Functional Anatomy - The Nervous System

The on-demand course in Functional Anatomy of the Nervous System is the result of a collaboration between the Advanced Osteopathy Institute and the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNE COM). It offers a high-level educational programme dedicated to the study of the nervous system through an integrated approach encompassing anatomy, physiology, and pathology.

The course is taught by Professor Frank H. Willard, one of the world’s leading experts in anatomy as applied to osteopathy and osteopathic medicine. His extensive teaching experience and his ability to connect anatomy with physiology and clinical practice make this programme a unique opportunity to explore the nervous system through a rigorous, clinically oriented, and directly applicable approach.

The course consists of 23 lessons divided into 11 modules, for a total of 63 hours of training. Each lesson is built around real clinical cases, which serve as a starting point for analysing the relevant structures and mechanisms of the nervous system, progressively establishing a connection between anatomical knowledge and clinical reasoning.

The Dissection Laboratory

One of the most distinctive features of the course is the inclusion of dissection laboratory sessions. During these sessions, Professor Willard takes the anatomical exploration directly into the dissection laboratory, using cadaveric specimens to demonstrate, in a practical and detailed way, the structures discussed throughout the course.

Dissection therefore becomes an integral part of the educational experience: not simply an opportunity to observe anatomy, but a powerful tool for understanding anatomical relationships in three dimensions, identifying structures, and connecting them to their function and clinical relevance.

The direct observation of human anatomy, guided by Professor Willard’s expertise, allows participants to transform complex concepts into a deeper, more concrete understanding of anatomy that can be readily connected to clinical practice and osteopathic reasoning.

The result is a comprehensive and highly valuable educational experience in which anatomy, physiology, pathology, clinical cases, and dissection come together to provide a functional understanding of the nervous system and its clinical implications.

Programme

Meeting 1

• Introductory Tour of the Nervous SystemPeripheral Nerves and Peripheral Neuropathies

Meeting 2 

• Spinal Cord Anatomy and Diseases of the Spinal Cord

Meeting 3 

• Introduction to Cranial NervesMedullary Brainstem and Cranial Nerves V, IX, X, XI & XII

Meeting 4

• Pontine Brainstem and Cranial Nerves V, VI, VII, & VIII

Meeting 5 

• Mesencephalic Brainstem and Cranial nerves III, IV

Meeting 6 

• Cerebellum and the Brainstem and Spinal Cord Motor System

Meeting 7 

• Sensory Thalamus and Cerebral Cortex

Meeting 8 

• Integrating Thalamus and Cerebral Cortex

Meeting 9 

• The Limbic System

Meeting 10 

• The Basal Ganglia and Thalamocortical Function

Meeting 11 

• The Emotional Brain and the Neuroendocrine System