The human brain anatomical regions are ordered following standard neuroanatomy hierarchies. Functional, connective, and developmental regions are listed in parentheses where appropriate.
Hindbrain (rhombencephalon)
Main article: Hindbrain
Myelencephalon
- Medulla oblongata
- Medullary pyramids
- Arcuate nucleus
- Olivary body
- Rostral ventrolateral medulla
- Caudal ventrolateral medulla
- Solitary nucleus (Nucleus of the solitary tract)
- Respiratory center-Respiratory groups
- Paramedian reticular nucleus
- Gigantocellular reticular nucleus
- Parafacial zone
- Cuneate nucleus
- Gracile nucleus
- Perihypoglossal nuclei
- Area postrema
- Medullary cranial nerve nuclei
- Chemoreceptor trigger zone
Metencephalon
Pons
- Pontine nuclei
- Pontine cranial nerve nuclei
- Chief or pontine nucleus of the trigeminal nerve sensory nucleus (V)
- Motor nucleus for the trigeminal nerve (V)
- Abducens nucleus (VI)
- Facial nerve nucleus (VII)
- Vestibulocochlear nuclei (vestibular nuclei and cochlear nuclei) (VIII)
- Superior salivatory nucleus
- Pontine tegmentum
- Parabrachial area
- Medial parabrachial nucleus
- Lateral parabrachial nucleus
- Subparabrachial nucleus (Kölliker-Fuse nucleus)
- Superior olivary complex
- Medial superior olive
- Lateral superior olive
- Medial nucleus of the trapezoid body
- Paramedian pontine reticular formation
- Parvocellular reticular nucleus
- Caudal pontine reticular nucleus
- Cerebellar peduncles
Fourth ventricle
Cerebellum
Midbrain (mesencephalon)
- Tectum
- Pretectum
- Tegmentum
- Cerebral peduncle
- Mesencephalic cranial nerve nuclei
- Mesencephalic duct (cerebral aqueduct, aqueduct of Sylvius)
Forebrain (prosencephalon)
Diencephalon
Epithalamus
- Pineal body (pineal gland)
- Habenular nuclei
- Stria medullaris
- Taenia thalami
Third ventricle
Thalamus
See also: List of thalamic nuclei- Anterior nuclear group
- Anteroventral nucleus (a.k.a. ventral anterior nucleus)
- Anterodorsal nucleus
- Anteromedial nucleus
- Medial nuclear group
- Lateral nuclear group
- Ventral nuclear group
- Metathalamus
- Thalamic reticular nucleus
Hypothalamus (limbic system) (HPA axis)
- Anterior
- Medial area
- Parts of preoptic area
- Medial preoptic nucleus
- Median preoptic nucleus
- Suprachiasmatic nucleus
- Paraventricular nucleus
- Supraoptic nucleus (mainly)
- Anterior hypothalamic nucleus
- Parts of preoptic area
- Lateral area
- Parts of preoptic area
- Lateral preoptic nucleus
- Anterior part of Lateral nucleus
- Part of supraoptic nucleus
- Parts of preoptic area
- Other nuclei of preoptic area
- Median preoptic nucleus
- Periventricular preoptic nucleus
- Medial area
- Tuberal
- Medial area
- Lateral area
- Tuberal part of Lateral nucleus
- Lateral tuberal nuclei
- Posterior
- Medial area
- Mammillary nuclei (part of mammillary bodies)
- Posterior nucleus
- Lateral area
- Posterior part of Lateral nucleus
- Medial area
- Surface
- Median eminence
- Mammillary bodies
- Pituitary stalk (infundibulum)
- Optic chiasm
- Subfornical organ
- Periventricular nucleus
- Tuber cinereum
- Tuberal nucleus
- Tuberomammillary nucleus
- Tuberal region
- Mammillary nucleus
Subthalamus (HPA axis)
Pituitary gland (HPA axis)
- Neurohypophysis
- Pars intermedia (Intermediate Lobe)
- Adenohypophysis
Telencephalon (cerebrum) Cerebral hemispheres
White matter
Subcortical
- Hippocampus (Medial Temporal Lobe)
- Amygdala (limbic system) (limbic lobe)
