Anatomical Sciences Education最新文献

Most research programs recruit students with high grades, previous lab experience, and strong supervisor recommendations. However, these requirements can bar students from historically marginalized backgrounds from gaining these kinds of valuable experiences, thus contributing to the well documented limited diversity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). To address this issue, we recruited three cohorts of undergraduate students from institutions with few research resources, regardless of academic success and previous research experience, to participate in an intensive, international research program. Therefore, participants in this study (N = 18, M_age = 21.11) are predominantly from backgrounds considered to be underrepresented in STEM based on their self-described gender identity (66.7% female, 5.6% non-binary/not sure), race/ethnicity (16.7% Black, 22.2% Latina/o/e/x, 22.2% Multiracial), ability (33% disabled or neurodivergent), and/or socioeconomic status (44.5% lower- or middle-class). Survey data were collected before and after students participated in the international program to explore changes in their science identity, research self-efficacy, and STEM career interests. Even with a small sample, the program significantly impacted the overall sample. Participants demonstrated enhanced science identity. Furthermore, the program influenced students' STEM career interests. Although some students leaned away from research trajectories after participating in the research program, most increased research interests. These results affirm that a program designed to give research experience to historically marginalized students can benefit their science identity and career trajectories. The implications of such programming could broaden participation in our academic field.

Decreased contact hours have led to investigation of new visualization methods for anatomy education. As a result, novel methods of three-dimensional modeling continue to proliferate. Photogrammetry has been utilized recently to construct 3D digital models from human body donors. The purpose of this study was to explore the benefits of photogrammetry and its potential in improving student performance in a first-year preclinical medical renal and genitourinary systems course. All 166 students enrolled in the course were invited to participate in an active learning session that consisted of a pre-test, renal anatomy review lecture, and collaborative time spent reviewing the digital models and clinical cases. Students completed the learning session by taking a post-test. One hundred and forty-seven students participated in the research study, and students scored significantly higher on the post-test (M = 4.54, SD = 1.78) compared to the pre-test (M = 3.58, SD = 1.83), p < 0.001. Students' scores on the post-test accounted for anywhere from 3% to 8% of the variability in performance on the anatomy questions of the bimonthly class exam, overall performance on the bimonthly class exam, and the board exam. These findings suggest that the use of three-dimensional digital models and clinical cases positively impacted student learning immediately and that these improvements are stable. Future investigation into the application and efficacy of photogrammetry as a component of active learning is warranted.

The COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique opportunity to assess remote Clinical Anatomy. Conversion of the donor dissection laboratory to asynchronous videos, combined with synchronous laboratory review and lecture, provided an alternative to face-to-face (F2F) learning. Two cohorts, 2019 (n = 104) and 2020 (n = 102), of dental and physician assistant (PA) students received F2F and remote instruction, respectively. Summative assessment items and low-stakes exam scores from both cohorts were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis tests with Dunn's post hoc analysis. The Clinical Anatomy Online Survey was developed to assess student perspectives of their anatomical knowledge and was administered to the 2020 cohort. Research goals were to assess learning outcomes, survey perspectives, and determine relationships between learning outcomes and perceptions of remote clinical anatomy students. Results were triangulated using a concurrent monomethod multistrand method. The 2020 remote PA cohort scored 5.0 ± 1.6 (5.0%, p = 0.017) points higher on summative assessment items and 1.4 ± 0.43 (4.7%, p = 0.003) points higher on low-stakes exams than the 2019 PA cohort, indicating adequate cognitive gains for remote learning. Performance on summative and low-stakes exams did not differ by format for dental students. Students also reported adequate cognitive domain gains in anatomical knowledge, but many perceived a lack of psychomotor and affective domain learning as a lost opportunity.

Neuroscience is a required course in many health professions curricula, but with it often comes neurophobia, the fear or difficulty that students experience when attempting to learn neuroscience. Traditional teaching methods in neuroanatomy may contribute to cognitive overload and stress, reinforcing the notion that neuroanatomy is exceptionally challenging. Game-based learning is one method to counteract these strains on the learner. NeuroTwister was developed to teach cross sections of the brain and brainstem and thus is classified as a serious game. Adapted from the game Twister® (Hasbro), NeuroTwister tasks students with placing a hand or foot on the correct brain or brainstem slice based on the spin of a wheel. A total of 103 second-year medical students participated in this study and completed a pre-test, four rounds of NeuroTwister, a post-test, a survey, and a course exam. The pre-test and post-test each contained twelve unique images of brain and brainstem cross sections. From the pre-test to post-test, students increased their scores and decreased the duration to complete the test (both p < 0.001). On a course exam several weeks later, students performed better on both first- and second-order questions of material learned by NeuroTwister compared to material learned by traditional methods (both p < 0.001). Survey results indicated an overall positive rating of the NeuroTwister game, with enjoyment of learning neuroanatomy rated the highest, followed by "increased my knowledge of neuroanatomy." These data support the potential of NeuroTwister to complement conventional educational approaches in neuroanatomy as a strategy to mitigate neurophobia and enhance learning.

