Cutting-Edge Brain Medical Education That Will Revolutionize Your Practice

“Medical” Marijuana, Recreational Marijuana, Weed, Hemp, Cannabis, Cannabinoids, CBD, THC, when will the madness end, or begin? Cannabis has been around for centuries, and debates continue as to its usefulness and legality. Almost every U.S. state has had a legal shift in regards to Cannabis in some form or fashion. Bring any “budding” questions as we provide a “higher education” of clinically practical knowledge, with a dash of entertainment, for all things Cannabis. It’s time to dive deeper into the weeds.

Attendees will be able to understand and explain the pharmacological properties of Cannabis and Cannabinoids that contribute to polarized, sensationalized, and generally misunderstood conversations across our country.

A comprehensive, yet succinct, discussion of the Cannabis and Cannabinoids including dynamic patient care principles.

• Recall cannabis and cannabinoid history, products, and, legality efforts
• Identify cannabis and cannabinoid patient counseling opportunities
• Discuss cannabis and cannabinoid effects including dosage, interactions, and side effects
• Recall cannabis and cannabinoid utilization opportunities for various medical conditions

The endocannabinoid system has a regulatory role in both the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral processes. It also has been shown to have immunoregulatory properties. A basic understanding of the functioning and regulation of endocannabinoid system, will provide the clinician in neurosciences and mental/behavioral health with a greater appreciation for the role of this homeostatic regulatory system on anxiety, depression, neurogenesis, neurological health, reward, cognition, learning, and memory.

Currently, there are NO states in the U.S. that DO NOT have legalization for either medicinal or recreational cannabis use, including the federal legality of CBD from hemp with less than 0.3% THC.

This session will provide basic, non-biased, concise and useful information to Clinicians that is vital to guide the safe treatment and counseling of their patients. In addition, an understanding and appreciation for the role of the endocannabinoid system, in maintaining neurological stability and the role it plays in chronic neurological disease will allow the audience to destigmatize the medicinal use of cannabis in their patients.

• Define the endocannabinoid system (eCS)
• Discuss the effects of cannabis on the eCS
• Describe the involvement of the eCS in wellness and disease

Let’s take a walk-through dreamland! In this course, our expert faculty speaker will lead us on an explorative journey through the implications of insomnia, and comorbid primary sleep, medical and psychiatric disorders on overall health. Learners will be given tools to help uncover treatment and management strategies to help optimize patient care. Sleep deficiency is linked to multiple chronic health issues, including heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, obesity, and depression. It is also associated with a higher risk of accidents and injury, including serious car crashes, plane crashes, broken bones, and falls. This BRAINWeek session will provide both frontline clinicians and specialists with expert and comprehensive insights into how to accurately recognize signs of chronic insomnia disorder in clinical practice and will help learners apply appropriate care strategies to enhance patient outcomes and overall well-being. This session will also discuss the complexities of comorbid psychiatric conditions, their bidirectionality with sleep disturbances and their adverse impact on health.

• Discuss the mechanisms of insomnia, the most prevalent sleep disorder in the United States
• Identify characteristics of insomnia and unique subtypes

• Recognize characteristics of insomnia and comorbidities in clinical practice settings
• Describe the impact of insomnia on health-related quality of life and daily functioning
• Discuss the implications of psychiatric comorbidities such as depression and pain on sleep health
• Identify behavioral and pharmacologic management strategies to optimize patient care outcomes in individuals with insomnia

• Describe current pharmacological (stimulants/non-stimulants/combination therapy) and non-pharmacological (psychosocial interventions, lifestyle modifications) treatment approaches in ADHD
• Describe the efficacy, benefits, and adverse effects of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments
• Select and individualize appropriate treatment regimens for patients with ADHD
• Discuss challenges with treatment adherence among patients with ADHD and how to mitigate challenges

Headache is one of the most common complaints among patients presenting to an outpatient primary care, neurology, or pain practice. The evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of headache can be rather cumbersome, and at times quite challenging for even the most seasoned clinician. Many complex issues that although not causative, can play a triggering role in the genesis of headaches.

This presentation will review some of the essential elements that are part of headache evaluation including headache-specific history, physical examination, warning signs of secondary headache disorders, and when to consider additional studies.

• Classify headaches based on International Headache Society criteria
• Formulate an effective treatment plan for headache disorders that considers both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions
• Describe evaluation approaches needed to make an accurate and comprehensive assessment of headache characteristics to determine diagnosis

• Describe the effectiveness of newer pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment strategies for migraine, including CGRP-receptor antagonists, CGRP antibodies, 5-HT1F receptor agonists, and new deliveries for treatments in intranasal form as well as non-invasive neuromodulation.
• Identify which patients are suitable candidates for newer approved therapies for migraine.
• Discuss the involvement of the gut-brain axis and the autonomic nervous system in migraine pathogenesis and progression.

Central sensitization syndromes (CSS) affect upwards of 30 million adults in the United States and the role of sensitization in migraine is not yet widely understood outside of chronic pain and neurology clinics.

