Spinal Cord Hemisection and Syringomyelia Models

Contributed By

Dr Siobhan McMahon

University of Galway

Case Overview

This activity is interactive, allowing students to apply the knowledge they gain in lectures to understand functional loss following two specific spinal cord lesions (Hemisection and Syringomyelia). The resource includes an information sheet for each spinal cord lesion and an instruction sheet for construction of each spinal cord lesion model.

Anatomical Region and System

Target Audience

Additional Details

  • Level of Neuroanatomy Content: Intermediate
  • Average Activity Duration: 30 minutes
  • Adaptable for Online Learning: No
  • level of difficulty to implement this resource: easy

activity type

  • 3D Model (e.g., 3D printing, virtual)
  • Laboratory Session / Lab Manual
  • Small Group activity (define recommended group size in full description of activity)

Learning Objectives

Describe the dorsal columns, spinothalamic tract and corticospinal tract

Describe the functional loss that occurs following hemisection and syringomyelia

Instructions

This activity requires materials for construction of a model of the spinal cord tracts using a foam tube and wires.  Hemisection and syringomyelia is indicated using a clip and small ball respectively.   A list of the required materials and a step-by-step guide to construction of each of these spinal cord lesion models is included in the resource.  These models can be prepared in advance as a demonstration model or students can create the models in a small group setting.  An information sheet is included for each of these spinal cord lesions which describes the functional loss in each lesion.

Instructor Preparation

Sourcing the list of the required materials for construction of the two spinal cord lesion models is required (foam tube, wires, permanent marker to create gray matter/white matter templates, clip for hemisection lesion and small ball for syringomyelia lesion).

Student Preparatory Work

Prior to using this resource, students should have covered lecture material on spinal cord anatomy and ascending/descending spinal cord pathways.

Materials and Software Requirements

A list of materials, including photographs, are provided in the supplementary files associated with this resource (foam tube, different coloured wires, permanent marker, clip for hemisection lesion and small ball for syringomyelia lesion).

Recommended Setup for the Learning Environment

Students should work in small groups (approximately 5 students per group/model)

Additional Relevant Information

If possible, students should be encouraged to take a photograph of their completed model after the task is finished for their revision.

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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