On Why Drawing Helps You Learn Human Anatomy

While memorization sometimes gets chided as mundane and less than scholarly, committing information to memory is an essential element of all learning whether in the cognitive, motor or other domains. We know that there are at least two types of memory: short- and long-term and there is a critical link between them. In order to commit an idea, concept, image, sound or experience to long-term memory, successful short-term memory processing is required. Over the last 30 years I have been teaching human anatomy to a variety of students, mostly in the health professions. I am absolutely certain that drawing and re-drawing anatomical structures leads to a “visual image” (in your “mind’s eye”) that will be successfully instilled in long-term memory. I should add a disclaimer that this was not originally my idea. While in physical therapy school my own anatomy instructor, a physical anthropologist, drew everything we learned about in anatomy lectures. From the start, when I first began teaching at the university level I adapted this perspective; from day one of my teaching I drew virtually everything I taught.

Students often remark that when they first attend my classes they “can’t draw.” I respond that they’re missing the point. I tell them that the act of putting your pencil to paper, and NOT using a laptop computer to take notes, plays a significant role in converting information into long-term memory. In fact, whatever they are drawing only has to make sense to them even if someone looking over your shoulder doesn’t have a clue what you’ve drawn.

Students note that I rarely use notes when I teach anatomy. They ask me: “How can you do that?” I reply that whatever I am drawing on the board comes from a “mental image” of what I’m thinking about. I am drawing what I see in “my mind’s eye.” Admittedly, repetition has played an important role in what and how I teach it. Over the past 30 years I’ve probably taught anatomy courses of one sort or another hundreds of times.

While memory has been studied for years, the physiological connection between short-term and long-term memory has been illusive. In recent years, however, neuro-physiological mechanisms are starting to be understood. It’s clear that in order to store an idea or image in long-term memory there must be a significant “event” that “inspires” short-term memory (usually lasting only several seconds) enough so that those signals can be successfully stored and later recalled. “Events” are varied. Almost everyone in my generation can recall the time of day, where we were and the circumstances requiring us to be there the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated. For me, I was sitting in Miss William’s music class in 7th grade. My whole class stayed after school that day as punishment for misbehaving in class. I was sitting on the top riser slightly to the left of center in the room. Around 3:30PM that afternoon an announcement came over the PA system from our principal that John Kennedy had been shot. The room went silent and a girl in our class named Sally, sitting in the front row, a little to my right began sobbing after hearing the news. I’m 59 now and I can remember that day like it was yesterday. I’m sure others vividly recall the day the space shuttle Challenger exploded during the Reagan administration. Clearly “events” like these play a critical role in linking short- to long-term memory. What is not understood is the physiological nature of the “event”.

Recently, experimentation in neuroscience has started to identify a possible biochemical link between a triggering “event” and long-term memory. A molecule called PKN beta (phenyketnuria beta) may represent such a trigger. At least since Bernstein’s work on redundant neural pathways was introduced to the west (Bernstein was a Russian physiologist) in the 1960’s it has been understood that certain neuro-synaptic pathways appear to be selected for amongst the millions of potential pathways that exist in the nervous system. In the fields of motor control and motor learning there is substantial evidence that repetitive physical practice (“time-on-task”) is an important factor in selecting out a specific pathway that becomes used over and over again. Conceptually, this may be a neuro-physiological explanation for remembering a motor act and being successful at it after long periods of practice. It now appears that PKN beta or a similar molecule may play a role in selecting out a specific, efficient neural pathway. When an impactful “event” such as drawing a picture, deemed to be important (presumably by an anatomy instructor) occurs, PKN beta connects to a synapse. At this point it’s not clear if it’s the pre- or post-synaptic membrane. In any event the connection of PKN beta seems to serve as a signal to the nervous system that the pathway currently being utilized is special and perhaps represents a neuro-physiological explanation for committing an image (or concept) to long-term memory. Therefore, the physical act of drawing (again, putting pencil-to-paper) may represent the “trigger” and “event” leading to successful storage in memory and recall.

For years I have told students that the best way to learn and retain anatomy is to draw it. I’ve often said that staring at a bunch of words in a textbook is not likely to lead to successful mastery of anatomic structure – “you need to draw it – over and over again!” While my experience over the years has brought me to this conclusion, I’ve never been able to articulate what I know, in a neuro-anatomical or neuro-physological context. Maybe PKN beta is pointing in that direction. Nonetheless, if you’re going to learn anatomy – START DRAWING – it works!

Link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/3410/01.html