China's current body donation landscape remains challenging, with traditional cultural factors such as values and religious beliefs widely regarded as significant influencers. However, the specific cultural factors at play remain unclear. This systematic review aims to comprehensively synthesize the factors within traditional Chinese culture that affect willingness to donate. Following the PRISMA guideline, two researchers systematically searched ten databases based on the predefined search strategy from the establishment to August 2025, including PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, Medline, ScienceDirect, China Biology Medicine (CBM/Sinomed), VIP Full-text Database, Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). Sixteen relevant articles were retained for analysis after evaluating 2106 articles. The included studies encompassed 14,556 participants. Using content analysis based on the theory of cultural stratification, the study summarized 12 culturally related factors: spiritual culture (body perspective, death perspective, life perspective, values perspective, filial piety, social opinion); institutional culture (funeral rites, commemorative ceremonies, donation procedures, legal); and material culture (monuments and memorials, reception institutions). Overall, Chinese body donation was impeded by numerous obstacles that are not mutually independent. Measures should be taken including systematically integrating death education into the national curriculum, establishing a comprehensive donation system, advancing the development of material culture, and leveraging media and digital technologies to promote the sustainable and healthy development of modern medicine.

Simulation-based training is critical for surgical skill acquisition and typically uses soft-preserved body donors, as they represent high-fidelity models (vs. hard-fixed donors) with prolonged periods of preservation (vs. unembalmed donors). While many soft-embalming solutions exist, there remains no standardization between centers nor evaluation of the solution-associated tissue suitability for surgical skills training. The current study aims to remedy that by systematically comparing qualitative ratings (McMaster Embalming Scale [MES]) and quantitative tissue properties (biomechanical testing) of four differentially embalmed tissues (Surgical Reality Fluid, Imperial College London; soft preservation solution, Ethanol-Phenol, and Saturated Salt Solution) captured during analogous clinical and mechanical tests (chest tube insertion and anchoring, bone sawing and electrocautery). MES and mechanical testing results uncovered significant differences across both embalming solutions used and skills performed. Based on these findings and considering cost/safety/accessibility features, ethanol-phenol emerged as an optimal solution for embalming tissues for surgical skills. Still, in comparison to live tissues examined in published studies, embalmed tissues tend to require substantially more force to cut and pierce, which may account for the modest suitability rankings observed across all embalmed tissues. Overall, this suggests that while solution-specific differences exist, their performance is comparable enough to accept any of those tested as adequate models for surgical skills training-an optimistic outcome for laboratories looking to manage both performance and practical concerns during embalming solution selection.

Neuroanatomy is notoriously challenging to learn and often contributes to "neurophobia." Traditional instruction has relied on lectures and dissection, but newer pedagogical innovations are increasingly adopted. Despite this, comparative evidence to guide best practices is limited. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize the literature on neuroanatomy teaching interventions, and quantitatively assess pooled effects on (1) short-term knowledge retention, (2) long-term knowledge retention, and (3) learner satisfaction. Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science for studies published between January 2000 and February 2025. Eligible studies described defined neuroanatomy teaching interventions for post-secondary learners. Those reporting knowledge or satisfaction outcomes were included in the meta-analysis. Two reviewers independently performed screening, extraction, and methodological quality assessment using the MERSQI. Random-effects meta-analyses generated pooled standardized mean differences (SMDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). From 11,438 records, 195 studies met inclusion for qualitative synthesis, most often involving digital/web-based applications (n = 38), immersive technologies (n = 22), or 3D models (n = 18). Overall methodological quality was moderate. Students valued interventions promoting 3D reasoning, clinical integration, and active learning. Thirty-seven studies contributed to meta-analysis. Computer/web-based applications showed consistent benefit for short-term knowledge (SMD = 1.69; 95% CI [0.32, 3.06]). Evidence for long-term knowledge retention and satisfaction was less robust. In conclusion, neuroanatomy education is shifting toward blended curricula integrating digital tools, models, and active pedagogies. Computer/web-based applications are most consistently effective for short-term learning; further research should emphasize long-term outcomes.

