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Modelling the nuclei and pathways of the limbic system using the BrainTower functional neuroanatomy system
Author(s) -
Greene John
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.23.1_supplement.301.4
Subject(s) - neuroanatomy , limbic system , computer science , neuroscience , simple (philosophy) , biology , central nervous system , philosophy , epistemology
Students studying the limbic system need their knowledge to progress from recognizing the morphological features to understanding how particular nuclei and cortical regions are interconnected. This knowledge is difficult to obtain by looking at traditional anatomical models or sections of preserved brains so an interactive aid called the BrainTower® has been developed. It is built from plates representing sections of the nervous system (relating to axial MRI images). These plates can be drawn on, printed or etched to provide further detail and are perforated to show the positions of particular pathways. Some plates are interconnected by wires that run in the positions of functional columns and divisions of the reticular formation. Components, representing nuclei or cortical regions, are connected to the plates and wires and interconnected by monofilaments depicting particular pathways. BrainTower® is easy to clean ‐ so it can be used alongside preserved specimens. Construction uses a few simple processes so students can quickly acquire the skills to build their own models. Work is proceeding to evaluate the role of the model in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching.