BIOL 203 Lab Report Paper Spring 2024
Cranial Nerve Case – Part II
Mrs. Sula is a 44-year-old woman who recently presented in the emergency room after a bicycle accident. The ER nurses treated several lacerations and abrasions to the left side of Mrs. Sula’s face and her right arm. X-ray images showed a complete transverse fracture of her left wrist. The attending physician placed a cast on Mrs. Sula’s arm and proceeded to examine her for the extent of the head trauma. A CT scan of Mrs. Sula’s head confirms a small fracture to her left temporal bone that extends through the internal auditory meatus. Based on the location of the skull fracture, the physician suspects that Mrs. Sula may have damage to one or more of her cranial nerves. See Part II for the results of the physician’s exam.
The patient’s results (physician’s notes):
When asked to sniff vials of vanilla extract and coffee, the patient correctly identified the odors. An eye exam revealed that the patient’s visual acuity and peripheral vision were normal. The patient was asked to follow a penlight with her eyes as the light was moved to the patient’s right, left, up, down, and towards her nose. Both eyes tracked the light as normal. The patient was able to feel a warm or cold probe applied to her forehead, cheek, and chin. Some asymmetry of the face was noted including weakness in the eyebrows, lips, and forehead on the left side. Her left eyelid was drooping. A taste test revealed that the patient was unable to distinguish sweet and salty tastes on the anterior left side of her tongue. The patient was able to hear clearly through both ears and when a struck tuning fork was placed on her forehead she could hear it on both sides. The patient was able to walk with a normal, balanced gait and was able to balance on the left leg and the right leg. The patient’s speech and gag reflex were normal. When asked to clench her jaw, a strong and symmetrical contraction was observed.
You will use physical tests described in your lab manual to examine a control subject without any damage to the skull or cranial nerves. Use the description of the patient’s results in Part II to formulate data for an experimental subject, your injured patient. Compare the data from the control subject (your lab partner) to the data for the experimental subject (the patient) to determine what sensory or motor deficits Mrs. Sula is experiencing. Use your knowledge of the anatomy and function of each cranial nerve to determine which cranial nerve or nerves were affected by her injuries. Compare your analysis from the test results to your hypothesis that was based only on the anatomy of the injury. To write your lab report, follow the format specified on the last page of this document and use the rubric provided to guide the content.
Assignment Guidelines:
1. Although you worked with a partner while completing the lab exercise, you must write your own, individual lab report. Copying another student’s paper or portions thereof constitutes plagiarism.
2. The lab report must be typed and submitted via Canvas. Every lab report submitted will be checked by an online similarity detection program (CopyLeaks) and reviewed by the instructor. Detection of plagiarism may result in a grade of 0 and formal citation for infraction of the HCC code of conduct. Citations of references must be included in the submitted assignment. For more information on HCC’s policies on academic honesty, please see the statement on academic honesty below and the HCC student handbook.
3. Make sure to use in-text citations when quoting or paraphrasing words, phases, ideas, or data from another source. Merely rearranging the order of words and not using an in-text citation constitutes plagiarism. APA style format for in-text and full citations must be used.
4. Be as concise as possible. Be specific in your wording. The best lab reports are ones that make every word count. Strive for logic and precision and avoid ambiguity. Keep the writing impersonal; do not use first person (i.e., I or we). Don’t use Mrs. Sula’s name – she is “the patient.”
5. Proofread your report before submitting it for grading. Mistakes in grammar and spelling will factor into your final grade. Have a neutral person review and critique your report before submission. If you need help, see your instructor or go to the LAC for assistance.
6. The report needs to be written in sufficient detail so that a person with the same background as you can read the report and understand it.
7. Data must be presented in a suitable format such as a graph, table, or chart. Be sure provide appropriate labels and captions for your data figure(s).
8. Every section of this lab report – except for the data presented in a graph, table, or chart – must be written in sentence and paragraph form. Bullet points, numbered lists, diagrams, etc, are not acceptable.
Statement on academic honesty:
Academic honesty is required of every HCC student. An infraction of the academic honesty code
includes copying other students’ work or published materials. The HCC handbook states:
“Academic Honesty means the use of one’s own thoughts and materials in all academic activities… A violation of academic honesty involves misrepresentation, the submission of materials for evaluation that are not the student’s own, or fulfillment of an academic exercise that does not result from individual effort or intellectual production.
