Neurology Board Review: An Illustrated Study Guide 1st Edition

Dense, but fairly comprehensive review of neurology. The book divides neurology into subsections by subspecialty (eg, epilepsy, neuro-ophthalmology, inborn errors of metabolism [eg genetics]), as well as by localization (peripheral neurology, spinal cord, muscle). There of course is a lot of overlap between diseases that affect multiple parts of the neuro-axis, but the book does a good job of trying to keep to the organization as best it can. The major criticism of this book would be its length; at 980 pages of text (excluding the index), it is very long for a review book and took me a few months of regular reading (as a resident, maybe on average a few hours per week) to really read. However, there are a lot of useful things here such as presentation of inborn errors of metabolism by age, a table featuring the channelopathies, and lots of pathologic and neuroradiology images to help cover high-yield and frequently asked boards questions. The book is very dense, and a few pages could cover miles of neurology ground, so it is a slow read and not a quick one. I took frequent notes and tabbed multiple pages for future review; I also used the book's topics to make flash cards of high yield conditions and images. I haven't taken my boards yet (taking in September), but I liked this book as a counterpart to the popular question book by Cheng-Cheng, as well as the Neuro SAE exams offered by the AAN website.

This book is just fine for the MOC exam. Although there is more detail in this textbook than is needed for the MOC, I read it from cover to cover over a 3 month period of time--wrote in it, highlighted all over it, etc. I then went into the exam well armed with all that I needed to know (and then some) to pass it--and did so! This book is very cheap compared to spending 4 figures on a review course plus wasting time in a lecture (or an airport to get there), or watching videos of people lecturing, etc. You can read it at your own pace and on your own time--and not lose practice revenues while studying. (I work 10-12 hr days and read it at a comfortable pace for myself for about 1-3 hrs per night (and with a few days away from the book here and there) over a 3 month time period). I never touched the book after reading it from cover to cover just once. Once is enough to saturate your brain with adequate knowledge to pass the test. As well, I didn't want to go back and rehash a 980 pg text. Sitting for the exam was refreshing compared to grinding through the book. I suggest you take an AAN self assessment test "cold" with no review, then take another one after you have read the text. The positive difference in your score will amaze you, and will get your confidence up for the exam! Just my opinion. Hope this helps.

Advantages: You have everything in one book - text, diagrams, and images (including path slides). It's nice to be able to see everything in one chapter instead of referencing separate neurorads and neuropath books. There is a lot of information so it lends itself to more or less detailed studying.Disadvantages: It's not really a review book...it's a condensed textbook. After having taken boards, I think it's excessive and way more information than you really need. The questions at the end of the chapter are few and not well written. I also think it completely loses the big picture. For example, it lists the clinical details of all 20-something Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophies but desn't just say, LGMD1 are dominant , occur later, progress slower and LGMD2 are recessive, present earlier, and progress faster. It leaves you to synthesize the information into something useful and meaningful.Unfortunately, this is probably the best book out there but realistically, it's not a good review book. It's more like a textbook and reference book rather than a review book. It just throws a bunch of information at you without highlighting what's really important for boards.

I used this book throughout my neurology residency. This book, like all review books has its strengths and weaknesses, but overall it is hands down the most comprehensive and engaging. During my last two years, I was 98th and 100th nationally percentile on on the RITE and I crushed the regular neurology boards, getting 89% correct. I attribute these scores in part to this book. The movement disorder, epilepsy, and embryology chapters are the strongest. Even if one does not use this book exclusively, one should still include these chapters as part of their overall review. I would argue that the neurochemistry chapters and psychiatry chapters are the weakest. The former being too detailed and dry. The latter was sparse and did not contain key elements asked on the official neurology boards, such as behavioral defense mechanisms and child developmental milestones. One should use other study references for those topics. To recap: I loved this book and I cannot wait for a new edition to come out.

The questions in this book are quite different from the actual Board questions. Esoteric and not exactly high yield and some of the explanations are outdated. I felt like a fool doing this book's questions and I passed the actual Boards. The best feature of these questions is probably to get you into panic-mode so you'll study and study then study some more. You definitely don't need to know all that's covered here for the real thing. The brain is finite and I would devote more time studying more high yield materials, but other than the Continuum questions this is probably one of the few question books out there for the neuro boards.

A well written book with an appropriate mixture of pathology, radiology and diagrams integrated into the text. Great amount of detail, which is more in-depth than warranted for the general neurology boards. However, I used the peripheral nerve, muscle and neuromuscular sections of the book as a study guide for the neuromuscular boards, which I believed helped. This book is still on the shelf in my clinic office and serves well as a quick reference. Maybe not the most concise board review book, but a highly recommended text for neurology residents, fellows and faculty.

Nicely written. Concise