The presentation will focus on the diagnosis and management of migraines with sensitization and provide real-world examples and evidence-based research to enhance the providers’ clinical knowledge and skills to be able to identify when sensitization is present and allow them to tailor the treatment plan accordingly. Educating patients on sensitization reduces overutilization of healthcare resources as patients understand how sensitization affects their symptoms and are less prone to catastrophic thinking that a new or worsening illness is occurring with symptoms flares they are better able to self-manage.

• Describe the pathophysiologic process of central sensitization
• Discuss how sensitization affects approaches to migraine treatment and management
• Explain the interplay of migraine treatment with mental health disorders, stress, and sleep

The gut and brain connect via a neuro-immuno-humoral network of signaling pathways known as the gut–brain axis, which includes the vagus nerve, the immune system, the hormonal system. Disturbances of microbiota homeostasis and dysregulation of these pathways can cause pathological malfunctions, including neurological disorders.

Increasing preclinical and clinical studies/evidence indicate that gut microbes are a possible susceptibility factor for the progression of neurological disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), multiple sclerosis (MS) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

This session will examine what is known in the literature and where the research is heading in the examination of the connection between the gut microbiota and the central nervous system. Practical recommendations that clinicians can make to their patients to aid in the prevention and treatment of gut microbiota-related neurological disorders will be addressed.

• Define the gut-brain axis
• Explain the role of the microbiome in central nervous system functioning and the pathogenesis of neurological disorders
• Identify key neurological conditions that have been studied in relationship to the microbiome
• Recall nutritional interventions that support the health of the microbiome

• Describe appropriate assessment tools for screening and evaluating patients for neurocognitive disorders (NCDs), including mild cognitive impairment and dementia.
• Recognize characteristics of NCDs in clinical practice.
• Describe diagnostic criteria for NCD syndromes.

In 2023, there were 6.5 million Americans with dementia, most of whom have Alzheimer’s disease as the cause. This presentation will highlight recent scientific advances in Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis/treatment and translate them into real-world clinical practice highlighting what we know and the remaining gaps. The progress on Alzheimer’s is exciting but remains controversial infused with important questions about the clinical meaningfulness of the treatments given potential serious side effects and high financial costs along with practical challenges for patients, families, healthcare providers, and payors.

The course will enhance critical thinking skills, clinical knowledge and skills by:
1.) Enhancing understanding of the role of biomarkers in Alzheimer’s diagnosis providing practical guidance on current clinical use and reimbursement
2.) Explaining clinical trial data for FDA-approved Alzheimer’s treatment including lack of diversity in study subjects, applicability to clinical practice, and discussion of systems needed for safe prescribing and monitoring.

Research regarding the interaction between physical and mental health integration has recently gained momentum due to the increasing demand for healthcare providers to identify and provide impactful care during patient interactions. Unfortunately, the growing levels of daily trauma have made a significant impact on the effectiveness of treating patients with physical health needs.

This session will discuss how trauma and mental health mobilize in physical health environments and how a mental health provider may support your practice’s integrated care needs. Content will also include reviewing assessment tools to use when trauma or a mental health need is suspected and how to work collaboratively with mental health professionals off-site for patient retention.

• Select standard assessment tools to evaluate depression and anxiety in clinical settings
• Describe the characteristics of patients with trauma
• Identify opportunities for providing integrated mental and physical health care services
• Discuss the benefits of integrated mental health care

Clinician Burnout is highly prevalent, affecting over 50% of clinicians in some studies. With such a phenomenon affecting so many clinicians, there can be systemwide impacts. Burnout can result in clinicians reducing their hours, changing jobs, or even leaving healthcare to seek employment in other fields, which reduces access and continuity of care. Burnout can also result in reductions in care quality and patient safety.

In this lecture, strategies for both the individual and institution to address clinician burnout will be discussed. With practical and implementable strategies, clinician burnout can be mitigated and potentially prevented.

• Identify the causes and symptoms of physician burn out
• Formulate an effective treatment plan to help individuals and health systems reduce clinician burn out

• Recall the classifications of hallucinogens
• Produce safety information to prevent overdose and mitigate side effects in patients using psychedelics to treat medical conditions
• Describe the historical and current legal control status of psychedelics relative to respective mechanism(s) of action

Given the chaotic overlapping landscape of illicit substances, prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, and supplements, it’s easy for clinicians to get lost in the “delirium” when it comes to knowing which substances, including formulations and dosages, are FDA-approved for patient care, under clinical study, not approved for patient use, or outright illegal on a federal or state level.

Alas, this session will aim to review FDA-approved psychedelic medications, research studies, and case studies in an effort to clear the “haze” on what psychedelic medications clinicians can actually consider when providing patient care. Let’s take a trip, to optimized patient care!

• Recall the FDA-approved medications that are also hallucinogens at other dosages and formulations.
• Identify the appropriate condition-specific dosages of FDA-approved medications that are also hallucinogens at other dosages and formulations.
• Recall the side effects and drug-drug interactions of FDA-approved medications that are also hallucinogens at other dosages and formulations.