Digesting, retaining, and improving cranial nerve study

Abstract

The physical constraints of the cranium and complex spatial relationships pose unique challenges to the study of head and neck and contribute to its notoriety amongst medical and allied health students. Mastering the cranial nerves is a tedious but imperative task; they have complicated pathways to their target tissues and intricate relationships amongst themselves. Traditional textbooks are able to provide the necessary anatomical detail by presenting cranial nerves in small segments; likewise atlases overcome the spatial constraints of the cranium by providing many graphics from various angles. As a student, I struggled to assemble the discrete units of cranial nerve anatomy into a comprehensive understanding of both form and function. This study reports on a developed series of cranial nerve schematics that address the need for a balanced cranial nerve educational resource. Each schematic depicts the full extent of a cranial nerve's anatomical course that includes bony landmarks (i.e., fissures, canals, foramina) and communication with other nerves, particularly in parasympathetic ganglia pathways. These schematics were presented in formal lecture to allied health students, receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback in evaluations. The high perceived value of this resource prompted us to assemble the schematics into an educational module and integrate it into the curriculum to assist future students in their study of this difficult subject.