Design of an interactive brain model for neuroanatomy education and MRI training

Abstract

In this article, we introduce a new virtual application that offers an interactive model of the brain for neuroanatomy education. Through a dual-platform architecture, the application can be downloaded on both desktop and mobile devices, with the mobile app leveraging unique capacities of modern handheld systems to deploy the brain model in augmented reality. In addition to illustrating complex spatial relationships between internal brain structures, vasculature, and cranial nerves, the application integrates magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data into the user interface. MRI series in the coronal, sagittal, and axial planes can be superimposed directly onto the brain model, allowing students to engage with two-dimensional MRI slices in three-dimensional space. While previous virtual tools have offered a similar superimposition, none have done so through a mobile app, downloadable on handheld devices and suited to the modern student. The benefits of this function on students' spatial understanding and identification of neural structures on MRI slices remain understudied. The aim of this article is to describe the functionality of our dual-platform application, to outline its potential strengths as an educational tool, and to address possible directions for improvement following future assessments of the app's utility. Our ultimate goal is to offer a preliminary introduction to a new system that seeks to support users' understanding of three-dimensional neuroanatomy and aims to enhance their ability to read an MRI of the brain.