Tools and resources for neuroanatomy education: a systematic review

Abstract

BackgroundThe aim of this review was to identify studies exploring neuroanatomy teaching tools and their impact in learning, as a basis towards the implementation of a neuroanatomy program in the context of a curricular reform in medical education.MethodsComputer-assisted searches were conducted through March 2017 in the PubMed, Web of Science, Medline, Current Contents Connect, KCI and Scielo Citation Index databases. Four sets of keywords were used, combining “neuroanatomy” with “education”, “teaching”, “learning” and “student*”. Studies were reviewed independently by two readers, and data collected were confirmed by a third reader.ResultsOf the 214 studies identified, 29 studies reported data on the impact of using specific neuroanatomy teaching tools. Most of them (83%) were published in the last 8 years and were conducted in the United States of America (65.52%). Regarding the participants, medical students were the most studied sample (37.93%) and the majority of the studies (65.52%) had less than 100 participants. Approximately half of the studies included in this review used digital teaching tools (e.g., 3D computer neuroanatomy models), whereas the remaining used non-digital learning tools (e.g., 3D physical models).ConclusionsOur work highlight the progressive interest in the study of neuroanatomy teaching tools over the last years, as evidenced from the number of publications and highlight the need to consider new tools, coping with technological development in medical education.

Neuroanatomy Learning: Augmented Reality vs. Cross‐Sections

“…The development and use of alternative methods for teaching neuroanatomy, therefore, are expected to increase in the next few years (Shaffer, 2004;Winkelmann, 2007). Alternative teaching methods in the form of technological innovations will appeal to the modern, digital student (Pani et al, 2013;Drapkin et al, 2015;Allen et al, 2016;Arantes et al, 2018). Various reports have shown that students have a preference for new teaching methods because they are considered to be interactive, engaging, and widely available (Shen et al, 2008;Huang et al, 2010;Drapkin et al, 2015).…”

How Computer‐Assisted Learning Influences Medical Students' Performance in Anatomy Courses

“…Concerning the field of anatomy, some studies revealed that the students who used CAL or web‐based resources more frequently obtained better performances in examinations when compared with students who had never accessed these resources (Hallgren et al, 2002; McNulty et al, 2009; Kish et al, 2013). Furthermore, in the neuroanatomy domain, Arantes et al (2018) found that using CAL contributes to improve academic performance and that learners also express positive attitudes toward this pedagogical approach. Pani and colleagues suggest that computer‐based learning environments facilitate the teaching and learning process in neuroanatomy, since interactive computer graphics and the computers' ability to manage information management may provide good support for self‐study in this area (Pani et al, 2014).…”

Combining Stereoscopic Video and Virtual Reality Simulation to Maximize Education in Lateral Skull Base Surgery

“…By contrast, use of 3D media is well established in academic and clinical neurosurgery. 19-23 Investigators use stereoscopic imaging diversely, ranging from side-by-side figures in journals to custom virtual simulators built from scratch. 19,20,24 These endeavors into next-generation surgical simulation provide insight toward the use of virtual reality (VR) in LSB surgical training.…”