Teaching white matter (WM) anatomy to undergraduates is challenging. This is partly because WM fibers are oriented intricately and Klingler's dissection, the gold standard method used to demonstrate it, often requires time, advanced anatomical knowledge, and refined dissection skills. Simple sections of the brain, on the other hand, are performed universally in anatomy laboratories, but is often described as having obscured 3D information regarding WM anatomy. Using sectional anatomy for WM education also has a two-fold advantage-WM anatomy helps understand functional organization of brain, and sections directly correlate with cross-sectional imaging that health professionals routinely use in their practice. Some earlier manuals mention that WM on simple brain sections in formalin-fixed specimen show patterns of shades which correlate with axonal directionality. In this article, the authors expand these shading patterns and describes how it becomes more pronounced with Alston's stain, as compared to formalin-fixed specimen. The shades were correlated with diffusion tensor imaging tractography from a Human Connectome Project subject data. As a refinement, the authors propose a method of combining these observations with "Air Anatomy" hand gestures-a pedagogical approach previously published in ASE to create a simple, intuitive and accessible method for teaching spatial concepts of white matter using simple sections. This article proposes that this trimodal graphical approach of observing sections (unstained or stained), correlating with tractography and adding "Air Anatomy" hand gestures can intuitively help diverse neuroanatomy learners to imbibe spatial geometry as well as pathways of the fiber bundles.

"Neurophobia," a fear of neural sciences, presents a significant impediment in medical education, contributing to student anxiety and influencing career selection away from neurological specialties. The high prevalence of neurophobia underscores the significance of this issue. Despite the widespread recognition of neurophobia, a clear mechanism for addressing this across healthcare curricula remains elusive. To help address this gap, this article describes the design and evaluation of an innovative, multimodal curriculum designed to target this deep-seated fear of neuroanatomy. We hypothesized that this multimodal, gamified approach would increase the students' self-perceived confidence in neuroanatomy. The curriculum was delivered to medical students at two different institutions, integrating traditional neuroanatomy teaching methods such as donor dissection with strategies that gamify learning. Gamification relied on low-fidelity competitions, such as Memory Games, Neuro-Charades, A Minute to Win It, "Neuro-Jeopardy" revision sessions, clinically oriented simulated anatomy ward rounds, and an immersive escape room, many of which were developed with corresponding scalable digital versions for broad dissemination. A mixed-methods evaluation using pre- and post-course surveys and content analysis of qualitative feedback from medical students was conducted to assess their perceived confidence in neuroanatomy. A significant increase in mean self-perceived learner confidence was observed post-intervention (V = 489, p < 0.001). Quantitative and qualitative data indicated high student satisfaction and perceived educational efficacy for all curriculum components. Students affirmed the value of dissection for 3D conceptualization while highlighting how gamified activities fostered engagement and collaborative learning. This work suggests that a synergistic combination of traditional and innovative pedagogical techniques can help improve learner confidence in neuroanatomy. Further iterations of these interventions focused on a framework for scalability without compromising impact.

"Neurophobia," a pervasive fear of the neurological sciences, poses a significant barrier in medical education, affecting learners and physicians worldwide. Its consequences are far-reaching, contributing to a limited neurology workforce and diminished confidence among non-specialists in managing neurological conditions. The inherent complexity of neuroanatomy is a primary contributor to neurophobia, often overwhelming learners and contributing to a loss of confidence that hinders meaningful learning and competent application of concepts. While many educational interventions have sought to mitigate this fear, this discursive article proposes a more foundational shift toward proactively cultivating a "neuroquisitive mindset"-an active state of curiosity and engagement with clinical neuroanatomy. This discursive article introduces a practical framework that is educator-focused in design and grounded in learner-centered principles, offering strategies to foster neuroquisitiveness by addressing the roots of neurophobia. This framework is built upon four interconnected pillars: (1) prioritizing essential knowledge; (2) managing cognitive load through instructional design; (3) implementing applied learning strategies; and (4) emphasizing clinical relevance to ground concepts in patient care. By equipping educators with actionable strategies, the neuroquisitive framework aims to transform neuroanatomy from a source of intimidation into a field of inquiry, promoting durable knowledge and confidence in the neurological sciences among future physicians.