Iraqi Board Neurology study plan

Map every pediatric and neurogenetic topic in domain 12 to a one-page summary sheet, ordering them by exam weight so the 15% block is fully covered before week 3.

Draw from memory the corticospinal, dorsal column, and spinothalamic pathways and label each synapse, then self-correct against a standard neuroanatomy atlas.

Explain the developmental milestones (motor, language, social) at 2, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months without notes, and list the red flags that mandate referral.

Classify the inherited neuropathies and muscular dystrophies by inheritance pattern and gene, and state the single most discriminating clinical feature for each.

Solve 40 pediatric and neurogenetics vignettes and log every wrong answer with the reason it was wrong.

Describe the workup and management of a child with developmental delay or regression, distinguishing static encephalopathy from a neurodegenerative course.

Outline the behavioral neurology syndromes (aphasias, apraxias, agnosias, executive dysfunction) and localize each to its cortical or subcortical substrate.

Differentiate the parkinsonian syndromes (idiopathic Parkinson disease, MSA, PSP, CBD, DLB) by their early clinical flags and imaging findings.

Summarize the genetics, presentation, and management of Huntington disease, the spinocerebellar ataxias, and Wilson disease.

Complete 50 mixed questions from domains 12 and 7 under timed conditions and record the score.

Explain the pharmacology, indications, and adverse effects of levodopa, dopamine agonists, MAO-B inhibitors, and device-assisted therapies in Parkinson disease.

Classify tremor, dystonia, chorea, myoclonus, and tics by phenomenology and list the first-line treatment for each.

Apply the stroke thrombolysis and thrombectomy eligibility criteria to at least 10 written case scenarios and justify each decision.

Map the vascular territories (ACA, MCA, PCA, basilar, cerebellar) to their characteristic clinical deficits and correlate each with the expected imaging finding.

Distinguish the stroke mimics and the causes of young-onset stroke, including dissection, vasculitis, and thrombophilia.

Outline secondary prevention after ischemic stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage, including antithrombotic choice, blood pressure targets, and lipid management.

Interpret the stroke subtyping framework (TOAST) and assign a mechanism to 10 written stroke vignettes.

Classify seizures and epilepsies using the current ILAE framework and match each to a first-line antiseizure medication.

Explain the pharmacology, monitoring, and teratogenicity of the major antiseizure medications, and state the agents of choice for focal, generalized, absence, and status epilepticus presentations.

Describe status epilepticus management as a stepwise protocol from benzodiazepines through second-line and anesthetic agents.

Interpret the routine EEG rhythms of wakefulness, drowsiness, and sleep, and identify the benign variants that are commonly mistaken for epileptiform activity.

Recognize the EEG patterns of nonconvulsive status epilepticus, periodic discharges, and encephalopathic slowing, and state the clinical implication of each.

Read a nerve conduction study and needle EMG report and localize the lesion to nerve, plexus, root, neuromuscular junction, or muscle.

Distinguish axonal from demyelinating neuropathy on electrodiagnostic criteria and name the findings that support each.

Explain the principles of video-EEG monitoring and the presurgical epilepsy evaluation.

Construct a localization-based approach to weakness that separates upper from lower motor neuron, neuromuscular junction, and myopathic patterns.

Outline the diagnosis and management of Guillain-Barre syndrome, CIDP, myasthenia gravis, and the inflammatory myopathies, including the first-line immunotherapy for each.

Apply the 2017 McDonald criteria to written case scenarios and distinguish multiple sclerosis from NMOSD, MOGAD, and ADEM.

Summarize disease-modifying therapy for multiple sclerosis by mechanism, monitoring requirement, and main risk.

List the inherited and acquired peripheral neuropathies with their characteristic examination and electrodiagnostic findings.

Outline the presentation, investigation, and treatment of the major CNS infections, including bacterial and tuberculous meningitis, viral encephalitis, neurosyphilis, and cerebral malaria.

Interpret cerebrospinal fluid profiles (cell count, protein, glucose, and specific tests) to distinguish bacterial, viral, tuberculous, and fungal meningitis.

Describe the approach to a patient with suspected brain tumor, including the role of imaging, biopsy, and molecular markers in glioma classification.

Explain the management of raised intracranial pressure, brain metastases, and paraneoplastic neurological syndromes.

Summarize the neurological complications of HIV and the common tropical neuropathies encountered in Iraq.

Differentiate primary headache disorders by history alone and apply the red-flag criteria that mandate neuroimaging.

Outline the acute and preventive treatment of migraine, cluster headache, and trigeminal neuralgia, including the first-line agent for each.

Review the core neuropathology concepts: cerebral edema types, herniation syndromes, hydrocephalus, and the basic mechanisms of neurodegeneration.

Revisit the weakest topics identified in the error log and rewrite each summary sheet from memory.

Complete two full-length timed mock examinations and review every incorrect answer.