Category: Brain & Nervous System
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Meninges of the Brain and Spinal Cord
Read More →: Meninges of the Brain and Spinal CordThe meninges layers, from outside to inside, are the dura mater, arachnoid mater and pia mater. Cranial dura is conventionally described as two layers, while spinal dura has one and sits inside an epidural space. Skull diagrams and spine diagrams can seem to describe different coverings, yet they show one continuous set. The real differences…
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Sympathetic vs Parasympathetic Nervous System Compared
Read More →: Sympathetic vs Parasympathetic Nervous System ComparedA sudden fright and a quiet meal call on the sympathetic vs parasympathetic nervous system in opposite ways: the sympathetic division prepares the body for action, the parasympathetic restores baseline, and both are always active to some degree. For the wider structure of the central and peripheral nervous system, start with brain anatomy. For how…
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Cerebral Cortex Lobes
Read More →: Cerebral Cortex LobesStruggling to see where one region of a brain model ends and the next begins? The four lobes of the brain are the frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital, and grooves called sulci mark where several of them begin and end. This guide works from landmarks first, so you can trace each lobe on a three-dimensional…
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Circle of Willis Anatomy
Read More →: Circle of Willis AnatomyArtery Place in the ring Connection or territory Planning use Internal carotid artery (ICA) Carotid-side source on each side Supplied by the common carotid arteries Start here to anchor the front and sides of the ring Anterior cerebral artery (ACA) Runs forward from the ICA Motor and sensory cortex controlling the lower limbs Link it…
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Neuron Structure and Types
Read More →: Neuron Structure and TypesPart What it does Planning use Dendrites Tree-like extensions that reach away from the cell body and receive messages at synapses Trace these first on a diagram to find where a neuron takes in information. Soma (cell body) Holds the nucleus, smooth and rough endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus and mitochondria Use the nucleus as your…
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Gray Matter vs White Matter Compared
Read More →: Gray Matter vs White Matter ComparedGray matter vs white matter comes down to composition: gray matter holds nerve cell bodies, while white matter is made of myelinated axons that link them. In the brain gray matter forms a thin surface layer; in the spinal cord the arrangement reverses. Both tissues belong to one system, and neither makes sense alone. For…
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Spinal Cord Anatomy Guide
Read More →: Spinal Cord Anatomy GuideQuick answer: Learn spinal cord anatomy from the outside in. The cord runs from the base of the brain to about the first and second lumbar vertebrae, shows a butterfly-shaped gray core inside white matter, and continues as the cauda equina. This guide suits anyone building a mental model of the cord before moving on…
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Brain and Nervous System Anatomy
Read More →: Brain and Nervous System AnatomyBrain anatomy is easiest to learn by deciding first whether you need the brain’s regions or the wider nervous system. Start with the forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain for the brain itself, or the central and peripheral divisions for the whole system. This page is the orientation point for the topic. Once you know which route…