Students are expected to give full credit for the borrowing of other’s words or ideas. Intentional or unintentional use of another’s words or ideas without acknowledging this use constitutes plagiarism. There are four common forms of plagiarism:
· duplication of an author’s words without quotation marks and accurate citation and documentation;
· duplication of an author’s words or phrases with accurate citation and documentation, but without proper use of quotation marks or block indentation, as required;
· use of an author’s ideas in paraphrase without accurate citation and documentation; or
· submission of a paper in which exact words are merely rearranged even though footnoted.
Every student is expected to submit work for a course or for any other academic purpose that has been done solely for that course or for that purpose. If a student wishes to submit the same or similar work for any other course or for any other academic purpose within the college, prior written permission of the instructor of the course in which the assignment is being submitted must be obtained.
Any student intentionally aiding another student in any infraction of the academic honesty policy is considered equally responsible.”
The penalty for the first infraction of the Academic Honesty policy is to receive a zero on the assignment. The second offense may result in a failing grade for the course.
BIOL 203 Lab Report Grading Rubric
Item Possible points Your score
Abstract (2 pt total)
· give a brief overview (1 paragraph) of the study and the conclusions
that can be made from it 2
Introduction (8 pts total)
Purpose – statement of overall purpose of study 1
Background
· Provide a general description of cranial nerves and skull foramina 1
· Identify the cranial nerve(s) that carry sensory information to the brain
and identify the structures which those nerve innervate 2
· Identify the cranial nerve(s) that carry motor commands from the brain
And identify the structures which those nerves control 2
Hypothesis – Predict which cranial nerve(s) is/are malfunctioning based on 2
the anatomic location of the cranial fractures
Procedures (2 pts total)
· Briefly explain how the function of each cranial nerve was
tested in the lab (include all 12 nerves) 2
Results (2 pts total)
· Report data in table format (include the control data collected in the lab 1
and compare it to the data from the patient’s examination)
· Give proper labels and titles for tables and graphs 1
Discussion (8 pts total)
Summary and interpretation of data
· For each test performed, compare the results between the control and
experimental subjects 2
· Relate the results to the background information in the Introduction 2
Analysis of results
· Explain how the results support the hypothesis
– OR – Explain how the results contradict the hypothesis 3
· Describe any points of uncertainty or further questions 1
Literature cited (2 pts total)
· APA style list of references and in-text citations 2
Use of correct format for report (see page below) 1
Total points for assignment 25
Format: Your paper must follow the format outlined below. The format of this paper follows the APA research report format. See the sources listed below to help you with this format.
Title Page: The title page should be on a separate sheet of paper and contain
the title of the report, your name, the name(s) of your lab partner(s),
the course number and the date that the report was submitted.
The body of the paper should contain the following clearly labeled sections:
Abstract: In this section, you will include a single paragraph to summarize the background and main results. Although it belongs at the beginning of your paper, you should write this part last.
Introduction: An introduction provides a concise statement, in paragraph form, of the
purpose or aims of the experiment as well as the relevant background about the experiment. Although the introduction varies with the style of the author and tests performed, it should only contain information that is relevant to the case. The introduction should be about one typed page in length. You must include a hypothesis that predicts which cranial nerve(s) is/are damaged. Give the reasoning for your hypothesis based on the anatomical location of the patient’s cranial fracture. Make sure to cite all references properly in the body of the paper and in the Works Cited section. See the Rubric for the specific information that should be in your introduction. Remember to include in-text citations throughout your report.
Procedures: This section explicitly describes the details of the tests performed. Do not copy directly from the lab manual but be sure to cite the lab manual as a reference. Describe in your own words the procedures you used to test the functions of all the cranial nerves.
Results: This section is used to present your results. Your data should be tabulated and presented in the form of tables and charts. Make sure that all tables and charts are labeled appropriately. Your results table must include data from each cranial nerve test for both the control and the experimental subjects.
Discussion: The data are analyzed and discussed in this section. It is important to interpret the data, not simply restate it. Here is where you relate your experimental results to existing knowledge of the function of the cranial nerves. Compare the hypothesis you wrote in the beginning to your conclusion after analyzing the test results. Was your hypothesis correct? An initial hypothesis is not always correct. If your hypothesis does not match your conclusion be sure to explain why. Address any points of uncertainty from the experiments. Include suggestions that you may have for improving the design of the tests. If you use material from other sources to support your discussion, you must cite those sources (including the text book and lab manual).
Literature Cited: Use the APA format for citations within the paper and in your reference list. (See the sources on APA style listed below)
