An anatomical model for learning about cranial nerve VII that simulates a nerve impulse in relation to the skull base

Abstract

Within the field of human anatomy, the study of the cranial nerves and their relationship with the base of the skull has become one of the greatest challenges for students of the Faculty of Health due to its breadth and complexity. The anatomical models that are found are too general and do not allow the understanding of the relationships of the different structures. The aim of this work was to create a pedagogical tool that would allow observing the location and course of the VII paired cranial nerve together with its nerve impulses.

This work is part of the doctoral thesis entitled “Teaching, Learning and Evaluation   of Human Macroscopic Anatomy” that has the endorsement of the Institutional Human Ethics Review Committee of the Universidad del Valle, with code 057-021, under the Study Commission No. 096 of July 04, 2019 of the Faculty of Health. From images in different anatomical planes of the human skull, a framework with the characteristic structure of the skull was designed. Cold porcelain clay was used to give volume and shape to each bone structure; the bony features of the bones of the skull base and foramina were molded by hand. Finally, the VII paired cranial nerve was constructed, representing the nervous impulses by means of electrical pulses with an LED sequence.

A 4D model of the skull was made including the right nerve pathway of the VII paired cranial nerve from its origin to the place of innervation. Likewise, the simulation of the nervous stimulus of the different nerve fibers can be observed in the model.

The learning of the paired cranial nerves from the creation of an anatomical model provides integrated anatomical knowledge, since it facilitates the location and dimension of structures that are difficult to appreciate in real pieces. This strategy also provides the student with a mental representation of the nerve pathways and how they can be affected in certain pathological or traumatic conditions, which will contribute significantly to future clinical practice.