Brain anatomy
This page is a dumping ground for anatomical terms that come up in conversation with neuroscientists, phrased (hopefully!) in a way that CS people can understand them. Click a tract name for specific information, including instructions for segmenting the tract out of a tractogram in Brainapp.
- Cingulum / cingulum bundle
- White matter fibers mainly projecting from the cingulate gyrus (C-shaped bulge in the surface of the mid-sagittal cerebrum that surrounds the corpus callosum) to the parahippocampal gyrus and adjacent temporal cortex, thereby connecting frontal and parietal lobes (neocortex) with the limbic system. Cingulum bundle also includes aminergic afferent fibers from the brain stem.
- Corona radiata
- A fan-shaped sheet of WM that radiates from the brain stem superior to the cortex.
- Corpus callosum (CC)
- The large tract connecting the hemispheres. In a mid-sagittal cutting plane, it looks like a letter C turned on its side, with the tips pointing inferior. See [1]. Moving around the CC from the back (posterior), it is subdivided into parts named:
- Splenium
- The posterior, slightly bulbous part of the CC.
- Body
- The more-or-less flat part of the CC between the splenium and the genu.
- Genu
- The anterior part of the CC, where it bends back on itself. "Genu" means "knee".
- Rostrum
- The part of the CC inferior and posterior to the genu.
- Corticospinal tract (CST)
- A major descending pathway that projects from the cerebral cortex to the spinal cord. It is the key pathway for voluntary movement (contrast it with the other major longitudinal but ascending pathway: the dorsal-column medial lemniscal system).
- Forceps major / forceps posterior
- The posterior projection of the CC (from the splenium) into the occipital lobe. In a transverse cutting plane, it looks like a letter C at the posterior portion of the brain with the tips pointing posterior. See [2].
- Forceps minor / forceps anterior
- The anterior projection of the CC (from the genu) into the cerebrum. In a transverse cutting plane, it looks like a letter C at the anterior portion of the brain with the tips pointing anterior. In other words, it looks sort of like a pair of mandibles over the eyes. See [3].
- Fornix
- ???
- Inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF)
- ???
- Internal capsule
- ???
- Superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF)
- ???
- Thalamus
- Major relay nuclei (a gray matter structure) in the diencephalon (division of the brain primarily containing thalamus and hypothalamus in mature brain). Most sensory information is carried to the thalamus first (i.e., via ascending tracts) and then relayed to the cerebral cortex. Similarly, neural signals controlling movements, learning, memory and emotions bound to sub-cortical structures are relayed by the thalamus to their final destinations.
- Uncinate fasciculus
- ???
External Links
- Anatomical directions and anatomical planes on Wikipedia
- Biology-Online dictionary --- search for text descriptions of terms
- U. Arkansas neuroanatomy atlas images
- Radiopaedia --- a wiki encyclopedia for radiology; search for articles