CASE TEACHING NOTES
by |
Dayton J. Ford
St Louis College of Pharmacy
CASE TEACHING NOTES
by |
Spinal cord injuries may interrupt pathways carrying motor information from the brain to the spinal motor nuclei or pathways carrying sensory information to the brain. Because motor information crosses in the medulla oblongata, while sensory information crosses at the level of the spinal cord, individuals with a spinal cord injury usually present with ipsilateral motor loss and/or contralateral sensory loss. Generally, injuries to the spinal cord will also result in changes with the cardiovascular and/or respiratory systems.
The case was designed for students in the first semester of the third year of a six-year doctor of pharmacy program. It is currently used to help students understand CNS architecture, major motor/sensory tracts within the CNS, signs/symptoms of both motor and sensory tract lesions, treatment for spinal cord injuries, and possible consequences of treatment. It is also a good illustration of the integration of multiple organ systems whenever a major injury occurs. This case study would work for any course in which students already have a basic knowledge of integrative physiology and have been exposed to the immune system, the nervous system, and the cardiovascular system. It would be appropriate for an undergraduate neuroscience course, for example. Although I have not tried it, a colleague has suggested this case study as a way to relate cardiovascular and respiratory function to one another.
Upon successful completion of this case, the student will be able to:
As it is designed, groups of three to four students would be given one week to do the case (outside of the classroom) and one class session would be used to discuss the case, first comparing answers within groups and then having the groups present their answers to one another. The instructor chooses groups ahead of time. Resources to be used are (1) medical physiology texts, (2) pathophysiology texts, (3) physiology texts, and (4) the Internet. During the class period when the case is discussed, written answers are submitted prior to any discussion. The class then discusses the case with the professor acting as moderator/resident expert. The written responses are screened for plagiarism utilizing Google.
Since the case is geared to pharmacy students, the questions deal with the disease mechanisms, symptoms, and treatment options. These questions can easily be modified for non-pharmacy students or a whole new set of questions may be generated.
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Acknowledgements: This case was developed with support from The Pew Charitable Trusts.
Date Posted: 07/03/03 nas
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Originally published at http://www.sciencecases.org/spinal/spinal_notes.asp
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