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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Medical Neuroscience by Duke University

4.9
stars
2,825 ratings

About the Course

Medical Neuroscience explores the functional organization and neurophysiology of the human central nervous system, while providing a neurobiological framework for understanding human behavior. In this course, you will discover the organization of the neural systems in the brain and spinal cord that mediate sensation, motivate bodily action, and integrate sensorimotor signals with memory, emotion and related faculties of cognition. The overall goal of this course is to provide the foundation for understanding the impairments of sensation, action and cognition that accompany injury, disease or dysfunction in the central nervous system. The course will build upon knowledge acquired through prior studies of cell and molecular biology, general physiology and human anatomy, as we focus primarily on the central nervous system. This online course is designed to include all of the core concepts in neurophysiology and clinical neuroanatomy that would be presented in most first-year neuroscience courses in schools of medicine. However, there are some topics (e.g., biological psychiatry) and several learning experiences (e.g., hands-on brain dissection) that we provide in the corresponding course offered in the Duke University School of Medicine on campus that we are not attempting to reproduce in Medical Neuroscience online. Nevertheless, our aim is to faithfully present in scope and rigor a medical school caliber course experience. This course comprises six units of content organized into 12 weeks, with an additional week for a comprehensive final exam: - Unit 1 Neuroanatomy (weeks 1-2). This unit covers the surface anatomy of the human brain, its internal structure, and the overall organization of sensory and motor systems in the brainstem and spinal cord. - Unit 2 Neural signaling (weeks 3-4). This unit addresses the fundamental mechanisms of neuronal excitability, signal generation and propagation, synaptic transmission, post synaptic mechanisms of signal integration, and neural plasticity. - Unit 3 Sensory systems (weeks 5-7). Here, you will learn the overall organization and function of the sensory systems that contribute to our sense of self relative to the world around us: somatic sensory systems, proprioception, vision, audition, and balance senses. - Unit 4 Motor systems (weeks 8-9). In this unit, we will examine the organization and function of the brain and spinal mechanisms that govern bodily movement. - Unit 5 Brain Development (week 10). Next, we turn our attention to the neurobiological mechanisms for building the nervous system in embryonic development and in early postnatal life; we will also consider how the brain changes across the lifespan. - Unit 6 Cognition (weeks 11-12). The course concludes with a survey of the association systems of the cerebral hemispheres, with an emphasis on cortical networks that integrate perception, memory and emotion in organizing behavior and planning for the future; we will also consider brain systems for maintaining homeostasis and regulating brain state....

Top reviews

MG

Jan 14, 2021

This course was a great opportunity for me to understand the world of neurology and helped me to clear all the ambiguities regarding the complex mechanisms that are happening in our beautiful brains.

KT

Nov 21, 2018

I leant so much without even realising it until I got to the final exams and all this knowledge was making sense. Amazing lecturer with so much wisdom in the area. The course is very well delivered.

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276 - 300 of 826 Reviews for Medical Neuroscience

By Maddy C

Jan 13, 2017

This was a fantastic course, very interesting and a real challenge! I thoroughly recommend it to those who know about medical science as those who don't will struggle. It was very hard work but worth it!!

By Maria D C C M

Sep 29, 2019

A marvellous experience!

I highly encourage you to enroll this course if you want to discover the complexity of our amazing brain!

Thank you Coursera and Duke university for sharing this knowledge to us.

By letitia f

Jun 29, 2018

I am absolutely not working in the field of medical neurosciences (neither do I intend to), but I found the course amazing. Thank you very much for the pedagogic approach very clear and well constructed.

By Bridget M

Jul 2, 2017

Dr. White is phenomenal and I learned more than I imagined I could. I look forward to using my newfound knowledge to help those in need and continue my journey further into the Neuroscience world. -Dr. B

By Omar C A

Jun 13, 2017

Best course I have taken in Coursera so far. You have to work hard, but it´s worth it. Dr. White is one of the best professors I have ever had. He enjoys teaching, and he is a passionate of his subject.

By Kathy V

Aug 11, 2024

One of the most valuable, informative, and well designed courses I have been blessed to participate in. Kudos to all involved in the creation of this course. The good professor is a gem of an educator.

By Pavan C

Oct 4, 2020

This was a fantastic course. It honestly changed my life in terms of the amount of knowledge it gave me, and the new interests that I've developed. Thank you Duke, Professor White, and all the mentors.

By Aleix G M

Oct 17, 2021

One of the bests courses on coursera. Didactical, with a lot of information and very educational videos. All in this courses have been worked in detail to produce a high value leraning product.

By Tuuli U

Sep 22, 2020

Completing the course is very time-consuming, but it helps to get a very good overview of the topic and new connections are constantly being made. A very complex topic is explained very clearly.

By Cristian N

May 8, 2018

This is a top tier course, with medical knowledge presented in a way that's easy to follow. You can see the effort and dedication shown by Dr. White and his team. Thanks for such an amazing job.

By Deusdenir d S M

Apr 17, 2019

It is a great course, impressive didactics and variability from external sources. I am very grateful for the opportunity. The course is helping me to improve my knowledge. Thank you very much.

By 何雪凝

Feb 12, 2021

Such a great course. I used the knowledge in this course to diagnose my friend's bilateral change of pain and temperature sensation and rule out the posibility of stroke. Thank you, professor!

By Chloe A B

Nov 12, 2023

Absolutely loved every minute of this course! Thank you so much for all the hard work and effort it took to make this course, it was a challenging yet very enjoyable experience of learning.

By Loredana M A

Jul 31, 2020

Such a great course! I am a neurosurgery resident and this helped me in neuroanatomy, neurochemestry and clinical practice! The videos are great and profesor White is just amazing to watch!

By Matthew S

Jun 1, 2021

Simply the best MOOC ever on coursera. Very hard and time consuming, but the knowledge one gets from this MOOC is worth the effort. Thank you Dr. White, I am going to miss your lectures.

By Luis C

Sep 9, 2017

An excellent course for my medical specialty (physical medicine and rehabilitation) in which the knowledge of neuroscience are based on treatments aimed at neurological rehabilitation.

By Nikolas Z

Nov 21, 2022

Thorough, resourceful and comprehensible. An inspiring course for anyone interested in neuroscience or the brain. Thank you to everyone that made this course available and accessible.

By Michael M

Jan 30, 2019

This course was really a fantastic experience. Professor White provided very well presented tutorials and his wealth of knowledge and commitment to teaching was very much appreciated.

By Shilpa A

Nov 17, 2017

I found this course extremely useful. It was exactly what I needed and expected. A structured study of the brain and the spinal chord starting at the cellular level. A perfect course!

By Venkateshwaran S

Nov 23, 2018

Excellent course . Thank you to Dr White and all the staff at Duke University. Will hopefully have chance to meet Dr White in person ito Thanks .Ignited by interest in Neuroscience.

By Milton E S Q

Sep 29, 2022

I cannot express hwo useful and intereseting this course actually is. Great team, great course, great learning, great tools. Thank you everyone for sharing your knowledge with us

By Lee R

Jun 12, 2020

A truly excellent course, presented in an engaging format by Professor Len White. Many new avenues are now open for me to explore as a result of gaining this new level of knowledge.

By Ruth H

Nov 22, 2017

fantastically taught course. so well structured..thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and has motivated me to learn more in the field of neuroscience.Prof White is an excellent teacher.

By Raúl E P

Mar 16, 2017

Very nice course. I enjoyed and learned a lot! Just to give some comments to improve it, it will have been nice to have more clinical cases during the course. But, I like it a lot.