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Behavioral Neurology (Minnesota)

Description

The Behavioral Neurology Clerkship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester provides exposure to the diagnosis and treatment of cognitive disorders and dementia, which may occur primarily or consequently to other underlying neurological illnesses.

The elective provides one month of educational, clinical and research experience, with the opportunity to work with the experienced behavioral neurologists at Mayo Clinic, as well as specialists in neuropsychology, neuroradiology, neuropathology, sleep medicine, speech pathology, psychiatry and brain injury rehabilitation.

The breadth and complexity of the patient mix offers exposure to a wide spectrum of neurobehavioral disorders. Training methods include one-on-one interactions with staff, direct patient care, didactic course work, teaching files, conferences and videotapes of interesting cases.

The Mayo Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC) is a comprehensive program that provides clinical care for patients with dementia and conducts dementia-related research. The fourth-year Behavioral Neurology Clerkship will include evaluating research subjects at the Mayo ADRC, which will be especially beneficial for students with a defined interest in normal aging and neurodegenerative disorders.

Patient populations

Students with participate in the evaluation and management of patients with a variety of conditions such as:

  • Degenerative disorders/dementia
    • Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)
    • Alzheimer's Disease (AD)
    • Parkinson's Disease with Dementia (PDD)
    • Lewy Body Dementia/ Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB)
    • Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD)/Pick's Disease
    • Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA)
    • Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD)
    • Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP)
    • Posterior Cortical Atrophy (PCA)
    • Huntington's Disease (HD)
  • Vascular Dementia
    • Dementia with cerebrovascular disease/Vascular Dementia
    • Binswanger's Disease
    • Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL)
  • Prion Disorders
    • Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD)
    • Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker Syndrome (GSS)
  • Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH)
  • Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
  • Autoimmune/Inflammatory Encephalopathies
    • Encephalopathy associated with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis ("Hashimoto's Encephalopathy")
    • Sjogren's Associated Encephalopathy
    • Nonvasculitic Autoimmune Inflammatory Meningoencephalopathy (NAIM)
  • Cognitive impairment/behavioral changes associated with brain tumors, infarcts, meningitis/encephalitis and sleep disorders

Specific goals

  1. Expand exposure to the clinical, research and theoretical aspects of behavioral neurology and dementia.
  2. Gain an appreciation for the distinguishing features of dementia forms in clinical presentation, radiological finding and pathological features.
  3. Refine the comprehensive evaluation and management of patients with dementia.
  4. As the Mayo ADRC is a major center for the studies of MCI and normal aging, the student will have a unique opportunity to master the features of MCI and successful cognitive aging throughout the elective.
  5. Identify one research topic of interest that can be examined during the elective.

Activity outline

The student will first work closely with consultants in Behavioral Neurology and refine his or her use of the mental status exam to characterize specific deficits in known disorders. Throughout most of the rotation, the student will be expected to independently interview and examine patients under faculty supervision, and follow up with recommendations for further diagnostic plans and treatment strategies. Students should attend as many of the regularly scheduled neurology conferences as time permits. Other activities include review of current literature on behavioral neurology and readings pertinent to assigned patients.

Course work will involve rotation through the Behavioral Neurology Clinic in the Gonda Building, outpatient experiences in the Northwest Clinic Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, independent studies, and patient-based clinical research activities.

Method of evaluation

Physician consultants with whom students train will provide written performance evaluations.

  • ART352064