Neuroscience in Nigeria: the past, the present and the future

Balogun, Wasiu Gbolahan; Cobham, Ansa Emmanuel; Amin, Abdulbasit

doi:10.1007/s11011-017-0119-9

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Database mining approaches using a combination of search terms such as 'Neuroscience' and 'Africa' have been used to estimate neuroscience research outputs from Africa 14,17 . However, this approach does not delineate African-led studies from those led by researchers elsewhere.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

20 years of African Neuroscience: Waking a sleeping giant

Maina

Ahmad

Ibrahim

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Understanding the function and dysfunction of the brain remains one of the key challenges of our time. However, an overwhelming majority of brain research is carried out in the Global North, by a minority of well-funded and intimately interconnected labs. In contrast, with an estimated one neuroscientist per million people in Africa, news about neuroscience research from the Global South remains sparse. Clearly, devising new policies to boost Africa’s neuroscience landscape is imperative. However, the policy must be based on accurate data, which is largely lacking. Such data must reflect the extreme heterogeneity of research outputs across the continent’s 54 countries distributed over an area larger than USA, Europe and China combined. Here, we analysed all of Africa’s Neuroscience output over the past 21 years. Uniquely, we individually verified in each of 12,326 publications that the work was indeed performed in Africa and led by African-based researchers. This step is critical: previous estimates grossly inflated figures, because many of Africa’s high-visibility publications are in fact the result of internationally led collaborations, with most work done outside of Africa. The remaining number of African-led Neuroscience publications was 5,219, on average only ~5 per country and year. From here, we extracted metrics such as the journal and citations, as well as detailed information on funding, international collaborations and the techniques and model systems used. We link these metrics to demographic data and indicators of mobility and economy. For reference, we also extracted the same metrics from 220 randomly selected publications each from the UK, USA, Australia, Japan and Brazil. Our unique dataset allows us to gain accurate and in-depth information on the current state of African Neuroscience research, and to put it into a global context. This in turn allows us to make actionable recommendations on how African research might best be supported in the future.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

20 years of African Neuroscience: Waking a sleeping giant

Maina

Ahmad

Ibrahim

et al. 2020

Preprint

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“…Indeed, a recent estimate placed Nigeria as the third hotspot for neuroscience research in Africa, following South Africa and Egypt (Abd‐Allah et al., ). Database mining efforts estimated a total of 1,079 neuroscience publications affiliated with Nigeria between 2003 and 2013 (Abd‐Allah et al., ) and 1,774 between 1997 and 2017 (Balogun, Cobham, & Amin, ). However, from here it is difficult to quantify the specific contribution of Nigerian laboratories to these publications.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

African neuroscience on the global stage: Nigeria as a model

Maina

Mohammed

Bukar

et al. 2019

Eur J of Neuroscience

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“…Some departments of anatomy within sub‐Saharan African countries are already doing this. For example, because of its giant strides in anatomy education; the Department of Veterinary Anatomy of the University of Ibadan and the Department of Anatomy of the University of Port Harcourt, both in Nigeria, recently partnered with the School of Anatomical Sciences of the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa, to create an exchange program for its technicians and postgraduate students (Balogun et al, ). The national, regional, and continental associations such as the Association of Anatomical Societies of Africa and the Anatomical Society of West Africa could also be used as a platform for these collaborations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Electronic Tools and Resources to Meet the Challenges of Anatomy Education in Sub‐Saharan Africa

Balogun

2018

Anatomical Sciences Ed

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Anatomy education forms the foundation of a successful medical education. This has necessitated the development of innovative ideas to meet up with current realities. Despite these innovative ideas, there are challenges facing anatomy education, especially in sub‐Saharan Africa. Problems such as inadequate teaching experts and outdated curricula have made anatomy education in sub‐Saharan Africa uninviting and disinteresting. Several interventions have been suggested, such as the procurement of teaching tools and upgrading of teaching infrastructure. However, in this age of information technology; anatomy education, especially in sub‐Saharan Africa could benefit from the integration of electronic tools and resources. This article explores the electronic tools and resources such as three‐dimensional printing, educational games, and short videos that are readily available for the teaching of anatomy in sub‐Saharan Africa. The author concludes by discussing how these electronic tools and resources can be used to address many of the challenges facing anatomy education in sub‐Saharan Africa.

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Neuroscience in Nigeria: the past, the present and the future

Cited by 10 publications

References 57 publications

20 years of African Neuroscience: Waking a sleeping giant

20 years of African Neuroscience: Waking a sleeping giant

African neuroscience on the global stage: Nigeria as a model

Using Electronic Tools and Resources to Meet the Challenges of Anatomy Education in Sub‐Saharan Africa

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