Advanced Brain Bee 

Tuition: $700 for the 12 weeks course.

TIMELINE 

Class time: Sep. 14 - Dec 7, 2022;

Wednesday 5:30 - 7: 30 pm PT / 8:30-10:30 pm ET

Registration link https://forms.gle/uRaThBM4zqEiuCha6

Week	Content	Class Dates
Week 1	Anatomy, Surface Structures	Sep. 14
Week 2	Anatomy, Coronal & Horizontal Sections	Sep. 21
Week 3	Anatomy, Cerebellum & Cranial Nerves	Sep. 28
Week 4	Anatomy, Angiograms	Oct. 5
Week 5	Anatomy, Spinal Cord	Oct. 12
Week 6	Patient Diagnosis, Part 1	Oct. 26
Week 7	Patient Diagnosis, Part 2	Nov. 2
Week 8	Patient Diagnosis, Part 3	Nov. 9
Week 9	Histology, Specialized Senses	Nov. 16
Week 10	Histology, Spinal Cord	Nov. 23
Week 11	Histology, CNS & PNS	Nov. 30
Week 12	Mock Exam	Dec. 7

 

Week 0: Pre-Assessment 

Prior to the first class, students will complete a pre-assessment in order for the tutor to gauge the students’ knowledge prior to the classes. These scores will be compared with those of the mock exam taken at the end of the entire session, in order to assess the success of the course. 

Week 1: Anatomy, Surface Structures 

Students will be able to identify and understand the functions of key structures from an external view of the brain. 

Key Structures: frontal/parietal/temporal/occipital lobes, longitudinal fissure, central sulcus, lateral sulcus, insula, precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus, parieto-occipital sulcus, cingulate sulcus, calcarine sulcus, lingual gyrus, cuneus, parahippocampal gyrus, uncus, gyrus rectus, olfactory sulcus, orbital gyrus, Broca’s area, Wernicke’s area 

Week 2: Anatomy, Coronal & Horizontal Sections

Students will be able to identify and understand the functions of key structures from coronal and horizontal sections of the brain. 

Key Structures: amygdala, hippocampus, caudate nucleus, globus pallidus, putamen, internal capsule, anterior commissure, posterior commissure, mammillothalamic tract, red nucleus, substantia nigra, mammillary bodies, cerebral peduncles, fornix, septum pellucidum, corpus callosum, pineal gland, habenula, corpora quadrigemina, MGN/LGN 

Week 3: Anatomy, Cerebellum & Cranial Nerves 

Students will be able to identify and understand the functions of key structures in the cerebellum. Students will be able to identify the twelve cranial nerves, and understand the major findings of a cranial nerve exam. 

Key Structures: vermis, floculus, tonsil, primary fissure, superior/middle/inferior cerebellar peduncles, CNs I - XII 

Week 4: Anatomy, Angiograms 

Students will be able to identify major arteries, veins, and sinuses of the brain in a series of angiograms. 

Key Structures: vertebral artery, anterior & posterior spinal arteries, PICA, AICA, superior cerebellar artery, basilar artery, anterior & posterior communicating arteries, ACA, MCA, PCA, internal carotid artery, superior sagittal sinus, inferior sagittal sinus, confluence, transverse sinus, sigmoid sinus 

Week 5: Anatomy, Spinal Cord 

Students will be able to identify and understand the functions of the key structures in the spinal cord. 

Key Structures: anterior median fissure, posterior median sulcus, dura mater, arachnoid mater, pia mater, denticulate ligament, cervical & lumbosacral enlargements, anterior & posterior root/rootlets, dorsal root ganglion, conus medullaris, cauda equina, filum terminale

Week 6: Patient Diagnosis, Part 1 

Students will understand the characteristic features of the key disorders for Part 1, which mainly includes childhood and neurodevelopmental disorders. Students will practice identifying the disorders with sample patient diagnosis cases. 

Key Disorders: attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, dyslexia, epilepsy, fragile X syndrome, lissencephaly, narcolepsy, hydrocephalus, Rett syndrome, spina bifida, Tourette’s syndrome 

Week 7: Patient Diagnosis, Part 2 

Students will understand the characteristic features of the key disorders for Part 2, which mainly includes neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. Students will practice identifying the disorders with sample patient diagnosis cases. 

Key Disorders: alcohol addiction, Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, bipolar disorder, Huntington’s disease, major depression, migraine, multiple sclerosis, obsessive-compulsive disorder, Parkinson’s disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome 

Week 8: Patient Diagnosis, Part 3 

Students will understand the characteristic features of the key disorders for Part 1. Students will practice identifying the disorders with sample patient diagnosis cases. 

Key Disorders: amnesia, anosmia, Brown-Sequard syndrome, dysphasia, dysphagia, Guillain-Barre syndrome, insomnia, Meniere disease, myasthenia gravis, ophthalmoplegia, paralysis, prosopagnosia, spinocerebellar ataxia, stroke 

Week 9: Histology, Specialized Senses 

Students will be able to identify and understand the functions of key histological structures related to the specialized senses. 

Key Structures: rods, cones, bipolar cells, ganglion cells of the retina, cornea, lens, hair cells of the cochlear duct, spiral ganglia, tectorial & basilar membranes, crista ampullaris of the semicircular ducts, hair cells in tongue papillae

Week 10: Histology, Spinal Cord 

Students will be able to identify and understand the functions of key histological structure in the spinal cord. 

Key Structures: gray & white matter, posterior/dorsal horn of the gray matter, posterior/dorsal root, posterior/dorsal root ganglion, central canal, lateral horn of gray matter, anterior/ventral horn of the gray matter, anterior/ventral root, multipolar neurons, Nissl substance 

Week 11: Histology, CNS & PNS 

Students will be able to identify and understand the functions of key histological structures in the central nervous system and peripheral nerves. 

Key Structures: axons, Schwann cells, nodes of Ranvier, axon hillock, neuromuscular junction, motor end plate, pyramidal cells, Betz cells, Purkinje cells of cerebellum, astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, ependymal cells 

Week 12: Mock Exam 

After completion of the class, students will complete a mock exam to assess their knowledge.

Veda Dayananda is fascinated by everything scientific, especially neuroscience and biomedical research. In 8th grade, she was the youngest champion of the Atlanta Brain Bee and represented Georgia at the U.S. National Brain Bee, where she placed 4th. Veda enjoys tutoring students in neuroscience. She founded and currently leads the Youth Neuroscience Association of Charlotte, a community for high schoolers to meet at UNC Charlotte to explore the wonders of the brain. In school, she takes college courses in science and math; in freshman year, she scored a 5 in AP Biology. In her spare time, Veda enjoys classical piano, painting, and tennis.