Chapter 12

Teaching Tips

 Since myelination is incomplete at birth and continues through childhood, certain

functions of the nervous system are modified during that time period. One example is

coordination of movements. Another is voluntary control of the external urethral

sphincter muscle at the outlet of the urinary bladder. Children gradually gain greater

ability to voluntarily constrict the external urethral sphincter when there is an urge to

urinate, to control the timing of voiding urine. Myelination of the nerves that control

this set of muscles is usually complete by sometime in the third year; prior to this

time, efforts to teach toileting are often frustrating for both parent and child.

 Remind students that muscle fibers (cells) are also capable of producing action

potentials. Also, if you have not already done so, point out that muscle fibers (cells)

are not analogous to nerve fibers (a term that usually refers to axons, and sometimes

dendrites, and their enclosing sheaths). A nerve fiber is only a portion of the entire

neuron, unlike a muscle fiber, which includes the whole cell. These terms are often

confusing unless care is taken to distinguish their meanings in class.

 Since students generally have some difficulty in understanding the concepts presented

in this chapter due to the complexity of the information, it would be helpful to their

understanding to direct them to view the Interactions: Regulation CD-ROM. This CD

presents the information in an interactive format using overviews, animations and

exercises to help promote student understanding.