Neuroanatomy
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This article covers very basic neuroanatomy. It is essential to have a good grasp on neuroanatomy and neurohistology... before doing neuropathology.
Anatomy
Important
- Uncus (as in uncal herniation).
- Cerebellar tonsils (as in tonsillar herniation).
- Longitudinal fissure - divides cerebrum into hemispheres.
- Lateral sulcus (Sylvian fissure, lateral fissure) - separates temporal lobe from frontal lobe & parietal lobe.
- Central sulcus - separate parietal lobe from frontal lobe.
- Brain stem = medulla oblongata, pons, mesencephalon (midbrain).[1]
Less important
- Glomeruli of Arnold.
- Over lies hippocampus.
- Calcarine cortex - occipital lobe
- Line of Gennari -- very thin white line in the grey matter.
- Image: Calcarine cortex (med.utah.edu) as part of CNS collection (gfmer.ch).
- Nucleus accumbens (NAcc) - inferior-medial to where the internal capsule ends; anterior of optic chiasm.
- Images: NAcc - sagittal (WC), NAcc - frontal (WC).
Trivia
- Claustrum - thin band of grey mater in the external capsule; function uncertain.[2]
Vascular structures
- Posterior cerebellar arteries.
- Inferior of posterior cerebral arteries.
- Anterior inferior cerebellar arteries.
- Branch off basilar artery.
- Posterior inferior cerebellar arteries - AKA PICA.
- Branch off vertebral arteries.
Images:
Meninges
Deep to superficial:
- Pia mater.
- Arachanoid membrane.
- Subarachanoid space - contains blood vessels.
- Dura mater.
- Tough outer covering.
Lesion location in relation to meninges
Locations:[3]
- Intra-axial = inside the (middle) of spinal cord/brain.
- AKA intramedullary.
- Intradural = not intra-axial, but deep to the dural.
- AKA extramedullary.
- Extradural = outside of dura.
- The above descriptors are often found in radiology reports.
DDx based on location[4]
Intra-axial:[5]
- Glioma (astrocytoma, oligodendroglioma, ependymoma).
- Non-glial tumours (hemangioblastoma, CNS lymphoma).
- Metastases.
- Non-tumour:
- Abscess.
- Infarct.
- Hematoma.
Intradural:
- Meningioma.
- Neurofibromas.
- Schwannoma.
- Arachnoid cyst.
Extradural:
- Chordoma.
- Schwannoma.
- Sarcoma.
- Plasmacytoma.
- Primary bone tumors - osteosarcoma, osteochondroma, chondrosarcoma.
- Mets (lung, breast, etc.).
Sampling - sections (autopsy)
- See autopsy.
Standard histologic sections:
| Routine[6] | Head injury[7] | Epilepsy[8] | Dementia[9] | |
| Frontal cortex | Y [1] | Y - bilateral parasagittal [2] | N | Y - middle frontal gyrus [1] |
| Cingulate gyrus | N | N | Y - parasagittal [1] | Y [1] |
| Basal ganglia & internal capsule |
Y [1] | Y - bilateral with corpus callosum [2] | Y - caudate, putamen, globus palidus [1] |
Y - putamen, globus palidus [1] |
| Basal ganglia, internal capsule, thalamus |
N | Y [2] | N | N |
| Temporal lobe | N | N | Y - superior & middle temporal gyri [2] | Y - superior & middle temporal gyri [1] |
| Hippocampus | Y [1] | Y - bilateral [2] | Y - also parahippocampal gyri [2] | Y - also parahippocampal gyri [1] |
| Splenium of corpus callosum | N | Y [1] | N | N |
| Parietal lobe | N | Y - centrum semiovale (unilateral) [1] | N | Y - inferior [1] |
| Occipital cortex | Y [1] | N | N | Y [1] |
| Midbrain | Y [1] | Y [1] | N | Y [1] |
| Cerebellum (with dentate gyrus) |
Y [1] | Y - bilateral [2] | Y - also vermis [2] | Y [1] |
| Pons | N | Y [1] | N | Y [1] |
| Medulla | Y [1] | Y [1] | N | Y [1] |
| Total sections | [7] | [15] | [8] | [11] |
See also
References
- ↑ Martini, Frederic H. (2003). Fundamentals of Anatomy & Physiology (6th ed.). Benjamin Cummings. pp. 466. ISBN 978-0805359336.
- ↑ URL: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Telencephalon-Horiconatal.jpg. Accessed on: 22 September 2010.
- ↑ URL: http://www.nervous-system-diseases.com/spine-tumor.html. Accessed on: 21 September 2010.
- ↑ URL: http://www.nervous-system-diseases.com/spine-tumor.html. Accessed on: 21 September 2010.
- ↑ Perry, Arie; Brat, Daniel J. (2010). Practical Surgical Neuropathology: A Diagnostic Approach: A Volume in the Pattern Recognition series (1st ed.). Churchill Livingstone. pp. 57. ISBN 978-0443069826.
- ↑ Burton, Julian L.; Rutty, Guy N. (2010). The Hospital Autopsy A Manual of Fundamental Autopsy Practice (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 164. ISBN 978-0340965146. }}
- ↑ Burton, Julian L.; Rutty, Guy N. (2010). The Hospital Autopsy A Manual of Fundamental Autopsy Practice (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 176. ISBN 978-0340965146. }}
- ↑ Burton, Julian L.; Rutty, Guy N. (2010). The Hospital Autopsy A Manual of Fundamental Autopsy Practice (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 179. ISBN 978-0340965146. }}
- ↑ Burton, Julian L.; Rutty, Guy N. (2010). The Hospital Autopsy A Manual of Fundamental Autopsy Practice (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 180. ISBN 978-0340965146. }}
