Teaching Neurobiology in Psychiatry

Abstract

The relationship between psychiatry and neuroscience has been constantly evolving since the conception of our field. The past two decades have witnessed a steep rise in research related to neurobiology in psychiatry. Advances in neuroscience have led psychiatry residency programs to steer towards a neuroscience-based approach instead of the traditional focus. Despite increased advances and interest in neuroscience and psychiatry, residency programs are not required to integrate neurobiology in psychiatry. There are several difficulties residency programs face when attempting to teach this subject area, including having availability of knowledgeable faculty, knowing what to teach, and how to deliver the information. Psychiatrists across all levels of training are enthusiastic about learning neuroscience. With the current advances in biological psychiatry, neurobiology needs to be integrated in the training and teaching of psychiatry residents. The approach of integration has to be transdiagnostic, clinically relevant, and applicable to both trainees and psychiatry educators. We will discuss the importance of teaching neurobiology in psychiatry residency programs, outline specific areas we recommend teaching, and propose teaching strategies that may enhance learning by psychiatry residents. The neurobiology topics we recommend psychiatry programs to teach their residents include neuroscience literacy, neuroanatomy, neuroimaging, neuropathology, neural circuits and neurotransmitters, neuroendocrinology, psychoneuroimmunology, neurophysiology, genetics and epigenetics, and neuropsychological testing. There are different strategies to teach residents that enhance adult learning, which include formal discussions, clinical case presentations, journal clubs, specialized neuroscience rotations, neuroanatomy modules, grand rounds, and classes discussing topics at the interface of neuroscience and psychiatry in the media.