- Extended amygdala
- Claustrum
- Basal ganglia
- Striatum
- Dorsal striatum (a.k.a. neostriatum)
- Ventral striatum
- Globus pallidus (forms nucleus lentiformis with putamen)
- Subthalamic nucleus
- Striatum
- Basal forebrain
Rhinencephalon (paleocortex)
- Olfactory bulb
- Olfactory tract
- Anterior olfactory nucleus
- Piriform cortex
- Anterior commissure
- Uncus
- Periamygdaloid cortex
Cerebral cortex (neocortex)
- Frontal lobe
- Parietal lobe
- Occipital lobe
- Cortex
- Primary visual cortex (V1)
- V2
- V3
- V4
- Gyri
- Other
- Brodmann areas 17 (V1, primary visual cortex); 18, 19
- Cortex
- Temporal lobe
- Insular cortex
- Cingulate cortex
Neural pathways
- Superior longitudinal fasciculus
- Uncinate fasciculus
- Perforant pathway
- Thalamocortical radiations
- Corpus callosum
- Anterior commissure
- Amygdalofugal pathway
- Interthalamic adhesion
- Posterior commissure
- Habenular commissure
- Fornix
- Mammillotegmental fasciculus
- Incertohypothalamic pathway
- Cerebral peduncle
- Medial forebrain bundle
- Medial longitudinal fasciculus
- Myoclonic triangle
- Solitary tract
- Major dopaminergic pathways from dopaminergic cell groups
- Serotonergic pathways
- Norepinephrine Pathways
- Locus coeruleus and other noradrenergic cell groups
- Epinephrine pathways from adrenergic cell groups
- Glutamate and acetylcholine pathways from mesopontine nuclei
Motor systems / Descending fibers
- Extrapyramidal system
- Pyramidal tract
- Corticomesencephalic tract
- Tectospinal tract
- Interstitiospinal tract
- Rubrospinal tract
- Rubro-olivary tract
- Olivocerebellar tract
- Olivospinal tract
- Vestibulospinal tract
- Reticulospinal tract
- Lateral raphespinal tract
- Alpha system
- Gamma system
Somatosensory system
- Dorsal column–medial lemniscus pathway
- Spinothalamic tract
- Spinocerebellar tract
- Spino-olivary tract
- Spinoreticular tract
Visual system
Auditory system
Nerves
Neuroendocrine systems
Neuro vascular systems
- Middle cerebral artery
- Posterior cerebral artery
- Anterior cerebral artery
- Vertebral artery
- Basilar artery
- Circle of Willis (arterial system)
- Blood–brain barrier
- Glymphatic system
- Venous systems
- Circumventricular organs
Neurotransmitter pathways
See also: NeuromodulationDural meningeal system
- Cerebrospinal Fluid
- Brain-cerebrospinal fluid barrier
- Meningeal coverings
- Epidural space
- Subdural space
- Subarachnoid space
- Ventricular system
- Lateral ventricles
- Angular bundle
- Anterior horn
- Body of lateral ventricle
- Inferior horn
- Posterior horn
- Subventricular zone
- Third ventricle
- Fourth ventricle
- Foramina
- Lateral ventricles
Limbic system
- Cortical areas:
- Limbic lobe
- Orbitofrontal cortex
- Piriform cortex part of the olfactory system
- Entorhinal cortex
- Hippocampus and associated structures
- Fornix and septal nuclei
- Subcortical areas:
- Diencephalic structures:
Other areas that have been included in the limbic system include the:
- Stria medullaris
- Central gray and dorsal and ventral nuclei of Gudden
Related topics
References
External links
- Brain at the U.S. National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) (view tree for regions of the brain)
- BrainMaps.org
- BrainInfo (University of Washington)
- "Brain Anatomy and How the Brain Works". Johns Hopkins Medicine. 14 July 2021.
- "Brain Map". Queensland Health. 12 July 2022.
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