Date Posted: December 7, 2017
Contributing Author: Erica Baller, MD, MS
Overview: The disease presentations we see as psychiatrists are multifactorial in etiology. They usually involve a complex interplay of underlying anatomy, brain function, and social circumstances, resulting in a wide variety of behavioral, cognitive, and affective experiences that greatly affect patients’ lives. When patients present with these symptoms, they often want to know “why?” And with so many treatment options, from medications to therapy to neuromodulation to rapid-acting anti-depressants such as ketamine, patients are often interested in how, mechanistically, these treatments will modify their brains, their bodies, and their lives.
Addressing these types of questions in the clinic requires a thorough knowledge of brain anatomy and function. In this module, participants will practice naming, drawing, and describing structural and functional anatomy to patients so that they feel empowered when they encounter these questions in the clinical setting. The content of this exercise is delivered through an interactive game, akin to a mash-up of the games Celebrity and Pictionary.
Author Affiliations: Dr. Erica Baller (Erica.baller@uphs.upenn.edu) is from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. The National Neuroscience Curriculum Initiative is a collaborative effort with the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training (AADPRT) and the American Psychiatric Association (APA) Council on Medical Education and Lifelong Learning and receives support from the NIH (R25 MH101076 02S1) ©National Neuroscience Curriculum Initiative
