Neuroanatomy Through Clinical Cases

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Summary: Well Organized and Illustrated. Simply An Exceptional Text.
Review: Every once in a while a special textbook comes along that makes a subject an utter delight to learn; "Neuroanatomy Through Clinical Cases" is most definitely such a text. The merits of this book are just too many to enumerate but I will provide some specific examples of its strengths.

The book has great detail but the strength of its organization is what makes this aspect an asset rather than a liability. Most chapters have a 'Brief Anatomical Study Guide' at the beginning that rivals the content of most traditional Neuroanatomy texts. These sections are well illustrated with great descriptions. Furthermore this traditional approach is clearly delineated from the clinical content in the chapter which is marked with 'KCC' (Key Clinical Concept). Every clinical point in my Neuroscience course was covered in this book making it an invaluable resource for clarification. Sure there is WAY more clinical content in the book than in my course but because the sections are marked clearly it's easy to find specific vignettes. Each chapter ends with specific clinical problems that are discussed in full with ample radiographic images. The clinical cases for me served to test, clarify and reinforce the material presented in the brief anatomical study guide. They are no doubt the most 'fun' part of the book (thinking in Med School...OMG!!).

Overall, rather than read through the same material trying to memorize (ala syllabus), going through the brief guide then the clinical concepts and finally the problems provided the necessary repetition yet also allowed for an innovative and engaging approach to learning.

The author should really be applauded for his diligence and enthusiasm, it truly is infectious. The presence of numerous mnemonics and analogies (eg/ The Putamen-Globus Palladus ice cream cone analogy) show the type of effort and commitment to teaching that students crave. Also I really liked the bold highlighting of certain key words and phrases, it makes it so much easier to review. Simply by reading the bold terms and the surrounding text much of the key material can be assimilated (good for the Boards).

Our assigned text was Nolte which is a great ATLAS (not much more) but this is an exemplary TEXT. The many illustrations in Blumenfeld's book emphasized concepts and were structured to be high yield. Nolte had more gross specimens and slides. So I used Blumenfeld exclusively for the written and the Nolte atlas (not the text!) for lab.

This book is going to be on my shelf for many years to come. Bravo Dr. Blumenfeld!!

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Summary: Functional Neuroanatomy at its best !
Review: How does one take a difficult and arduous subject and make its study approachable, interesting and fun? Hal Blumenfeld has succeeded in doing this in his book on the most complex human system of all, Neuroanatomy. Medical students in their preclinical years often consider the study of the intricacies of the nervous system a dry and painful exercise of memory. Instead, Hal Blumenfeld uses real-life clinical cases gathered during his training as a neurologist to teach this very complicated topic. This comprehensive volume of 950 pages is organized in an user-friendly manner, and gives the novice reader all the necessary background information needed to embark on a colorful and fulfilling journey through the nervous sytem.

The initial chapters include an introduction to clinical case presentation, an overview of the nervous system and its terminology, as well as a demonstration of the neurologic exam. A well-illustrated section on brain imaging techniques follows, which is extremely up to date and includes CT, MRI, angiography and functional neuroimaging.The rest of the book is logically organized into chapters which all start with an anatomical and clinical review. These are followed by the description of relevant clinical cases where the readers can immediately apply their freshly acquired knowledge to establish a diagnosis, while learning important elements of clinical management for various neurological conditions.

Clear illustrations, pictures of anatomical specimens, summary tables, review exercises and mnemonics will help funnel all this information for long term storage straight into the hippocampus. Throughout the chapters, the book never loses its focus which is to link structure to function, to demonstrate how to test this function by the neurological exam and to provide relevant clinical examples of function disruption. This unique book should appeal to all medical students and residents learning Neuroanatomy and their teachers. Those in the field who need a refresher will rediscover functional Neuroanatomy as it should have been taught.

