#neuroanatomy

Grumpy Cord

A transverse slice through a spinal cord that looks like Grumpy Cat.

i♡histo

Being the center of the nervous system, transmitting neural signals between the brain and the entire body and controlling independent neural reflexes…is just so awful .

The pale central face is the ‘grey matter’ and is home to the many neuron cell bodies that run through the spinal cord. The surrounding darker region is composed of the axons of these neurons as the exit, enter, ascend and descend through the spinal cord on their way to innervate muscles, or returning information about pain back from the skin, or relaying information about body position back to the brain.

Hello everyone,

I am so glad to announce that I just finished the second year of med school! I am sorry for having not being active on Tumblr during the last months, but now I am here to share my study methods for the exams of this session, beginning with neuroanatomy.

Neuroanatomy was, for me, the better part of the anatomy exam. It may seem chaotic when you start studying it, but I find so fascinating the way we are precisely organised and the abilities our brain allow us to have.

Since neuroanatomy might be hard to understand at first-lecture, I advise a layeredstrategy to approach this exam.

Also, I strongly suggest using an atlas to memorise the structure of the nervous system. I found Netter’s Atlas of Neuroscience very complete and understandable, and it is cheap too (I paid less than 20 euros).

Here are the steps of my preparation for this exam:

1) Reading all the material

When I first faced this subject, it seemed to me that I could not understand anything. Everything was so confused, with unclear terminology and references to structures that I did not know.

That is why I preferred to have a general look at all the material, without focusing on understanding in depth what I was reading, but trying to catch as much information as I could to have a basic knowledge of neurosciences.

During this phase, I attended classes, read my notes and read the book. After that, I drew a minimal mind map with main topics to start building a scheme in my mind.

2) Active comprehension and schematisation

After having gone through all the material, I quitted the classes and favoured studying on my own. I guess this is a personal decision: generally speaking, I find it vital to go to classes, but in this case, I felt I was losing my time. I realised I needed much more time than a two-hour lesson to comprehend a topic, so I could not focus, ending up distracting and wasting my time.

I started reading all the material again, trying to grasp the point.

I also began to schematise the topics. I selected the most helpful images of the atlas, and I copied them on my notebook, adding a description.

It may seem time-consuming, but it was easier to memorise anatomical structures after having drawn them.

I also compared my notes with the professor’s slides to have a more schematic view.

3) Memorisation and recalling with a friend

I based the last part of my studying on trying to remember all the information.

I used mnemotechnics for the most mnemonic parts, such as the peripheric nervous system. By the way, I think neuroanatomy is not one of the more mnemonic exams in med school.

The technique that helped me the most to fix the information was recalling them with a friend. I am not a fan of studying with someone when I still have to comprehend the topic, but I find it vital some weeks before the exam. Having a study buddy allows you to see the subject from a different point of view and to understand whether you missed relevant information.

Also, I recalled all the topics out loud on my own. It helped me test myself and perceiving if I was able to build a speech on that point.

And that’s how I prepared for one of my favourite exams in med school so far. Let me know whether you agree with this method or you would have changed something.

Hope this post will be useful for someone ✨

May 13th 2021

Coffee, cream and neuroanatomy notes

May 12th 2021

Neuroanatomy and coffee ☕️

May 3rd 2021

Yesterday I went to my first baby shower and cooked these cupcakes

Today I’m back on my studies, with neuroanatomy and muji stationery

May 17th 2022

First night in E.R. ✅

May 5th 2022

Exams are coming