You're Getting on my Nerves! A Race to the Axon Terminal

This board game was created by Case Western Reserve University Neuroscience Professor Dr. Ashley Nemes-Baran to be used in introductory and advanced neuroscience courses in order to teach cable properties in a fun and engaging way. Students enjoy the break from lecture while getting a chance to interact with their peers with this educational board game.

• Identify which Cable Properties lead to faster and slower Action Potential propagation
• Summarize how changes in Resistance within an axon or across the cell membrane will affect signal propagation and decay
• Practice vocabulary used by Neuroscientists to describe Action Potential propagation

Publications on this Board Game:

• Rydbom et al., 2024 The Efficacy of a Novel Board Game to Teach Cable Properties to Introductory Neuroscience Undergraduate Students
• Nemes-Baran, 2024 You're Getting on My Nerves! A Board Game to Teach Action Potential Propagation and Cable Properties

What's in the Box?

• 1 Game Board
• 8 Game Pieces
• 1 Instruction Book
• 36 Signal Propagation Cards
• 6 Action Potential Signal Cards

How do you Play?

Players compete with each other to propagate their action potential from the site of initiation (the Axon Hillock) to the end of the axon (the Axon Terminal). Players will draw a Signal Propagation Card which tells them what to do, such as "propagate 2 spaces forward". For each turn, players will reduce their Action Potential Signal by 10% which is tracked using a card throughout the game. The player's Game Piece will land on one of 6 different colored squares which will indicate a different cable property that impacts the action potential, such as "Myelin Sheath: Increased Membrane Resistance - Advance 2 Spaces without Signal Decay". The first one to reach the axon terminal wins the game!

For Students

This fun board game will help you learn how changes in the neuron can effect the speed it can send a message in the form of an action potential. A booklet is provided that describes how a neuron uses action potentials and chemicals called neurotransmitters to send messages to other cells, which is the underlying basis of almost every function of the body including feeling sensations in your skin, moving your muscles, seeing what is in front of you, thinking about the answer when taking a test and remembering how much fun you had last weekend.

What will you Learn?

Neuroscientists are often interested in studying the action potential - a neuron's way of sending a message to another cell. However, some cells can send these messages faster than others. For example, it may take a few minutes for you to think about what you had for breakfast yesterday morning, but you would move your hand away from a hot surface almost immediately. Some messages are more important than others, and there can be a difference in the speed of sending these messages. Unfortunately there are some diseases that cause cells to have improper messaging speeds and scientists are interested in understanding why so that we can develop new ways to help these patients.

For Educators

Simplify difficult concepts to allow students to learn the basics of action potential propagation and begin using vocabulary terms to describe the impact of changing cable properties on action potential movement. This game has been tested in small classes and large lecture halls with positive student outcomes.

Scalable

The game can be scaled to the appropriate level using the following learning objectives:

• Introductory Remembering: Identify which cable properties lead to faster and slower action potential propagation
• Intermediate Understanding: Summarize how changes in resistance within the axon or across the membrane will affect signal decay and propagation
• Advanced Applying: Determine how changes in cable properties will impact action potential decay and propagation

In addition to playing the board game, students can be asked to think about what is happening to the ions moving down the axon under each condition and examples can be provided on quiz and exam questions to test student knowledge at varying levels.

Note: In order to improve print quality with the possibility of drift, the blue border has been removed from the Action Potential Signal Cards as of 8/24/23