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Summary: Clinical Neuroanatomy at its best
Review: I can only echo the high praise already offered by the two previous reviewers on this web site. This is not only one of the finest if not the finest neuroanatomy teaching text that I have ever read, it is one of the finest summaries of general clinical neuroscience conceptual material I've ever read, with an obvious heavy emphasis on functional neuroanatomy. Although there are a few nits that I could pick about a few details,the level of excellence is uniform, the depth of coverage is just perfect for the advanced student, and the breadth of coverage is exceptional. The basic methodology for presenting material consists of a smoothly integrated presentation of graphical plates (outlining basic structures), clinical case materials including results of a very thorough neuro exam, and structural neuroimaging. Very clear and lucid presentations of cases. Very highly recommended.
I basically cannot say enough good things about this text. It is the current benchmark in this field.

Rating:
Summary: Neuroanatomy through clinical cases
Review: I have used this book for the clinical medicine portion of my Neuroscience course. It is excellently written and provides explicit memorable clinical examples and casefindings useful for the medical student or resident. A companion web site guides the student though all aspects of the neurological exam by media presentations and examples. I highly recommend the use of this text for Neuroanatomy and Neurology review.

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Summary: This Book is Great!
Review: I love the way this book is set up. This book would make a wonderful outline for a clinical neuro course. Dr. Blumenfeld seems to understand what is important to know in the day to day interactions with patients.

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Summary: This book got me through Neuro!
Review: Thank God for this text. After stumbling through much of my second year medicine neuro block, I found this book. It clarified important concepts in an easy-to-read format that combined academic research with clinical cases. I have recommended this book to every medical student I know. Although it has not yet made it to our school's Recommended Textbook list, 20 of my classmates have already purchased it in time to study for this semester's exams.

Rating:
Summary: Too Verbose and Unorganized for Medical School
Review: The book is disjointed and doesn't do a good job explaining the pathways- especially when you get to the Cranial Nerves. I agree with the other medical student reviewing this book- too verbose and way too confusing for most medical students. I think professors like to believe it's a good book b/c it goes into laborious details. However, neuro is hard enough without. I wouldn't waste my time b/c you will get more confused simply trying to read the book! Stick woth the notes and a concise study guide.

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Summary: The Tresure Box of the Neuro Student!!
Review: The Ultimate Best Basic Neuro Anatomy book..
use it as a Student, or in Practice, or even to prepare for your board, Fun to read, User freindly with COLORS, COLORS and COLORS which Brain LOVES...and it is Strengthened by the online access to clinical Examination

By the way...Iam a neurosurgeon!!

Rating:
Summary: Lengthy, verbose, poorly organized, waste of money
Review: This book was our textbook for my school's neuro course. I tried to read it for a couple of weeks, but quickly got frustrated and gave up. Maybe our professors like it, but it is WAY too lengthy and long-winded for medical students. The organization could be much better, too; for example, there is no separate chapter on the nuclei of the thalamus, which is a major topic in most neuro courses. The information on the thalamus is mixed in bits and pieces of 3 or 4 different chapters. While there are a lot of potentially interesting clinical correlations, these are interspersed throughout the text, making it difficult to distinguish what's important from what's not. Neuroanatomy is a difficult enough subject without having to spend inordinate amounts of time wading through pages and pages of text, trying to figure out what's important and what's not. It would be better to have shorter, more concise chapters, with the "core essentials" in one part of the text and the "extraneous stuff and clinical cases" in another. Also, the index is severely lacking- it is very difficult to find what you're looking for using the index words.
I think this book might be appropriate for advanced students, but it's way too lengthy and too detailed for most medical students. My suggestion to other students: skip this textbook and get Fix's Neuroanatomy book from the Board review series instead.

Rating:
Summary: Great writing style
Review: This was a great source, not as a formal neuroanatomy text, but for an understanding of clinical cases. It has great illustrations, is extremely well-organized, and the writing is not cluttered with anatomical connections. Lastly, the details of the neurological and mental status exams were helpful.