Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy

This article attempts to provide definitions to a number of anatomical terminology, definitions and abbreviations, pertinent to the description of the Central Nervous System, particularly in humans. It aims to provide further information to the description of orientation in neuroanatomy.

To understand the terms used for anatomical localisation, consider an animal with a straight CNS, such as a fish or lizard. In such animals the terms "rostral", "caudal", "ventral" and "dorsal" mean respectively towards the rostrum, towards the tail, towards the belly and towards the back. For a full discussion of those terms, see anatomical terms of location. For many purposes of anatomical description, positions and directions are relative to the standard anatomical planes and axes. Such reference to the anatomical planes and axes is called the stereotactic approach.

However, in humans and most other primates the axis of the CNS is bent and the face (rostrum) is no longer at one end of the rostro-caudal axis of the body. The erect human posture demands modifications of the terms and meanings of the descriptions that apply to most vertebrates, but even greater compromises are necessary in describing the central nervous system. The planes defining the anatomical localisation of the human brain are similar to those that apply to the body, but with certain major differences that reflect the distortion of the brains of the Hominidae in their adaptation to a bipedal way of life. These are shown in the accompanying illustrations and annotations. In particular the anatomical planes and axes that apply to most vertebrate nervous systems need considerable modification before they can be of use in describing the human brain. For example in reference to the human brain, "rostral" still means "towards the face", or at any rate, the interior of the cranial cavity just behind the face. However, in the brain "caudal" means not "towards the tail", but "towards the back of the cranial cavity". Alternative terms for this rostro-caudal axis of the brain include medial or antero-posterior axis.

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