The integration of brain dissection within the medical neuroscience laboratory enhances learning.

The purpose of this study was to design a one-hour brain dissection protocol for a medical neuroscience course and evaluate the short and long-term effects of its implementation on medical students. First-year medical students (n = 166) participated in a brain dissection activity that included dissection of the basal nuclei and associated deep brain structures. Short-term retention was assessed by administering identical pre- and post-activity tests involving identification of brain structures. Following the brain dissection, the students' posttest scores were significantly higher (68.8% ± 17.8%; mean percent score ± SD) than their pretest scores (35.8% ± 20.0%) (P ≤ 0.0001). Long-term retention was evaluated by conducting an identical assessment five months after completion of the course. Students who participated in the dissection activity (n = 80) had significantly higher scores (46.6% ± 23.8%) than the students who did not participate in the dissection activity (n = 85) (38.1% ± 23.9%) (P ≤ 0.05). In addition to the long-term retention assessment, the NBME® Subject Examination scores of students who participated in the dissection activity were significantly higher than the students who did not participate in the dissection activity (P ≤ 0.01). Results suggest that this succinct brain dissection activity may be a practical addition to an undergraduate medical neuroscience course for increasing the effectiveness of neuroanatomy training. This effect may have long-term benefits on knowledge retention and may be correlated with higher performance levels on standardized subject examinations. Anat Sci Educ 9: 565-574. © 2016 American Association of Anatomists.

Expression of the L-type calcium channel in the developing mouse visual system by use of immunocytochemistry.

Developmental refinement of the retinogeniculate and retinocollicular pathways is partially dependent upon Ca(2+) channel function [J. Comp. Neurol. 440 (2001) 177-191]. We have examined the development of the L-type voltage gated Ca(2+) channel to determine if the onset of expression matches this period of refinement. Labeling by an antibody directed against the alpha 1C subunit of this channel was examined in the superior colliculus (SC), lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN), visual cortex (CTX), hippocampus (HC) and cerebellum (CB) in mice aged P3-4, P8-9, P15, P21, P28, and adults. At P3-4, labeled cells within the SC were concentrated within a dense band in the retinorecipient zone of the superficial gray layer. More lightly labeled neurons were seen in other layers. This dense band was still seen at P15, while more labeled neurons were seen in other layers. By P21-P28, labeled neurons were fairly uniformly distributed throughout all layers of SC. Neuronal cell types appeared to be labeled at all ages examined within the LGN. Within CTX, putative layer V-VI pyramidal neurons were well labeled at P4 and later ages, and labeled layer II-III pyramids could be distinguished by P9 and later ages. The dendrites and cell bodies of pyramidal neurons within CA1-CA3 of HC, granule neurons in the dentate gyrus, and Purkinje neurons in CB were labeled at all ages examined. We conclude that the L-type Ca(2+) channel is expressed in many neurons within retinorecipient targets as well as in other brain regions during the developmental period in which pathway refinement and synaptic plasticity occurs.