You're Getting on my Nerves! A Race to the Axon Terminal 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
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!
—description from the designer