practice, where neurological and psychiatric disorders are often first detected. If you are
a qualified doctor, we know that you continue updating your knowledge and skills through
regular CPD and we hope that this course will be an informative and enjoyable way for you
to do that. Perhaps you have not studied neuroanatomy for a while, or perhaps you are
moving into a new specialty where neuroanatomy is important: in either case, this course will
suit you. We welcome professionals from all areas of medicine who wish to improve their
knowledge of the human brain and spinal cord. We also welcome research and industrial
scientists working in the field of neuroscience. If you study model brain systems from other
species, or work on computer models of the brain, we hope that our course will help you
relate your research to human brain structure and function and in doing so it may help you
to identify exciting new research and development questions and funding opportunities.

We aim to deliver a course that builds up your neuroanatomical knowledge and confidence,
initially looking at the macro- and microstructure of the brain, and different ways to visualise
this, and then focussing on sensory systems, the control of movement and higher brain
functions such as emotion and memory. We strive to make neuroanatomy enjoyable, rather
than a chore, through interactive tasks and clinical puzzles. The four Cambridge academics
who have designed this course are actively engaged in neuroscience research and between
us we have published studies on the anatomy, physiology and behavioural significance of
olfactory pathways, spinal cord, cerebellum, midbrain, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, primary
motor cortex, hippocampus and frontal lobes. Between us we have more than 60 years
of neuroanatomy teaching experience. We hope that you will enjoy learning neuroanatomy
with us and make lasting professional connections in medicine and neuroscience research.

Sue Jones, PhD

Associate Professor/ Senior Lecturer, University of Cambridge

advanceonline.cam.ac.uk
Course summary

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FUNCTIONAL NEUROANATOMY
Timetable: Discover how key anatomical features of the
September | January | April | June brain and spinal cord underlie functions and
how damage to these structures can lead
to specific functional deficits, for example,
Subject area: due to stroke, trauma or neurodegenerative
Health sciences disease. Through a series of videos and
images from the University of Cambridge
Format and length: dissecting rooms, you’ll be able to visualise
6 weeks | 8 hours per week* brain structure at different levels and explore
the regions of the brain involved in sensory,
motor, emotional and cognitive function.

Neuroscience is one of the fastest growing This course will provide you with the
areas of life sciences with functional knowledge to identify brain and spinal cord
neuroanatomy (the study of the structure pathology and the associated clinical signs
and function of the brain) becoming an in patients. It will give you the confidence
important area of study for the clinical to apply this knowledge to clinical scenarios,
practice of neurosurgery, neurology, through practice with real-life examples in
neuroradiology and psychiatry. clinical puzzles and hands-on activities.

Our Functional Neuroanatomy course

is certified by The Society of British
Neurological Surgeons as conforming
to continuing professional development
principles. This course has an estimated
48 hours of learning.

*Times are estimated and may be influenced by individual learner circumstances.

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What you will learn

on the course?

06
Upon successful completion of this course,
you will be able to:

– Describe different regions of the brain,

differentiate their function and evaluate Is this course
their potential clinical relevance.
right for you?
– Compare and differentiate different
methods of live macroscopic imaging
This course will be of interest to,
of human brain structure and vasculature;
but not limited to, the following:
interpret images.
– Pre-clinical medical students
– Identify, map and label key functional
structures and pathways in the brain. – Junior doctors

– Recognise, analyse and interpret – Registrars

microscopic brain structure.
– Allied health professionals
– Identify sites of injury based on clinical
signs and symptoms, brain images and – Graduate students
patient history.
– Professionals in research
and industry who need an
introduction to brain anatomy
with a functional emphasis

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FUNCTIONAL NEUROANATOMY
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The learning
journey

08
Cambridge Advance Online courses are delivered over 6 to 8 consecutive
weeks (dependent on the programme), with each week’s content following
a clear, deliverable path to help facilitate learning.

Orientation Week 1 Week 2 Week 3

You will get access to
familiarise yourself with
our learning platform,
Canvas, start networking
with peers and hear from
your course leader.

Week 6 Week 5 Week 4

Week 7* Week 8* Join our

Alumni network

*The duration of the programme is dependent on the course.

