Described Neural Connections Enhance Classroom Learning of Neuroanatomy
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| Title: | Described Neural Connections Enhance Classroom Learning of Neuroanatomy |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Nicholas C. Hindy (ORCID |
| Source: | Anatomical Sciences Education. 2025 18(7):642-656. |
| Availability: | Wiley. Available from: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030. Tel: 800-835-6770; e-mail: cs-journals@wiley.com; Web site: https://www.wiley.com/en-us |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 15 |
| Publication Date: | 2025 |
| Sponsoring Agency: | National Science Foundation (NSF) |
| Contract Number: | 2315440 |
| Document Type: | Journal Articles Reports - Research |
| Education Level: | Higher Education Postsecondary Education |
| Descriptors: | Anatomy, Undergraduate Students, Neurosciences, Learning Processes, Feedback (Response), Memory, Diagnostic Tests, Brain Hemisphere Functions, Computer Assisted Instruction, Teaching Methods, Educational Benefits, Comparative Analysis, Textbooks, Retention (Psychology) |
| DOI: | 10.1002/ase.70051 |
| ISSN: | 1935-9772 1935-9780 |
| Abstract: | Advances in brain imaging have led to a paradigm shift in neuroscience research, moving from focusing on individual brain structures to investigating neural networks and connections. However, neuroanatomy education still tends to concentrate on discrete brain regions. Two separate experiments in undergraduate neuroscience courses investigated whether incorporating neural connectivity into neuroanatomy education would enhance learning. Students in each experiment learned to identify brain structures through computer-based training sessions that provided text-based narrative feedback about neural connections, followed by final memory tests after a 1-month delay. The first experiment included 30 students and demonstrated a long-term memory benefit associated with described neural connections, showing a medium effect size (p = 0.01, d = 0.54) comparable to the established retrieval practice effect for enhancing long-term memory (p = 0.03, d = 0.47). The second experiment replicated the benefits of described neural connections with a small effect size (p = 0.005, d = 0.28) in a larger sample of 122 students across classrooms at two universities. Furthermore, students remembered the functional outcomes of neural connections from training (p < 0.001, d = 0.46), and this generalized to clinical applications (p = 0.009, d = 0.27). In contrast, categorizing brain areas without describing neural connections (as is commonly done in introductory neuroscience textbook chapters) did not benefit either memory or generalization. Findings demonstrate that leveraging the connectivity paradigm shift in neuroscience research can enhance neuroanatomy education. Emphasizing neural connections and their functional outcomes helps simplify neuroanatomy and improve understanding and retention. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Notes: | https://osf.io/dnu9x |
| Entry Date: | 2025 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1475993 |
| Database: | ERIC |
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| Abstract: | Advances in brain imaging have led to a paradigm shift in neuroscience research, moving from focusing on individual brain structures to investigating neural networks and connections. However, neuroanatomy education still tends to concentrate on discrete brain regions. Two separate experiments in undergraduate neuroscience courses investigated whether incorporating neural connectivity into neuroanatomy education would enhance learning. Students in each experiment learned to identify brain structures through computer-based training sessions that provided text-based narrative feedback about neural connections, followed by final memory tests after a 1-month delay. The first experiment included 30 students and demonstrated a long-term memory benefit associated with described neural connections, showing a medium effect size (p = 0.01, d = 0.54) comparable to the established retrieval practice effect for enhancing long-term memory (p = 0.03, d = 0.47). The second experiment replicated the benefits of described neural connections with a small effect size (p = 0.005, d = 0.28) in a larger sample of 122 students across classrooms at two universities. Furthermore, students remembered the functional outcomes of neural connections from training (p < 0.001, d = 0.46), and this generalized to clinical applications (p = 0.009, d = 0.27). In contrast, categorizing brain areas without describing neural connections (as is commonly done in introductory neuroscience textbook chapters) did not benefit either memory or generalization. Findings demonstrate that leveraging the connectivity paradigm shift in neuroscience research can enhance neuroanatomy education. Emphasizing neural connections and their functional outcomes helps simplify neuroanatomy and improve understanding and retention. |
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| ISSN: | 1935-9772 1935-9780 |
| DOI: | 10.1002/ase.70051 |
