Carrick Institute CNS-11: Functional Neurology Board Review

CNS-11 is a 25-hour board review that covers the whole functional neurology curriculum, from embryology to complex clinical syndromes, with sample board questions throughout. Carrick lists it as a level 3 (integrator) course presented by Dr. Matthew Antonucci. It's held at the Carrick Institute Learning Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida (Orlando area; fly into MCO). Homewood Suites and the Hampton Inn & Suites next door are a one- to two-minute walk away.

The review starts with foundations: neurulation and neural crest development (and defects such as tethered cord and spina bifida), neuronal cytoarchitecture, membrane biophysics and ion channels, neurotransmitter pharmacology and long-term potentiation, and metabolic and cofactor disorders that mimic neurological disease. The peripheral nervous system section covers nerve injury grading, NCS/EMG interpretation of axonal versus demyelinating pathology, brachial and lumbar plexopathies, upper- and lower-limb entrapment neuropathies, myopathies, and neuromuscular junction disorders. The central section reviews spinal cord tracts, myelopathy versus ALS and subacute combined degeneration, cranial nerve syndromes and brainstem vascular lesions, cerebellar syndromes and ataxias, and the vestibular and oculomotor systems including BPPV and VOR. The course finishes with autonomic disorders such as Horner syndrome, POTS, and orthostatic hypotension, followed by headache mechanisms, pain neuroscience, and cortical lobe syndromes.

Carrick lists Dr. Igor Dijkers, Dr. Thomas van den Hof, Dr. John McClaren, Dr. Jeremy Schmoe, Dr. Ryan Harvey, and Dr. Nicole Quodling as faculty. Schedule (Eastern): Friday 2:00–6:00 PM, Saturday 9:00 AM–6:00 PM, Sunday 9:00 AM–6:00 PM. Dress is casual (no ripped clothing or open-toed shoes). Tuition includes three months of course access and Medline access.

• •Apply neuroanatomical localization across peripheral, spinal, and central levels
• •Interpret electrodiagnostic findings to separate axonal and demyelinating pathology
• •Identify cranial nerve syndromes and brainstem vascular lesion patterns
• •Evaluate vestibular, cerebellar, and oculomotor dysfunction
• •Recognize autonomic, pain, and cortical disorders with board-level reasoning