neuroanatomy n : the anatomy of the nervous system

English

Noun

1. The anatomy of the nervous system
2. The structure of the nerves of a specific organ or organism

Neuroanatomy is the science for localizing function in the human brain. Imaging and experimental research provide the neuroscientist and clinician with the means to elucidate regions that act to produce different neurological and cognitive effects. Our functional neuroanatomical understanding is furthered through the study of the effects of lesions and pathological changes in brain structure that alter brain function. Our understanding of nervous system anatomical localization can be described at the level of neural circuitry with high resolution.

Examples

The human nervous system is divided into the central and peripheral nervous systems. The central nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord, and plays a key role in controlling behavior. The peripheral nervous system is made up of all the neurons in the body outside of the central nervous system, and is further subdivided into the somatic and autonomic nervous systems. The somatic nervous system is made up of afferent neurons that convey sensory information from the sense organs to the brain and spinal cord, and efferent neurons that carry motor instructions to the muscles. The autonomic nervous system also has two subdivisions. The sympathetic nervous system is a set of nerves that activate what has been called the "fight-or-flight" response that prepares the body for action. The parasympathetic nervous system instead prepares the body to rest and conserve energy.

External links

• Neuroanatomy, an annual journal of clinical neuroanatomy
• Neuroanatomy Bookshelf Essentials
• Mouse, Rat, Primate and Human Brain Atlases (UCLA Center for Computational Biology)
• brainmaps.org: High-Resolution Neuroanatomically-Annotated Brain Atlases
• BrainInfo for Neuroanatomy
• High quality neuroanatomical visual glossary with several hundred entries
• Brain Gene Expression Map, mouse gene expression neuroanatomical resource from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
• Brain Architecture Management System, several atlases of brain anatomy
• White Matter Atlas, Diffusion Tensor Imaging Atlas of the Brain's White Matter Tracts

See also