Download Anatomy of the Nervous System

Anatomy of the Nervous System
Dr. Alan H. Teich
Terms for anatomical directions in the nervous system. In four-legged animals dorsal
and ventral point in the same direction for the head as they do for the rest of the body.
However, human’s upright position has tilted the head relative to the spinal cord, so the
dorsal and ventral directions of the head are not parallel to the dorsal and ventral directions
of the spinal cord.
A sagittal section through the human brain
The limbic system is a set of subcortical structures that form a border (or
limbus) around the brain stem
The basal ganglia
The thalamus is in the center, the basal ganglia are lateral to it, and the cerebral
cortex is on the outside.
The cerebral ventricles
Diagram showing positions of the four ventricles.
Some major subdivisions of the human cerebral cortex
The four lobes: occipital, parietal, temporal, and frontal.
The Homunculus
The human brain stem
This composite structure extends from the top of the spinal cord into the
center of the forebrain. The pons, pineal gland, and colliculi
are ordinarily surrounded by the cerebral cortex.
Circle
of
Willis
Circle
of
Willis
Diagram of a cross section through the spinal cord
The dorsal root on each side conveys sensory information to the spinal cord; the
ventral root conveys motor commands to the muscles.
Sympathetic
Nervous
system
Parasympathetic
Nervous System