I have now completed a total of three weeks of neuroanatomy with the med students at IUPUI, and have passed my first exam. It is a never ending job of studying. It is one of the most interesting, yet mind-blowing subjects I have even taken. The below picture is one that came up in a google search and I had to laugh...it captures my life. The rest of the post may give you insights into the life and times of a neuro student, but always remember the kitten picture.
Here is just one basic CT image we get to learn. By the end of the semester I should know every square inch of the picture, but I really don't want to. Just so you know the center black areas are the lateral ventricles, the largest ventricles of the 4, where a large portion of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) is stored. The CSF is made in the cornoid plexus which are stored in the ventricles. This is a very common image that is used to diagnose many head conditions and to look at the levels of CSF.
This picture shows all of the 12 cranial nerves. The cranial nerves serve many different essential functions to survival and perceiving the outside world. For example the the optic nerve helps with vision, the olfactory nerve serves as your sense of smell, and the vagus nerve (my favorite) is the nerve that allows us to breathe because it innervates the diaphragm. The 12 nerves are named and numbered so people commonly remember them by using a pneumonic. The nerves in order with starting letters are: OOOTTAFVGVAH, which to me means: Oh, Oh, Oh, To Touch And Feel Very Green Vegetables AH. I know it doesn't make much sense but it helps me remember. I chose to use the PG version of the pneumonic, but there are other vulgar ones that many others use and didn't feel would be appropriate for such a post. It just goes to show everyone has their own way of remembering difficult things.
This picture shows all of the 12 cranial nerves. The cranial nerves serve many different essential functions to survival and perceiving the outside world. For example the the optic nerve helps with vision, the olfactory nerve serves as your sense of smell, and the vagus nerve (my favorite) is the nerve that allows us to breathe because it innervates the diaphragm. The 12 nerves are named and numbered so people commonly remember them by using a pneumonic. The nerves in order with starting letters are: OOOTTAFVGVAH, which to me means: Oh, Oh, Oh, To Touch And Feel Very Green Vegetables AH. I know it doesn't make much sense but it helps me remember. I chose to use the PG version of the pneumonic, but there are other vulgar ones that many others use and didn't feel would be appropriate for such a post. It just goes to show everyone has their own way of remembering difficult things.
I want to finish this post by instilling a little neuro knowledge upon all of you who are reading this. It is an interesting fact I learned. Heroin the highly addictive opiate based drug is actually less potent than morphine. Morphine is created by the breakdown of the inactive heroin. So why is heroin then more addictive and abused than morphine? Heroin is able to cross the blood brain barrier 70 times better than morphine, meaning more heroin gets to the brain and converts to morphine than a straight morphine injection would for the same dose. A less potent drug is therefore more potent because of how it works in the body. I thought it was cool and interesting, but then again I enjoy the class.
I now know how I learn, but don't know if that really helps me with neuroanatomy. I guess I need to build a few more glial cells. HAHA...neuroanatomy joke, I guess you needed to be there.
Zach, you are just too BRAINY for me!!! Did you get that?! Why is the vagus nerve your personal favorite...cause it keeps you alive? I never really thought about what my favorite nerve might be. Very clever and interesting! Glad it's you and not me memorizing all that stuff!
ReplyDeleteLove, Your favorite MIL who has plenty of glial cells, thank you very much!
Probably the most academic post in Gray/Whaley family history...enjoyable aside from the fact that I only picked up on every fifth word. Keep up the good work...only two more years and then you can pretty much write the book yourself.
ReplyDeleteZach...refreshing to hear your perspective of what you're learning right now!...but WOW it's a lot! Sounds like you're finding creative ways to get it down. Keep it up Zach!
ReplyDeleteHm...I think I will stick to greeting cards. They are folded pieces of paper with ink and glitter, not folded pieces of nerve tissue each with its own individual purpose. Complicated, but I loved every second of it. Good post!!!
ReplyDeleteAll I could think about with this post is the "Pinky and the Brain" episode where they sing about all the parts of the brain.
ReplyDeleteNeocortex, frontal lobe...BRAIN STEM, BRAIN STEM!!