Please check the course summary for information regarding course length.

advanceonline.cam.ac.uk
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FUNCTIONAL NEUROANATOMY
 HEALTH SCIENCES

Learning
breakdown

10
Our online courses combine several different elements to create
a balanced blend of learning. Participants will be able to learn at their
own pace during the week, viewing content, engaging in discussions
and completing any assignments. On average, our courses take
8 to 10 hours per week.

5hrs 1hr

Built content Discussion

(e.g. videos, animations,
quizzes, case studies,
worked experiments)

1hr 1hr

Self study/ Live session

Project
assignment

advanceonline.cam.ac.uk
Course modules

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FUNCTIONAL NEUROANATOMY
Macroscopic brain Microscopic brain structure
Module 1

Module 2
structure underlying underlying function and the
function and brain imaging anatomy of special senses
Module 1 will cover how the Module 2 will cover the
brain develops into the major microscopic structure of the
brain subdivisions and the brain - the neurons and glia
macroscopic organisation and how they can be visualised
of the mature human brain; using histological methods; the
ventricles and cerebrospinal anatomical structures in the brain
fluid; how the brain is supplied involved in the special senses
with blood, including the of vision, olfaction and hearing;
organisation of major arteries the functional consequences of
and the regions they supply; damage to these structures.
types and consequences of
cerebrovascular accident
(‘stroke’); brain imaging
to visualise structure and
vasculature in the living brain.
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Course modules
(Continued)

12
The anatomy of touch The anatomy of movement
Module 3

Module 4
and pain Module 4 will look at anatomical
Module 3 will delineate the two pathways from the brain to the
anatomical pathways conveying spinal cord that control voluntary
the bodily sensations of touch movements, from maintaining
versus nociception to the posture, to eye movements, to
brain, and how their anatomical complex hand movements; and
organisation serves their function. the anatomical organisation
It will follow the nerves carrying and interconnections of the
touch and pain information from cerebellum with the spinal cord
the skin into the spinal cord, up and cerebral cortex.
into the brainstem and then to
the cerebral cortex for conscious
perception of ‘somatic sensation’.
The anatomy of emotion
Module 6

It will consider the consequences

of damage to these pathways and and cognition
how knowledge of the pathways
Module 6 will look at some of the
can be manipulated clinically.
key brain regions that regulate
our emotional behaviour and
contribute to the higher cognitive
functions of language, executive
Basal ganglia
Module 5

planning and the different types

Module 5 will look at the of memory. It will consider high
organisation of the sub-cortical level deficits that can arise from
nuclei of the basal ganglia, damage to these structures.
consider how this underlies their
functional importance, and explore
the consequences of damage or
malfunction of the basal ganglia
in neurological disorders.

advanceonline.cam.ac.uk
Meet your tutor

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FUNCTIONAL NEUROANATOMY
Susan Jones
PhD, Associate Professor
at the University of Cambridge

Sue obtained a First-Class degree in Pharmacology from King’s College London

and a PhD from University College London. She then moved to the USA, working
as a postdoc in research labs at the National Institutes for Health, Duke University
Medical School and Brown University. She moved to Cambridge as a Group
Leader and Assistant Professor in 2002. Her research lab has a general interest in
neuronal and synaptic physiology in normal brain function and in brain disorders.
She currently focuses on hypothalamic neurons during puberty and amygdala
neurons during addictive behaviours. She teaches undergraduate medical and
science students in Neuroscience and Physiology. She has taught Neuroanatomy
to undergraduate medical students for 19 years and is currently the organiser
of the Human Neuroanatomy course.
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14

Technical Course
requirements certification

– Sufficient internet speed and You’ll be assessed using a range

stability for video streaming of modalities that emphasize real-
(2 Mbps up/down) world application of course material.
On completion of your Cambridge
– No specialist software Advance Online course, you will
or equipment needed be eligible for a Certificate of
Achievement and digital badge.
– Please see our recommendations
on web browsers: To get your Certificate you must
https://bit.ly/2S4Qhh4 achieve a minimum grade of 70%
on course activities and your final
– A basic level of training in
tutor-marked project.
biological sciences: for example,
first year of a biomedical degree
or a diploma in a medical
professional course will aid
learning. Some basic knowledge
of anatomy will be helpful but
is not essential as we start at
the basics of neuroanatomy.
Enthusiasm for the subject is the
most important qualification.

advanceonline.cam.ac.uk
FUNCTIONAL NEUROANATOMY
If you have any questions or would like more
information about our online courses, please
contact our Enrolment Advisors at
[email protected]