Students Teaching Students: Student-Led Ultrasound Curriculum in Medical School Education.

Introduction With the expanding use of point-of-care ultrasound throughout medical specialties for the rapid bedside assessment integral to patient care, medical schools have sought to incorporate ultrasound education into their curriculum. Second-year medical students (MS2s) at our institution met this demand by forming the Ultrasound Student Instructor Cadre (USSIC), a longitudinal ultrasound curriculum where MS2s teach first-year medical students (MS1s). The objectives of this study were to assess the ultrasound knowledge of medical students and their perceptions of ultrasound incorporation into their medical education. Methods Our flipped classroom curriculum consisted of four lessons (cardiopulmonary, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and musculoskeletal) composed of videos, didactic lessons, and hands-on probe-time, with 15-minute pre- and post-assessments. Paired Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were performed to evaluate the differences in the pre- and post-assessment scores for each teaching session. Additionally, an end-of-the-year survey assessed the perceived preparedness and overall satisfaction of the MS1s with the course. Results The differences between the pre- and post-assessments for each teaching session were statistically significant: cardiopulmonary (45.6 ± 16.9% vs. 82.9 ± 9.4%, p < 0.0001, n = 55), gastrointestinal (53.9 ± 18.0% vs. 84.1 ± 13.5%, p < 0.0001, n = 54), genitourinary (68.9 ± 19.1% vs. 91.4 ± 14.4%, p < 0.0001, n = 64), and musculoskeletal (33.6 ± 14.7% vs. 78.2 ± 18.2%, p < 0.0001, n = 55). Conclusion Our study suggests that MS1s met the learning objective for each teaching session. Furthermore, MS1s who became USSIC instructors as MS2s felt more prepared and were more satisfied with the course. This study demonstrates the efficacy of student-led instruction in ultrasound, and we offer our model for adoption into other medical schools.

Investigation of Risperidone Treatment Associated With Enhanced Brain Activity in Patients Who Stutter.

Stuttering is a childhood onset fluency disorder that leads to impairment in speech. A randomized, double-blinded placebo-controlled study was conducted with 10 adult subjects to observe the effects of risperidone (a dopamine receptor 2/serotonin receptor 2 antagonist) on brain metabolism, using [18F] deoxyglucose as the marker. At baseline and after 6 weeks of taking risperidone (0.5-2.0 mg/day) or a placebo pill, participants were assigned to a solo reading aloud task for 30 min and subsequently underwent a 90-min positron emission tomography scan. Paired t-tests were performed to compare the pre-treatment vs. post-treatment in groups. After imaging and analysis, the blind was broken, which revealed an equal number of subjects of those on risperidone and those on placebo. There were no significant differences in the baseline scans taken before medication randomization. However, scans taken after active treatment demonstrated higher glucose uptake in the specific regions of the brain for those in the risperidone treatment group (p < 0.05). Risperidone treatment was associated with increased metabolism in the left striatum, which consists of the caudate and putamen, and the Broca's area. The current study strengthens previous research that suggests the role of elevated dopamine activity and striatal hypometabolism in stuttering. We propose that the mechanism of risperidone's action in stuttering, in part, involves increased metabolism of striatal astrocytes. We conclude that using neuroimaging techniques to visualize changes in the brain of those who stutter can provide valuable insights into the pathophysiology of the disorder and guide the development of future interventions.