CASSM – first ideas

ok. Second attempt at blogging in one day. will lie down shortly. actually will go to the pub shortly with Alice to try to get rid of today's hangover.

CASSM. I've read the folder/book thing. I'm on the road.

We have been assigned a neuro-chap, which was my absolute first choice so I'm pretty pleased with that. Here are my ideas for topics that I am interested in, and I hope will not drive me insane after just-under-a-year's study of them..

1 Chronic pain. Management, individual differences, psychology of pain. I've seen people who have had serious accidents keep things together and the adrenaline manages the pain. When the ambulance turns up they lost it and needed every painkiller going.

Special interest in pain in childbirth and neonate pain management. I read something interesting about caesarian deliveried babies having lower pain thresholds than 'normal' deliveries. Also – how do we know how much pain relief to give a foetus undergoing pre-birth operations? Does this interfere with the pain threshold? If a foetus feels pain then is abortion murder?

Pain in cancer – long term pain management.

2 Drug addiction. Psychology of addiction – physical and psychological addiction. Reckon this must be a major prob. Especially interested in what gets bored rich kids involved, and long term damage for 'social' users of coke at weekends etc. Interested in psychopharmacology of addiction – permanent brain changes, also "addictive personalities". Also why do some people 'overdose' when the environment is changed but the dose remains the same? More interest in the class A drug addictions, than say alcohol, food or smoking.

3 Degenerative brain diseases. Parkinson's and Alzheimers.

4 Very interested in how the brain recovers from having major bits removed (ie through tumours etc). Other areas can adapt and take over the function – how???

I'm sure there is much more, but that's How for Now…

: 06 Jan 2005 18:25 |  Tags: Cassm |  Comments (3) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Histology

Right, here goes for my first attempt to use Blogging for something useful to me.

I've been thinking about that wonderful IMSA exam that lies ahead and pulled randomly from the shelf my histology folder. Not being a model student, I happened to miss one or two sessions (I blame the fact that they were either timetabled at 8am or 5pm personally). So, if anyone who either a) knows what the lectures were aiming at, or b) has been through the IMSA already could help me?

What is the general, takehome, remember this and nothing else type message from histology? Each topic seems as wide as the ocean, and just looking at black and white pictures of slides isn't really helping me learn anything…

Help obviously required and gratefully received.

Clare

: 06 Jan 2005 17:53 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem