Neuroanatomy: The added value of the Klingler method

Four formalin-fixed brains were dissected using the Klingler methodology in order to reveal the inner anatomical organization of the brain white matter. The most important fiber systems were dissected and their relationships to the cerebral and cerebellar gray matter structures visualized. These dissections were used as a learning tool in teaching the brain white matter structural and topographical connectivity. The white matter fiber systems were presented to undergraduate medical students during a neuroanatomy course. They observed and manipulated the dissected specimens leading to a thorough understanding of the configuration and location of the white matter fiber tracts, and their relationships to the ventricular system and gray matter structures. Subsequently, students were asked to answer a survey concerning the importance of the utilization of this material in their understanding of the three-dimensional intrinsic anatomy of the brain white matter. The knowledge acquired with this technique, complemented by conventional formalin-fixed sections may improve the neuroanatomical knowledge and future retention of medical students.