Review of Periventricular Neuroanatomical Structures

Contributed By

Mary Kate Worden

University of Virginia School of Medicine

Case Overview

Small groups of students compete to create the most accurate neuroanatomical model of the periventricular structures of the brain using modeling clay and a three dimensional model of brain ventricles. The instructor creates a narrated video based using an exemplary student model (e.g., most anatomically correct) that is posted to the course website to serve as a study tool for neuroanatomical review. The students who created the exemplary model are acknowledged in the video.

Anatomical Region and System

Presentation by Functional Systems

Target Audience

Additional Details

  • Level of Neuroanatomy Content: Intermediate
  • Average Activity Duration: 30-40 minutes in class; 5 minutes post-class to create video
  • Adaptable for Online Learning: No
  • level of difficulty to implement this resource: easy

activity type

  • 3D Model (e.g., 3D printing, virtual)
  • Game
  • Small Group activity (define recommended group size in full description of activity)

Learning Objectives

  • Build the periventricular structures on a 3D model of the ventricular system
  • Describe the location of each of the following periventricular structures: caudate nucleus, putamen, globus pallidus, amygdala, hippocampus, thalamus, hypothalmus, fornix, and internal capsule

Instructions

Pre-class instructions for students should direct them to use prior course materials to review their understanding of the three dimensional organization of the periventricular structures of the central nervous system.

At the start of class the instructor should show the image included in the PDF entitled, “Review of the Periventricular Structures of the CNS” to show students how the model will look at the start and finish of the exercise, and to describe the color coding for each of the brain structures.

An example of a narrative video showing the best work from one class of students is linked in the supplementary materials, along with a second PDF (“Functional Notes on the Periventricular Structures of the CNS“) describing the function of the periventricular structures included in this activity.

Instructor Preparation

The instructor should distribute the brain ventricle models to students (1 per 4 students) as well as a paper plate on which there is modeling clay in various colors.

The color scheme for the exercise can be adjusted if necessary to align with the available colors of modeling clay.

Student Preparatory Work

Students should have received previous instruction on the anatomy of the ventricular system, and of the neuroanatomy of the periventricular structures of the CNS, including the thalamus, globus pallidus, hypothalamus, hippocampus, caudate and putamen, amygdala, fornix and internal capsule.

Materials and Software Requirements

This exercise requires the following materials:

  • Human Brain Ventricles #566786 (Carolina Biological Supply Co., Burlington, NC)
  • Paper plates with an assortment of colored Crayola® Model Magic (Crayola, Easton, PA). Crayola® Model Magic is a non-toxic, safe, soft, foam-like material that can be molded into 3-D shapes and air-dries into a light-weight solid structure.
  • A smartphone or video camera for the instructor to record a narrated video of the most anatomically correct example of student work.
  • A course website on which the narrated video can be shared as a teaching resource
    • Alternatively, the video could be posted on an video hosting platform (e.g., YouTube) and a link could be shared

Recommended Setup for the Learning Environment

The best set-up would include tables with ample room for the model, the clay, and for up to four students who will be working together to mould clay to one model. The tables should also accommodate any resources to which students would like to refer, such as hardcopy notes, texts, atlases and laptops.

Additional Relevant Information

This classroom exercise was inspired by the following publication, which described the effectiveness of using the ventricular models and clay within the context of a laboratory review of neuroanatomical structures.

Estevez ME, Lindgren KA, Bergethon PR. A novel three-dimensional tool for teaching human neuroanatomy. Anat Sci Educ. 2010 Nov-Dec;3(6):309-17. doi: 10.1002/ase.186. Epub 2010 Oct 11. PMID: 20939033; PMCID: PMC3189499.

Best practices include the following:

  • Using clay that is newly purchased, as older clay is not as “sticky” and may not adhere well to the ventricular model.
  • Requiring all student groups to use a common color scheme, as this simplifies the challenge instructors face in evaluating the accuracy of each completed model.
  • Inviting multiple instructors to participate in the session to (1) provide feedback on neuroanatomical details as students create their models, and to (2) collaborate on determining which of the models is most accurate.
  • Ensuring that the names of the students who created the most anatomically correct model are included in the video.
  • Posting the “winning” video to the course website (or equivalent platform) as soon as possible.

Most common mistakes students make are:

  • Mistakes of scale.  For example, the amygdala might be inappropriately large or small relative to other brain structures.
  • Mistakes of orientation.  For example, the basal ganglia might be in the improper orientation relative to each other and to the hypothalamus and the internal capsule.  The hippocampus might be in improper orientation relative to the temporal horn of the lateral ventricle.
  • Failure to realize that the fornix originates at the hippocampus and terminates within the hypothalamus.

Licensing

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 License).

Peer Review Statement

This work has been vetted and accepted through the GNN peer-review process before publication.

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