GrossAnatomy of the

Nervous System

Rostraltoward the nose

Caudaltoward the tail

Dorsaltoward the back

Ventraltoward the belly

Medialtoward the midline

Lateralaway from the midline

Proximalnear a point of reference

Distaldistant from a point of reference

Directional Terms

Afferentprojecting toward

Efferentprojecting away from

Ipsilateralon the same side

Contralateralon the opposite side

Directional Terms

Planes of SectionCoronal or frontal

perpendicular to the neuraxisperpendicular to groundapply only to brain

Sagittalparallel to neuraxisperpendicular to groundmidsagittal = axis of symmetry

Horizontalparallel to groundparallel to neuraxisapplies only to brain

Transverseperpendicular to neuraxisapplies to brain and spinal cord

Obliqueany section not in a standard plane

CNS = brain and spinal cordPNS = ganglia and nerves outside of CNS

(7)

(12)

(5)

(5)

(2)

(intermediate gray)

C1-C8

T1-T12

S1-S5

L1-L5

Coxxygial

A. Cervical spinal cordB. Thoracic spinal cordC. Lumbar spinal cordD. Lumbo-sacral spinal cord

Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)Sympathetic division (arousal)Parasympathetic division (maintenance)

Prosencephalon = diencephalon + telencephalonMesencephalon = tegmentum + tectumRhombencephalon =

metencephalon (pons, + cerebellum)+ myelencephalon (medulla)

SYSTEM NERVORUM CENTRALE (Central nervous system)

I. ENCEPHALON (brain) A. PROSENCEPHALON (forebrain) 1. TELENCEPHALON (endbrain; limbic system, basal ganglia & cerebral cortex) 2. DIENCEPHALON (between-brain, or interbrain; hypothalamus & thalamus) B. MESENCEPHALON (midbrain; tectum & tegmentum) C. RHOMBENCEPHALON (hindbrain) 1. METENCEPHALON (pons & cerebellum) 2. MYELENCEPHALON (medulla oblongata) II. MEDULLA SPINALIS (spinal cord) Notes: "BRAINSTEM" is an imprecisely defined term which usually refers to the rhombencephalon and mesencephalon together. It may or may not include the cerebellum, and sometimes the diencephalon is included. "CEREBRUM" or "CEREBRAL HEMISHPHERES" refer to the telencephalon.