Teaching Anatomy to Neuroscientific Health-Care Professionals: Are They Receiving the Best Anatomical Education?
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SHORT COMMUNICATION
Teaching Anatomy to Neuroscientific Health-Care Professionals: Are They Receiving the Best Anatomical Education? Francesco Latini 1
&
Mats Ryttlefors 1
# The Author(s) 2019
Abstract University neuroanatomical courses seldom teach the anatomical-functional connectivity of the brain. White matter dissection improves understanding of brain connectivity, but until now has been restricted to neurosurgeons and in some cases to medical students, never to health-care non-medical professionals. Our aim was to teach white matter anatomy to medical and non-medical students to evaluate this technique in groups with different education. A standardized lab demonstration of white matter anatomy was performed with high appreciation rate in both groups, suggesting a suboptimal neuroanatomical education provided by basic course. We encourage to include this technique of teaching brain anatomy into basic neuroanatomical courses to improve the level of comprehension and competence in all health-care staff within the field of neuroscience. Keywords Medical education . Lab demonstration . Brain anatomy . White matter . Teaching anatomy . Neurosurgical training
Introduction Knowledge of superficial and deep brain anatomy provides a better comprehension of clinical symptoms and surgical or medical treatment of brain pathologies. Basic courses on brain anatomy seldom include modern theories on white matter organization and correlated brain functions [1–3]. Advances in medical imaging, including the use of digital devices and virtual reality, provide new opportunities for learning brain anatomy, but lab demonstration and dissection is still fundamental to a solid learning experience during the basic courses [4–9]. In most university programs worldwide where lab demonstrations of brain anatomy are performed, the classical approach for studying deep cerebral architecture is based on cadaver dissection and two-dimensional (2D) projections/ slices of brain specimens [4, 8]. This method is problematic in identifying 3D anatomy, especially origins and terminations of all white matter bundles [8, 10]. Better learning results can be achieved with white matter fiber dissection, a technique based on blunt dissection of white
* Francesco Latini [email protected] 1
Department of Neuroscience, Neurosurgery, Uppsala University, S-751 85 Uppsala, Sweden
matter pathways removing the cortex of formalin-fixed brains [10–14]. White matter dissection has substantially contributed to our knowledge on brain connectivity [8, 11–15]. All the neuroscientific health-care professionals are interested in learning these aspects of brain anatomy and functions, but until now, white matter dissection has mostly been utilized by neurosurgeons and in some cases in teaching medical students. Nurses, nurse assistants, physiotherapists, and other healthcare professionals are significantly involved during their professional life in taking care of patients with complex brain lesions at the onset, perioperatively, or during the rehabilitati
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