Description
In this collection, we will go over the most important notes and informations about Brain Anatomy.
This collection is very important for all medical, dental and pharmacy students
Study Set Content:
Essentials of brain anatomy
There are three ways we can
section the brain: the coronal,
horizontal and sagittal planes.
Under the scalp and cranium, we
find the three maters (Latin:
mother):
dura (hard)
pia (tender)
arachnoid (spiderlike)
The brain is symmetrical about
the midsagittal plane.
Its left and right hemispheres are
often assigned logical and
creative functions respectively,
but this is a sweeping
generalisation and must be
treated with caution.
The brain has four lobes.
It can be drawn facing either
towards the right (here)...
...or towards the left (here).
The brain can be divided into the
cerebrum (Latin: brain) and the
cerebellum (Latin: little brain).
The cerebellum, which is usually
obvious, is at the back.
The brain contains several
ventricles which store
cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
The grey matter lies on the
surface of the cerebral cortex,
with the white matter beneath
On the cortical surface we see
gyri (ridges) and sulci (furrows).
The cerebral cortex (shaded in
purple) is the outer layer of the
cerebrum.
The pons (Latin: bridge) and
medulla (Latin: marrow) are
parts of the brainstem.
The basal ganglia (bundles)
comprise the striatum (caudate
nucleus and putamen), the
globus pallidus, the substantia
nigra, the nucleus accumbens,
and the subthalamic nucleus.
"Striatum" comes from the
obsolete term corpus striatum
(Latin: striped body).
Another view including the
nucleus accumbens and the
VTA (ventral tegmental area)
The thalamus (Greek, chamber)
lies on the midline between the
cerebral cortex and the midbrain
(mesencephalon). Its two halves
surround the third ventricle.
There are two hippocampi
(Greek: seahorse) and two
amygdalae (Greek: almond,
tonsil).
The fornix (Latin: arch) connects
the hippocampus to the
mamilliary bodies.
Left is front here.
The pituary gland is an
endocrine gland secreting a wide
range of hormones. It lies next to
the hypothalamus (Greek, under
chamber).
The anterior and posterior
commisures connect the left and
right hemispheres.
The corpus callosum, containing
over 200 million axons, fans out
into each hemisphere.
It is the largest tract of neurons
in the nervous system.
The limbic system, or
paleomammalian brain, is
located on either side of the
thalamus (under the cerebrum).
The term originated in the 1940s
and is grounded in out-of-date
concepts of brain anatomy.
A better way of categorising the
brain is due to the layout of the
embryo's neural tube.
A human embryo at 5 to 8 weeks
is shown.
This is where parts of the neural
tube (neuromeres) end up in the
adult.
The diencephalon comprises the
thalamus, hypothalamus and
pituary gland.
The corpus callosum (Latin:
tough body), the largest white
matter structure in the brain,
connects the left and right
hemispheres.
Essentials of brain anatomy
There are three ways we can
section the brain: the coronal,
horizontal and sagittal planes.
Under the scalp and cranium, we
find the three maters (Latin:
mother):
dura (hard)
pia (tender)
arachnoid (spiderlike)
The brain is symmetrical about
the midsagittal plane.
Its left and right hemispheres are
often assigned logical and
creative functions respectively,
but this is a sweeping
generalisation and must be
treated with caution.
The brain has four lobes.
It can be drawn facing either
towards the right (here)...
...or towards the left (here).
The brain can be divided into the
cerebrum (Latin: brain) and the
cerebellum (Latin: little brain).
The cerebellum, which is usually
obvious, is at the back.
The brain contains several
ventricles which store
cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
The grey matter lies on the
surface of the cerebral cortex,
with the white matter beneath
On the cortical surface we see
gyri (ridges) and sulci (furrows).
The cerebral cortex (shaded in
purple) is the outer layer of the
cerebrum.
The pons (Latin: bridge) and
medulla (Latin: marrow) are
parts of the brainstem.
The basal ganglia (bundles)
comprise the striatum (caudate
nucleus and putamen), the
globus pallidus, the substantia
nigra, the nucleus accumbens,
and the subthalamic nucleus.
"Striatum" comes from the
obsolete term corpus striatum
(Latin: striped body).
Another view including the
nucleus accumbens and the
VTA (ventral tegmental area)
Now label this diagram yourself:
The thalamus (Greek, chamber)
lies on the midline between the
cerebral cortex and the midbrain
(mesencephalon). Its two halves
surround the third ventricle.
There are two hippocampi
(Greek: seahorse) and two
amygdalae (Greek: almond,
tonsil).
The fornix (Latin: arch) connects
the hippocampus to the
mamilliary bodies.
Left is front here.
The pituary gland is an
endocrine gland secreting a wide
range of hormones. It lies next to
the hypothalamus (Greek, under
chamber).
The anterior and posterior
commisures connect the left and
right hemispheres.
And finally a real specimen:
The corpus callosum, containing
over 200 million axons, fans out
into each hemisphere.
It is the largest tract of neurons
in the nervous system.
The limbic system, or
paleomammalian brain, is
located on either side of the
thalamus (under the cerebrum).
The term originated in the 1940s
and is grounded in out-of-date
concepts of brain anatomy.
A better way of categorising the
brain is due to the layout of the
embryo's neural tube.
A human embryo at 5 to 8 weeks
is shown.
